How can Parent Advocacy enhance the Education of a Child with Special Needs

The need to implement educational curriculum that allow room for the proper implementation of special needs education is growing daily. A good number of school programs currently used have little or no adjustments for children facing unique challenges. This sometimes prevents special need students from learning as effectively as other students in their class and influences how these kids feel about themselves.

A number of legal activists have overtime spoken up for the need to adopt a totally inclusive education for children with special needs or disabilities. We believe that guardians also should have a say in how their wards should be educated in order to obtain the full measure of education that they deserve.

What Kids are considered to have "Special Needs" ?

Children with the following difficulties are grouped under this category:

• Dyslexic children (challenges in reading, writing,and spelling)
• Children with Down’s Syndrome.
• Children with cerebral palsy.
• Autistic kids.
• Kids with Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder.
• Those who have challenges with motor movements (dyspraxia).

In general, this term or the term ‘unique challenges’is used to describe young ones or adults who face physical or mental challenges leading normal lives. These set of people require extra care, attention, help as well as support.We should never deny them of these. While the various human rights activists and teachers do what they can to help, a larger portion of the talking responsibility lies on the parents.

THE PLACE OF THE PARENT-ADVOCATE

While teaching special needs students isconsideredquite challenging, raising them comes with its own challenges too. Their parents are their closest companions. Parents play a role akin to the regular laboratory assistant who has to type my researchpaper at https://edubirdie.com/college-term-paper, for instance. I might not be able to communicate the details at the moment. But I trust him to relay the details of my research because of all the workers, he spends time with me the most.

Most of these young ones are not able to form stable friendships because they arelabelled as ‘different from the other kids’.This can imply that most times, parents are the only ones that get to interact with them or play with them if they attend a normal, regular-schedule school. Also, considering that guardians handle theirwards for a big part of their lives, they are in the best position to speak up for them. Parent advocacy could be the most effective tool in achieving things like:

1. The possible creation of schools for these group of students: This might be the best feat achievable if parents can rally to speak up for their kids. Teaching children with special needs requires some extra inclusions like physiotherapy sessions, interactive sessions, Braille books/notepads, and other necessary equipment. The idea revolves around implementing things that can support learning on their own level and ability, and also push them to be the best of themselves.
2. Creation of adjustable schedules for normal schools: In states where the idea of schools for special need students is quite expensive, adjustments can be made in the usual schools. These adjustments would allow a better accommodation forthese kids and give them a chance at learning useful things for their lives.
3. Opening room for interactions with healthy students: If more parents keep speaking up for their disabled kids, the understanding of how much support they need would spread more effectively. Other young ones would no longer see these ‘unique’ kids as burdens or weird humans but like themselves. Guardians of both groups of wards must work together to create the best environment where disabled and non-disabled children can learn together without prejudice.

Parental advocacy can go a long way. With the world gradually changing their perception of children with uniquechallenges, parents should seize the opportunity to speak up and ensure their wards get the best that they can out of life.

Sandra Hayward is a content writer at Edu Birdie. She has a Bachelor’s degree in Literature and currently she is working towards her Master’s thesis. She is a passionate traveler, and during 2017 she has visited more than 12 countries. She shares her experience from traveling in her valuable articles, posting them on a personal web page.[right-post]