PART III – Inclusive Education and Special Educational Needs
Lanusongla Lemtur (Special Educator)
It is the responsibility of a school to put in place various processes that remove barriers to learning for every member of the school community. Barriers to learning may be found in each school’s culture and policies, the way the school is organised, its approaches to teaching and learning, the physical aspects of buildings and infrastructure, and the ways in which individuals within the school community interact with each other. When such barriers to learning are removed, we move towards an environment of inclusion. Inclusive education means different and diverse students learning together in the same school, side by side in the same classroom. It is the practice of embracing all types of learners and nurturing them regardless of their differences, because every child has the right to an education. We already understand that ‘diverse students’ means learners who have different styles of learning as well as having different abilities and intelligences, as discussed in the earlier parts of this series. This also includes students who may have Special Educational Needs (SEN).
Special Educational Needs (SEN) Special educational needs are significant learning needs which arise due to physical, neurological, intellectual, and/or sensory difficulties that hinder a child’s ability to learn in the conventional way or environment in which the majority of their peers do, thus requiring an environment of learning that provides differentiated access to education. Differentiation in teaching methods is even more crucial in classrooms that have children with SEN because, in such cases, the differences in their learning styles and abilities are more visible and demanding. A student will have special educational needs if he/she has:
- A learning disability
- Any physical disability (arising from conditions such as congenital deformities, polio, muscular dystrophy, cerebral palsy, severe accidental injury, etc.)
- An exceptional ability (also known as ‘gifted’ students)
Below, I will elaborate more on what ‘learning disabilities’ are, since this is something most may have heard of but are not very familiar with.
Learning Disability According to a study by the University College of London, at least 10% of the population are affected by learning disabilities, such as Dyslexia, Dyscalculia, Attention Deficit / Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD), Down Syndrome and Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD). ‘Learning disability’ is an umbrella term for conditions that affect how a person receives and processes information - seeing, hearing, and understanding things differently. They are neurologically-based processing problems that can interfere with learning basic skills such as reading, writing and/or mathematics as well as higher level skills such as organisation, time management, memory and attention.
Dyslexia is a specific learning disability in reading. Children with dyslexia have trouble reading accurately and fluently, often confusing between ‘b’ and ‘d’, ‘p’ and ‘q’, and ‘u’ and ’n’. It is a lifelong condition and has been observed to be the most common learning issue worldwide. Similar to that is dyscalculia, which is a specific learning disability that primarily affects the learning process in relation to Mathematics, such as a student’s inability to conceptualise the magnitude of numbers, number relationships and things like estimation. Dyslexia and dyscalculia may coexist, but it is not necessarily the case.
Attention Deficit / Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) is a neurological disorder marked by a persistent pattern of inattention and/or hyperactivity-impulsivity. There are various areas of the brain that regulate a child’s ability to concentrate and control impulses. These areas may be less active and develop more slowly in children with ADHD. As you can imagine, it interferes with functioning and/or development. Like dyslexia and dyscalculia, ADHD is a lifelong condition. However, there are many strategies which can be used in order to manage the symptoms so as to not hinder anyone with those conditions from achieving success in life.
Down Syndrome is a genetic condition caused by the presence of an extra chromosome. Individuals with Down Syndrome are very social and have a good understanding of language. The difficulties they face may be auditory and visual impairment, delayed fine-motor and gross-motor skills, difficulties with reasoning, limited concentration span, poor auditory memory, speech impairment, and expressive communication. Down Syndrome is the most common cause of intellectual disability and everyone who has Down Syndrome will have some level of intellectual disability. This, however, does not take away their right to have the equal opportunity to learn and become active members of society. Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) is an umbrella term for a range of neurological and developmental disorders, including Asperger’s Syndrome, that affect how the individual relates with his/her environment, which includes people. The main areas of difficulty are in social interaction and communication, and restricted or repetitive behaviours and interests. They may also display unusual sensory interests due to the difficulty they face in sensory processing, such as licking objects or staring at things/people. As it is a ‘spectrum’, ASD includes a wide range of symptoms and levels of disability. Some may have a mild form of autism and be quite ‘high-functioning’ (able to function independently), like individuals with Asperger’s Syndrome. On the other end of the spectrum, there are those who may have a severe form of the disorder and be ‘low-functioning’, to the point that they may be physically impaired and highly dependent on a care-giver. In children with ASD, the symptoms are present before three years of age, although a diagnosis can sometimes be made after the age of three. It is a lifelong condition and cannot be cured. However, this should not deprive anyone with ASD the right to an education and the opportunity to learn and become successful people in society.
Inclusive Education
Having a learning disability does not indicate a lack of intelligence or motivation. Kids with learning disabilities are neither lazy, nor are they unintelligent. In fact, to qualify as having a learning disability, an individual must at least have average intelligence as measured by various intelligence assessments. I am sure that most of us have had experiences in school where some classmates were unfortunately labelled as lazy or unintelligent, when in reality they were as smart as their peers, but unfortunately their learning disabilities were not acknowledged or addressed. Their brains are simply wired differently due to brain development being affected either during pregnancy, birth or in their early childhood. The bias in our education system towards only one type of learner means that children with learning disabilities do not receive the appropriate learning support in order to get the quality of education that they deserve. Inclusion is not just about learners with special educational needs (SEN). It is an attitude and an approach to education that embraces learner diversity and differences, and promotes equal opportunities for all learners. When all children, regardless of their differences, are educated together, everyone benefits. Up until quite recently, children with learning disabilities and physical disabilities were educated in separate classes or in separate schools, when everyone believed that special education meant separate education. However, with more awareness of creating a more equitable society, we have been steadily moving towards ‘inclusive education’. Current research shows that a truly inclusive environment of education helps both the learners with SEN as well as the ones who open-heartedly accept and support learners with SEN in their schools – this is resulting in positive outcomes both academically and socially within communities. Let us work towards building an education system that is based on inclusion wherein communities accept the responsibility to provide equal learning opportunities for ALL students.
