STRATEGIES OF HANDLING CHILDREN WITH SPECIAL NEEDS

Over the years children with special needs have been isolated from the so called “normal” children. Many schools have been built for such children so as to enable them get some education the same way as the normal children. Over a period of time the way children with special needs are handled has changed, thus the need for Strategies on how the children interest’s needs to be handled. This paper will discuss the strategies of how culture can be integrated to the benefit of children with special needs.

Supportive learning Environment

Different children with special needs, also needs different way of handling, just like normal children who may be weak in certain subjects may need remedial classes so as to be able to improve on those subjects. The first strategy is teaching the children the importance of appreciating the different cultures of one another. That can be achieved by putting aside a day that the children can be able to explain to the other children some of their cultural practices, by doing that the children will be able to understand certain issues. The issues can be things such as why some communities wear headscarfs all the time, by doing that the children will feel appreciated, thus providing the right environment for the children to learn (Ross, 2002).

Encouraging Competence

Children need to be encouraged by being told that they are competent, in doing so the children are able to develop self believe. That can be done by placing children from different cultures together, and making them to work together on issues concerning the different cultures. Giving examples of people who have done well from the various cultures will give the children the urge to do well. This will give the children hope of performing better in life even though they may have some special care and needs (Nettles, 2000).

Encouraging positive relationships

Encouraging the children to participate in activities that encourage friendship is vital in dealing with the children with special needs. The activities can be drawn from the various cultures’ of the children; such activities can be reading of stories from the different cultures together. The children with special needs will also feel loved as they will not be isolated, but they will be accommodated no matter what their special needs are (Hutchinson, 2002).

Participation opportunities

Giving the children the opportunity to participate in different cultural activities enhances the children understanding of the different cultures. In doing so the children will be encouraged to feel proud of their cultures as well as respecting the culture of the others. The children will also develop courage among the children. Courage is very vital to the children as they will always aim higher in life and as a result they may end up doing things that they thought they would have never achieved. The children knowledge on different cultures will also have increased (Ross, 2002).

Conclusion

As preschool teacher the strategies above will enable even the teacher to understand the different cultures of the different children. Understanding the cultures will enable the teacher to be able to know the best way to handle the children. The children with special have to be treated with care but not isolation. The strategies discussed will be able to motivate children with various special needs, as they will all feel important to the community no matter what their special needs are.

Reference

Ross, C., & Specht, J. (2002). Focus On…Strategies for including children in the classroom., 2(1).London, ON: Research Alliance for Children with Special Needs.

Hutchinson, N.L. (2002). Inclusion of exceptional learners in Canadian schools. Toronto, Canada: Prentice Hall.

Nettles, S. M., Mucherah, W., & Jones, D. S. (2000). Understanding resilience: The role of social resources. Journal of Education for Students Placed at Risk, 5(1&2), 47-60.