Special needs children learning prospects, a glim in the shadows

Multiple disabilities that prevent normal human developments places a reminder that some of our kids consequently have a learning disability and need a little extra help in school. Others may do well in school, but have sensory or social issues that affect their comfort level and how they interact in certain environments. Most of the resources available seem to concentrate on these types of disabilities.

However, a child with severe disability that is Intellectual, mostly will need different supervision which is harder to find in most of the cases. 

Of all the types of disability, a child with a severe intellectual disability is one to worry about, he requires a very different learning progression than a typical student.  Their instruction may look very unalike from their peers’ schooling, and much of the general information delivered, may not apply. 

Never let anybody tell you that your child can’t learn. Children with an intellectual disability can learn new skills as well. They just need very specialized and focused teaching, although their steps to improvement may be smaller and take a little more time.

Because of the wide diversity in abilities and disabilities exhibited by children with multiple disabilities, their instructional needs typically cannot be fully addressed by our general education curriculum.

Educational squads must labour collectively to develop a meaningful and customised curriculum for each case.

Customisation requires the best fit of content and sequence with the child’s current needs and abilities. Meaningful, on the other hand, requires consideration of what content is most relevant to the child and family’s interests, personal goals and limitations in reaching those goals.

Customised learning requires a specialised classroom where they can get more personal attention from trained special education teachers and carers in a Least Restrictive Environment.  They do need to be in a different environment so they have more intense support. They may need help learning basic self-care skills like dressing, toileting, eating, or speech therapy to learn how to use a communication device. 
 Special note to the parents walking this journey;

Caring for a child who needs a lot of support can be a rich and fulfilling experience. But it can also be challenging and stressful.

When your child is very different from others their age, it can also be isolating and emotionally draining. It’s mind blowing to see many other families with kids who can ably do things that your child can’t. So, you may need to resolutely focus to make contacts and be open and gratified about who your child is.  

But it’s a journey you don’t have to walk alone, there are;
 •Trained caregivers who if hired stay with the children to give the parent or main caregiver a break. They watch and attend to your child professionally contingent on a tailored program that suits child and parents interests. 
 •Such measures if adopted would let the parent take a break that is much needed. You  do not have to do everything possible all at once by yourself. It’s ok to relax.
 •Look into Institutional care with home away from home care services available to give you a bit of time off. Such care homes contain a regiment of professionals who will  attend to the diverse special needs of the child with all the sophistication the task deserves.
 •The care homes got established support groups comprising of other parents and children with similar severe disabilities from whom one can get useful engagements and advice that is therapeutic. 

Caring for a child with severe disabilities may require more support, but once you set it up, you can spend more of your energy loving and enjoying it. 

There is a lot of compassion and understanding floating around in such care homes. Building a community of support around your child and your family can really be of immense help.
Tap into it and Best of Luck.

This article was co-authored by Cindy Rugunda and Dorothy K Musimenta, advocates of Institutional Care for Children with Special Needs at Priceless Charities UG LTD