SPECIAL NEEDS CHILDREN IN LEARNING SITUATION: THE ROLE OF CAREGIVERS AND EARLY CHILDHOOD EDUCATORS.

SPECIAL NEEDS CHILDREN IN LEARNING SITUATION: THE ROLE OF CAREGIVERS AND EARLY CHILDHOOD EDUCATORS

BY

FOWOWE S.S

DEPARTMENT OF PRIMARY EDUCATION

ADENIRAN OGUNSANYA COLLEGE OF EDUCATION

OTTO/IJANIKIN, LAGOS

Abstract

Every child born into this world is a unique being. But somehow because of some environmental and hereditary factors, some of the children exhibit some physical defect such as a cleftlip, cross-eyes or clubfoot, etc. This paper therefore x-rays some of the categories of disability in special need children, the implication of early identification of special need children to teachers and Early Childhood Educators. Finally, it identifies the major characteristics of special need children and proffers some recommendation for the teachers.

Keywords – caregiver, special needs children and Early Childhood Educators

Introduction

Every child born into this world is a unique being. Even identical twins that have the same genetic endowment grow to become different personalities.

Even at birth, one twin could be slightly bigger than the other, one or the other may be more irritable, sleeps more eats more, cries more, even one may be more lively and vocal than the other. (Kemmer, 2006). It is observed that, these noted differences in the children generally will affect how parents, caregivers and teachers relate to them, and this consequently affect their growth and development. It should be noted at this juncture that, though, all children do have needs and during the childhood period, the child requires physical activity as well as social acceptance to be able to function happily, but some children have problems with physical activity or intellectual achievements or social interaction due to a disability. Such children are referred to in this article as special need children (SNC).

These children, (SNC), therefore requires specialized methods with particular focus on the child’s potential strength by the caregivers and the Early Childhood Educators for what even may be its individual’s physical and intellectual disability.

Who are Special Need Children

It has often been remarkable that we come to appreciate the unique nature of children only when such a unique nature does not manifest in them. (Jordan, 1977). According to National Policy on Education (2004), special need Education is a formal special education training given to people (Children and Adults) with special needs.

Encarta, (2008) also views Special Education as a specifically designed instruction to meet. The unique needs and abilities of disabled or gifted children. These disabilities included hearing, visual, speech, behavioural impairment, mental disorder, physical and learning disorder. These special need children consequently require individualized instruction involving special methods and devices, specially trained instructors and flexible programmes adapted to their special needs. Special needs children need the services that can help them make progression education programmes. Most children served by special education programme are between the ages of 6 and 17. (Encarta, 2008).

History of Special Need Education in Nigeria

There have always been disabled and gifted children. However, special need education programmes are relatively new: Historically, people with disabilities.

Were often placed in hospitals, asylurns, or other instructions that provided little, if any, education. (Encarta, 2008).

French physician and education Jean Marc Gaspard Itard was one of the earliest teaches to argue they special teaching methods could be effective in educating disabled children. In 1801 Itard discovered a young boy roaming wild in the woods of France. Between 1801 and 1805 Itard used systematic techniques to teach the boy, named Victor, how to communicate with others and how to perform daily living skills, such as dressing himself. Consequently, some educators opened a variety of special schools for disabled students. In 1816 American minister and educator Thomas Hopkins Gallandet established the first public school for deaf students in the United States. Special need education classes within regular school programme began at the beginning of the 20^th century. The trend in the special need education in the United State has been most influenced by parents and professional advocacy groups, federal law, national trends in conventional education, and the civil rights movement. (Alar, and Coutintro 2008).

In like manner, the first attempt to provide formal custodian, vocational and educational services to special needs persons in Nigeria was initiated by the missionaries in the early 1940’s. The actions of these missionaries attracted other indigenous voluntary agencies e. g. philanthropic and government bodies. Federal government in the former three regions of the century: (Eastern Regions – Enugu, Western Region – Ibadan and Northern Region – Kaduna). (Olajumoke, 2006) The attempt of Eastern, Western and Northern Regions to participate in the programme came at different times between need educations resuscitated in June 1994 when representatives of 92 governments and 25 Internal Organization Organized the World Conference on Special Needs Education held in Salamanca, Spain. The conference agreed on a dynamic new statement on the education of all the children were special needs: (Paniut, 2006). The conference adopted a new framework for action with 14 guiding principles that the regular school accommodate the special needs child regardless of his/her ability. One of the frame for action as cited by Pambot, (2006: 153) is:

The right of every child to education is proclaimed in the Universal Declaration of America Rights, and was forcefully reaffirmed by the World Declaration on Education for all. Every person with a disability has a right to their Education as far as this can be ascertained.

Why do we Need to Educate the Special Need Children

The rationale behind the education of the special need children is contained in the National Policy on Education, NPE (2004: 48) as: To give concrete meaning to the idea of equalising educational opportunities for all children, their physical, sensory, mental, psychological or emotional disabilities notwithstanding.

To provide adequate education for all people with special needs in order that thy may fully contribute their own quota to the development of the nation;

To provide opportunities for exceptionally gifted and talented children to develop their talents, natural endowments/traits at their own pace in the interest of he nations economic and technological development.

Olukoya, (2006) equally gave reasons for integration of special needs children in the main stream of education as follows:

·        The development of social skills which they will need as adults, children learn social and survival skills while playing and learning with other children therefore many specialists believe that normal and special children should benefit from sharing classroom.

·        The outcome of labelling the child a being different might not be able to develop a positive self-esteem.

·        To foster a better understanding of the special need children and a general positive outlook from the society. 

Categories of Special Need Children

Special need children are classified into six according to (Olukoya 2006) as:

·        Visual impaired

·        Hearing impaired

·        Learning impaired

·        Physically handicapped

·        Emotionally disabled child

·        The gifted child

They are discussed briefly below:

·        The visually impaired – The visually impaired received the most attention in education provision and placement because of the sympathy inducing nature of the handicap, and its visible nature. It is believed that the visually impaired have normal intelligence and therefore should be encouraged. The visually impaired are usually classified into two categories. The partially sighted and the blind.

·        The hearing impaired – As the name implies, concerns students who are hard of heavily or deaf. The degree of hearing loss varies. It may be varies. It may be a mild loss, margina, moderate, severe or profound loss.

·        Learning impaired – This category of special need cannot be really defined because, it is not visible but we know it is present in the child. But it means a retardation in mental ability, disorder, or delayed development in one or more of the processes of speech, language, reading, spelling, writing arithmetic, etc.

·        Physically handicapped – The physically handicapped children have orthopaedic and/or health impairments, which adversely affect their educational performance. They vary from muscular dystrophy, spinabafida, cerebral palsy, cystic fibrosis, etc.

·        Emotionally disturbed child – An emotionally disturbed always angry with himself his peers, adults and school at large. This anger may be biological peer and adults and often interference with schooling. He tends to explode into tantrums at the slightest provocation and yet other children in this category may be terrified of many ordinary situations.

·        The gifted/talents child – He is a child that often moves through the regular school curriculum at a foster pace than their peers – such a child therefore requires special attention services or activities that are not ordinarily provided by the school because they learn more rapidly and are able to understand more abstract and complete ideas.

Characteristics of Special Need Children

According to Odukoya (2001) and Encarta (2008), the following characteristics and behaviours are manifested in the special need children:

·        Behaviours Disorders

The symptoms include:

-         Over-activity, fidgeting, restlessness,

-         Poor response to discipline

-         Poor concentration, jumping, climbing, always running. 

·        Vision problems –

Symptoms include:

-         Squinting, discharge from eyes, redness or yellow eye coloration, rubbing of eyes

-         Regular headaches

-         Moving reading materials too close to eyes 

·        Hearing problems –

Symptoms include:

-         Regular ear aches

-         Discharge from the ears

-         Yelling or speaking in abnormally loud voice

-         Turning the head to listen

-         Lessened laughter, hesitation before answering questions.

-         Mental retardation – The diagnosis and assessment of mental retardation is mode by a trained psychologist after administering intelligence tests on the child to obtain his intelligence quotient. (IQ) It  ranges from mild to severe

Symptoms include: 

-         Very slow or unable to achieve developmental tasks such as eating, dressing himself, tying shoes lace etc.

-         Poor major co-ordination

-         Poor verbal communication and verbal skills.

-         Poor memory

-         Short attention span

-         Difficulty in learning

Learning disabilities

Symptoms include:

-         Poor visual memory  

-         Academic retardation

-         Impulsivity, mood shifts

-         Absent mindedness