Related Topics of Inclusive Education
INCLUSIVE EDUCATION: WHO CAN HELP
There are many professionals and other resource people who can provide assistance to parents and children. In each school and community, some of the following people will be available to help. If one person does not provide the answers parents or others need, they should be encouraged to ask someone else until they are satisfied that they have all the information they require.
Preschool Teachers can identify a child experiencing difficul-ties, and can help to implement strategies required to help.
Doctors (usually a paediatrician or neurologist) can identify physical problems that interfere with learning, and can recom-mend further medical testing and some strategies.
Teachers who observe children daily can detect challenges, and can work with specialists to develop programs and inter-vention strategies to assist a child with special needs to adapt to the classroom setting. A good teacher can focus on each child’s strengths to enhance self-esteem and confidence.
School Psychologists can test a child’s development in order to identify his or her strengths and sources of difficulty, and can test for perceptual problems that can interfere with learning.
Speech Therapists help children with their listening aptitudes, vocabulary, comprehension, memory and general capacity to communicate.
Audiologists can determine a child’s auditory ability -- that is, whether different sounds are heard and intelligible.
Teachers for the Hearing Impaired can help children with auditory challenges adapt to the school environment.
Optometrists can help to improve eye function, hand-eye coordination, and visual memory.
Psychologists, Psychiatrists and Social Workers can help parents and children in dealing with anger, fear, and guilt. They can also help parents learn to deal with the frustrations of living with a child with learning disabilities and can help children understand and accept themselves.
Physical Education Specialists can help improve the coor-dination, body image, motor skills, and general body develop-ment of children through non-competitive activities.
Occupational and Physical Therapists test for gaps in sensory-motor functioning, and through exercises can improve the integration of inner-body communication.