We are ABSOLUTELY DELIGHTED that some "doggy-advice" which we gave a woman who was threatened by her neighbours HAS WORKED!
The woman, a caregiver for people with learning disabilities, received an anonymous letter warning her that if she didn't get her pet dog to shut up, she would be reported to the local council.
Her pet dog of over five years is allowed inside her house. However, it also has access to the house's compound which was where the problem is.
Her dog barks incessantly at everyone and literally everything that passed by.
The real problem was its barking just before dawn which wakes the neighbourhood.
We suggested that she keeps her dog indoors during the night rather than outside.
It immediately solved the problem: her canine stopped barking.
We also made sure that her dog had access to sleep in a crate inside her home.
For more news on Petpositive, please look us up on Facebook by the same name.
AMONG the disabled
community, one of the groups that are the most disadvantaged and neglected in
society are people with learning disabilities.
And it is not difficult to see
why.
Their handicapping conditions
often render themselves in an unfortunate position where they are unable to speak
up for themselves.
This is especially true for
those who are profoundly affected by their conditions.
As a result, they and their
caregivers frequently face unpleasant situations where because of people’s
ignorance about them, they experience discrimination.
Many incidents have happened
where parents of non disabled children had immediately grabbed their kids away
when a child with a learning disability had entered a playground.
This was because they didn’t
want their so-called “normal” kids to get near to the handicapped child. This
is for fear that their children might come in contact with his or her saliva
and become disabled too.
Parents of learning disabled
kids also have problems when they try to go out on outings as a family. They
are frequently stared at by the public – even by waiters in restaurants – as if
their child was from another planet.
Puan Sariah Amirin, 68, is
someone who understands persons with learning disabilities (PLDs) and what they
need well.
“Things were far worse for PLDs
before,” she told Wheel Power in an interview last week.
“But a milestone was created
when the government moved to mix students with learning disabilities with their
non disabled counterparts in regular schools in the late 1980s,” added Sariah,
who was one of the pioneers in the project.
“It was one of the best moves
that had ever been done because it gave kids with learning disabilities the
much needed opportunity to integrate with non disabled children and vice versa.”
Sariah, who is president of the
Dyslexia Association of Malaysia in Kuala Lumpur, went on to point out that it
began with a special class in a separate wing of about 40 LD students.
They had a chance to mingle with
non disabled kids during recess time which is a vital part of social development
for every child.
A special adoption programme
even went as far as to pair a non disabled student with a PLD. The former would
be responsible in taking care of the latter such as helping him get their tea
or lunch.
“The exercise is also highly
beneficial for the non disabled student in helping them become sensitised to
people with disabilities.” Sariah explained.
A programme called “Inclusive
education” was introduced later with even more benefits. These are
opportunities for PLDs to join non disabled students in one classroom – rather
than separately.
The disabled students, however,
would have an extra teacher to guide them along.
As good as all these are, Sariah
still feels that there is even more that the special education system can do to
help improve the quality of lives of PLDs for a better future.
There include:
·Every effort must be taken by the Ministry to
ensure that special education programme in each and every school is up to the
mark so as to not short-change students with learning disabilities. Sometimes what
may “look good on paper” may not necessarily be what is actually happening on
the ground.
·A planned curriculum based on academic skills
alone is not the most important thing. Equal emphasis must be given to
self-help skills for each student. Some PLDs for example, do not know how to
use the toilet – such as taking off their clothes only when they are in the
restroom and not before. Fine motor skills such as writing and drawing are
important but PLDs have problems with gross motor skills such as not knowing
how to jump or throw a ball, etc that require equal attention.
·Parents of LD children – and their teachers –
must address the behavioural problems first instead of only focusing on
academic issues. PLDs often have problems of hyperactivity, short attention
span and others that come in the way of their learning abilities. Teachers who
don’t understand this and inadvertently label a child as “lazy” or “stubborn”
will only discourage the child and make him or her find excuses for not coming
to class.
·The problem with some teachers is they don’t
provide enough of learning opportunities from fun and play activities that can
greatly benefit PLDs. These include music sessions and outings for the children
which are also great learning tools!
·PLDs in special schools need special assistance
from professionals such as speech and occupational therapists and psychologists
which are provided for in a similar setting in overseas countries. Without
them, parents have to go outside of the school to obtain their services which
are very expensive.
THE END
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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 likeAttention 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.
PETALING JAYA: A simple case of misuse of a residential unit for commercial purposes in SS1 has led to the discovery of a centre for children with learning disabilities operating without proper facilities or teachers trained in working with special children.
Councillor Derek Fernandez said the centre's operators were told to vacate the house after it was found that they were using it for commecial purposes, but they had asked for six months' grace.
Fernandez said the City Council then decided to check on the legitimacy of the centre.
Councillor Anthony Thanasayan inspected the centre, said Fernandez, "and found that the centre had no proper facilities for the children and the teachers were not qualified to handle children with learning disabilities. After receiving Anthony's report we decided against giving them an extension.
Thanasayan said: "What I found was a mixture of children with mild learning disabilities and those with Down's syndrome. The children were given normal school books to read, which shows the teachers did not have any experience working with these children.
"I found that the toilet couldn't be accessed by the children in wheelchairs. A proper centre would have the right facilities.
"There should be one teacher to focus on a small group of children. This is a specialised need."
This centre has two sessions of 40 students each" said Thanasayan.
"It is important to have centres catering for the disabled, but they should be accredited.
Fernandez said the council does not have the power to stop the centre from operating -- that power lies with the Education Ministry.
The council has done what is within its legal remit, which is to order the operators to vacate the premises.
After the full board meeting during which the matter was discussed, Mayor Mohamad Roslan Sakiman said: "This whole issue actually stems from the misuse of property ...
"But we have to look after the children's welfare, and the council is looking for a proper learning centre for them."
About 200,000 people with learning disabilities are treated with the drugs
Doctors are being warned not to routinely give people with learning disabilities anti-psychotic drugs to curb aggressive behaviour.
An Imperial College London study of 86 patients found the drugs were no more effective than being given none at all.
Researchers said it was more important to address the underlying causes.
In the UK, 200,000 people with learning disabilities are given anti-psychotic drugs - even though there is a risk of side-effects, the Lancet reported.
These can include risk of weight gain, impotence and strain to the cardiovascular system.
The problem with patients with learning disabilities is that we haven't had the evidence on whether anti-psychotic drugs worked
Professor Peter Tyrer, lead researcher
The team studied patients in 10 inpatient and community settings in England, Wales and Australia.
One group was given haloperidol, a first-generation antipsychotic drug, a second group got risperidone, a second-generation version, while a third received a dummy pill.
Clinical assessments of aggression, aberrant behaviour, quality of life, adverse drug effects and feelings towards their carer were recorded at four, 12 and 26 weeks.
The researchers found that aggression had decreased substantially with all three treatments by week four, but patients receiving the dummy pill had the greatest change.
Improvements were seen with the other measures, but these were similar for all three groups.
Evidence
Lead researcher Professor Peter Tyrer said: "The problem with patients with learning disabilities is that we haven't had the evidence on whether anti-psychotic drugs work.
"Therefore, these patients were assumed to be the same as other mental health patients.
"But what our research shows is that drugs are no better than not giving any drugs. It seems what is important is the care a person receives.
"When people with learning disabilities are aggressive it is important they are given support and people communicate with them."
But he added that there would still be exceptional circumstances where such drugs were necessary.
Dr Jim Kennedy, prescribing spokesman at the Royal College of GPs, agreed.
But he added: "All too often the drugs are used as a chemical restraint. This can be poor practice."
And David Congdon, from the Mencap charity, said: "Anti-psychotic drugs should be seen as a last resort.
"Challenging behaviour is caused by many different factors - an undiagnosed health condition causing extreme pain, frustration at not being able to communicate properly, or boredom due to a lack of meaningful activity.
"All of this can be dealt with without the use of anti-psychotic drugs."
The problem with patients with learning disabilities is that we haven't had the evidence on whether anti-psychotic drugs worked 