RECENTLY I received flak from some parents of learning disabled (LD) children and young adults.
They were very upset with me for not having thrown my support as a disabled city councillor (MBPJ) for a centre in Petaling Jaya where their children were studying for eight years.
The trouble is; the centre in question is a business setup rather than a registered non profit association with the Registrar of Societies, which is best for such a purpose.
Furthermore, it has been operating illegally since it started.
The parents fought back by launching a press conference on the issue.
And by the end of the week, I ended up looking like a bloodthirsty monster – with nothing on my mind except to close down disabled centres.
Regular readers of this column will know that I was born disabled.
Therefore, I would be the last person on earth to go against anything that would stand to benefit the disabled community in our society.
More so when it comes to persons with LDs who are arguably among the most disadvantaged among the disability groups.
Despite the seeming negativity of it all however, the issue I think has actually raised a lot of positive points for thought.
Not just for the particular local centre to perhaps amend its ways by doing the right thing; but for all services involving the disabled in our country.
Here is a brief check list that Puan Sariah Amirin and I worked on which hopefully will be a useful guide for anyone intending to work with people with LD and starting up a centre.
Sariah is President of the Dyslexia Association of Malaysia in Kuala Lumpur. She also sits in the expert committee on disability in MBPJ which I head.
Understanding of the basics: There is a wide range of learning disabilities that affects people from birth to adulthood. They encounter significant difficulties in their ability to listen, speak, read, write and reason like other people.
Although they are intelligent, they can have trouble in recognising shapes, positions and sizes of objects. Some may seem insensitive to pain whilst others dislike being touched.
LD students may have trouble memorising the sequences of the days of a week or be able to put information together – even though they know the facts. Others may struggle to ride a bicycle, button shirts or tie shoelaces.
Despite these difficulties, with proper training, they can study in a regular school setting with a special education teacher. If given a chance, they can even hold simple tasks (jobs) with little or no supervision.
Know your target groups and their needs: Never lump various types of LD groups with each other. Each category has a specific need and type/s of requirement. Teachers must possess special education qualifications. The ideal number is one teacher to four children. However, because of the shortage of special education teachers, many government schools offer two teachers with at least one assistant to about ten children.
A roomy environment is essential: Bungalows or corner lot double or single storey terraces are best. Children with behavioural issues like Attention deficit disorder (ADD), Attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and autism can get very upset and claustrophobic with the way furniture is arranged. This may trigger off temper tantrums.
Such episodes can result with a child throwing things that could hurt him and others. Thus centres should provide empty or spacious rooms so that such children can be placed to calm them down.
• Where they study: Classrooms must be equipped with suitable
eating areas, playground (outside the building for fresh air), gym (for physiotherapy) and clean and safe toilets. Special diets like sugar-free, caffeine-free, etc are a must for all LD children.
Further requirements:
Each student must be assessed for their chronological age and mental age in order for proper placements and groupings for effective education.
An individual education plan should be structured according to their needs. This should include the curriculum set by the Special Education Department from the Ministry of Education.
In addition to academic achievements for LD students with high function, daily living skills and behaviour management programmes are needed for those with moderate and profound disabilities. Vocational training towards job placements should be provided for those who are 16 years and above.
Finally, other essential ingredients in setting up a LD centre are to include
medical professionals from neurologists to speech therapists to ensure
holistic care for each child.
A centre should be operated by a board of directors that includes at least
one or more of such experts in the team.
All LD centres must conduct examination sessions for their students as in an ordinary class. This will help to make each child, no matter which degree of learning disability he or she falls in, to have the same opportunities as non disabled students.
For more information, please contact Sariah at the Dyslexia Association: 03 4025 5109.
The End
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