Caring for children with learning disabilities

In some situations, children may have difficulties with learning under the normal school methods and in such cases, such children lag behind their colleagues and are usually branded as slow or stupid.Experts say that there are four recognised types of learning disorders that could affect children.These are reading disorders; arithmetic disorders; disorders of written expression, […]

In some situations, children may have difficulties with learning under the normal school methods and in such cases, such children lag behind their colleagues and are usually branded as slow or stupid.
Experts say that there are four recognised types of learning disorders that could affect children.
These are reading disorders; arithmetic disorders; disorders of written expression, which relate to writing problems; and learning disorders, which affect the child’s ability to solve problems or to repeat what has been learnt.
More specifically, dyslexia is a reading disability and dyscalculia is an arithmetic disability but there are several other forms of learning disabilities.
These disorders affect the brain’s ability to receive and process information, making it particularly challenging for kids to learn as quickly as their peers.
Although some forms of learning disabilities are incurable, they can be overcome with appropriate and timely academic interventions.
Unfortunately, many Nigerian educational institutions are not aware of these disorders and they, therefore, make no efforts to reach out and help affected children.
Similarly, recognised neurodevelopmental disorders like autism, cerebral palsy and the Down syndrome are somewhat ignored by the Nigerian education system.
Parents, whose children undergo neurodevelopmental disorders, usually avoid the public school system and often end up hiding their children or seeking costly help from specialist schools.
Dr Dennis Shatima, a paediatrician at the National Hospital, Abuja, explained that autism was a developmental problem in children, characterised by poor socialisation and communication abilities.
According to Shatima, even though autism, Down syndrome and cerebral palsy affect the brain, they still have their distinct characteristics.
“Cerebral palsy is a disorder of the brain that is characterised by an abnormality of posture and movement. It is usually non-progressive; it is usually due to events that occurred in the womb or at the time of delivery.
“Down syndrome is a genetic disorder that occurs when the chromosomes are separating in the womb; instead of getting half from the father and half from the mother, the baby gets three instead of the two chromosomes,’’ he said.
The paediatrician stressed that tangible efforts should be made to restore such parents’ confidence so that they would not be tempted to hide their children.
“Counselling is very important; let the parents know the basis of the problem; let them know that it’s nobody’s fault, that it’s something that can happen to anybody.
“It’s very important to link them up with other parents that have similar conditions. This is because they can share experience and knowledge about the illness and if there is any latest treatment that is known to any member of the group, they will readily share it,’’ he said.
Shatima, however, reiterated that there was ample hope for children with neurodevelopmental disorders because they could be trained to be self-sufficient.
“Some of autistic children are quite intelligent; all they need is training on how to live an independent life,” he added.
Mrs Dotun Akande is the Executive Director of Abuja-based Patrick Speech and Language Centre (PSLC); a centre established to improve the quality of life for individuals with developmental disabilities.
Akande said that PSLC was set up to provide comprehensive structural support for people living with autism, while creating awareness and sensitising individuals and organisations to the specific needs of autistic persons.
She explained that cases of autism were on the rise, saying: “A few years ago, it was one in every 150 children; now, it’s one in 88 children and this year, we are hearing that it’s likely to go to one in every 50 children.”
Akande encouraged parents who make such observations to avoid compelling their children to live a reclusive life, advising them to also seek out appropriate therapies early enough in order to help the children.
Akande underscored the need for prompt interventions, saying that these would enable autistic children to surmount the challenges and integrate socially into the society.
She called on the government to create learning centres for children with neurodevelopmental disorders to complement the existing private ones.
However, some stakeholders have said that instead of building separate institutions for children with autism and other special needs, efforts should be geared toward giving them inclusive education in the country’s public schools.
Mr Okey-Martins Nwokolo, the Coordinator of Centre for Autism and Developmental Disabilities (CADD) Nigeria, underscored the need to develop the skills of public school teachers in handling autistic children.
“We invited 50 public school heads to the 2013 international symposium on effective inclusion of students with autism in regular schools, so as to create awareness on handling children with autism and other special needs.
“This has become very important because low-income parents cannot afford to take their children with special needs to special schools,” he added.
Nwokolo reiterated that the integration of children with learning problems into public schools was beneficial because it would give all the children the opportunity to interact with each other.
He added that this would help boost the confidence of children with anti-social tendencies, while helping others without these problems to observe that these disabilities were not demonic or contagious.
All the same, Mr Aig Esekhade, a developmental psychologist, said that education was essential for individual and societal advancement, stressing that the government was under obligation to make it available to all citizens.
He suggested that some public school teachers should be trained in skills on how to manage children with special needs, in collaboration with private specialists.
However, there are some concerns that ‘forcing’ children with special needs to go to regular schools may harm the children instead of helping them.
“You’re going to end up in crisis; children with special needs may be unable to cope and they will completely disrupt the educational process for other children,” said Mrs Raphyat Garba, a mother of two.
Garba suggested that children with learning disabilities should be taught in separate classes, while those with neurodevelopmental disorders should go to separate schools.
“That way, each child can learn at his or her own pace,” she added.
However, 2010 records by the Department of Education (DOE) in the U.S. indicate that when children with learning disorders only interact with others living with similar conditions, they are not challenged to rise above their disabilities.
Since it is a fact that most public school teachers do not have the skills to manage integrated classes that are composed of normal children and those with learning disabilities, analysts advocate structured training for the teachers in such skills.
They underscore the need for such training, saying that it would be useful in efforts to expand access to quality education for all categories of Nigerian children, including those with learning difficulties. (NAN)