Usman is six years old, just a bit older than my own son, who is preparing to “graduate” from kindergarten this month. Unfortunately, Usman has had no such luck, for besides a nursery that took him in for two years, he has not been to school.
Like countless children in the UAE, Usman is a child with special needs. He is also one of many who ought to be in a school right now!
Special needs is a blanket under which are stowed away an exhaustive number of characterisations in terms of diagnosis. Children who face learning or permanent disabilities of any kind have special needs, as do those with developmental delays. Or the ones who suffer from a long-term or even terminal illness. Terms such as autism, cerebral palsy or even Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) mean that the child requires some form of special attention.
While the media has zealously picked up the UAE government’s commitment to revamp the education system, and identify a curriculum and clear-cut policy on admitting children with special needs in mainstream schools, it is only in the children’s best interest to not rush into it.
Finding solutions
There is need for much analysis. It must be realised that there is no “one-size-fits-all” solution to this issue.
This is not just about putting children with special needs in the same classroom as the rest. It is about changing policies and practices, and even the infrastructure of schools — all costly ventures. And it is also about involving children concerned.
I cannot think of one parent of a special needs child who does not want him/her to realise his/her full potential. But as the sister of a special needs person myself, I can vouch for the fact that most of the time parents are constantly putting up fights to ensure a place in a special or mainstream school for their special needs ward.
Parents certainly need to be involved in terms of asking what they want. Not only will such a gesture show respect for them, it will also help parents understand what professional help can do for their child.
In case of older special needs children, it would be nice to have their perspective as well. For teenagers with special needs requirements, it will probably be quite daunting — and even ostracising — to be part of a group comprising only of special needs students who must sit in the first row, or to have to sit with a teaching aide all the time. Or even for the child’s peers to know that he is being given extra time in examinations.
Their voice must be heard with the sensitivity that it deserves, and all students of the school need to understand concepts such as “peer assistance” or “aides”. A student awareness programme could do wonders in preparing a school for the integration of special needs students.
Before the implementation phase of a system where children with special needs can be assimilated into the mainstream education system, there are several other modifications that need to come in place.
Modified teaching plan
In the developed world, and especially in the United States, where integrated school systems are quite prevalent, the term IEP — Individualised Education Programme — is commonly understood by both the parents of special needs children and the educators. It is a legal document and spells out things like a diagnosis for the child and a modified teaching plan based on the child’s abilities and weaknesses.
It is imperative for schools to form something along the lines of an IEP for every special needs child they enrol. This will help identify and implement a system of education that best suits the child’s individual needs.
Educators need to ask themselves if the instructional material — visual, audio or reading — that they have selected has been chosen while keeping in mind each and every student in class. There must be strategies in place to prevent children with special needs from feeling lost in class. Educators must know the kind of timelines special needs students will require, and how much their coursework or homework can be reduced to prevent them from being overwhelmed.
Much work and dedication is required for the implementation of such a dedicated school system. And that is probably why there is no clear admission policy, or curricula when it comes to mainstream schools taking in special needs students. Most schools in the UAE are just not prepared.
Special school
Meanwhile it is vital to consider that sometimes the needs of special children demand a separate set-up, in the form or a secluded classroom or a special school for students who have similar needs and requirements.
The UAE has made great leaps in terms of special education schools and centres. When my special needs sister was a child, she was one of the first to be admitted to the first special needs school in Dubai. Now there are several, and many support groups are also extremely helpful in the kind of services they offer.
Yet Usman, and many like him, have spent a whole academic year on the waiting list of one such school. His parents spent thousands on evaluations and tests in the hope that their special needs son would qualify for the much-coveted seat, only to be refused and rejected because there isn’t enough space for another child. This is certainly not the kind of treatment special needs children deserve.
So while we work to make the mainstream education conducive for the assimilation of children with special needs, the need of the hour is to make room in special needs schools of the UAE for more children.
A can-do approach is the best way forward so special needs children receive the most productive, stimulating and beneficial education possible — or at least an education to begin with.
Rabia Alavi is a Dubai-based writer. You can follow her on Twitter at www.twitter.com/RabiaAlavi
