Which children need Special Education?
Special Education addresses the needs of infants and children with difficulties such as:
- Specific learning disabilities
- General learning disabilities
What are general learning disabilities?
General learning disabilities are observed in children who display immaturity in their age expected skills. General learning disabilities may be present in children that display:
- Psychomotor delay
- Attention deficit and/or Hyperactivity disorder
- Pervasive Developmental Disorders
- Sensory disorders
- Cerebral Palsy and other neurodevelopmental disorders
- Immaturity
- Socio-cultural deprivation
How is the assessment performed?
Assessment of learning disabilities is performed:
- a. Through developmental assessment and family history of the child
- b. Through interview with the child, observation and informal assessment of learning difficulties
- c. Through standardised assessment tests for learning difficulties
A child might exhibit difficulties in learning due to:
- a. Internal factors. These are related to the child itself. They might include disorders such as mental retardation, brain damage, neurological dysfunction, emotional and psychological factors.
- b. External factors. These are related to the chid’s environment. They may be caused by inability of the school or inadequate stimuli, cultural differences, and family difficulty in supporting the child in the learning procedure
- c. Combination of External and Internal factors.
Preschool years are very crucial during a child’s development as this is the age children acquire the necessary skills to attend school and develop school readiness.
Sometimes mastering new skills may be difficult due to limited support from the child’s family or school environment, emotional immaturity, attention deficit issues or other difficulties related to developmental delay.
Special education aims at this group of children with the goal to help them integrate in the school environment.