There is no book, website or peer advice that can prepare parents for a special child. The reason some children are categorized as special children is that every one of those are unique. All children are unique in nature. However, there are millions of studies on child behavior that act as a guide for parents of children without any disability. However, with special children, you are on your own to figure out the best way of parenting. It is therefore, of utmost importance that every parent learn about Special Needs Children, their education, their types and rights.
In Pakistan, the knowledge about special children is so meagerly studied and analyzed that majority of population is unaware of even the basic categories of special needs. The result, unfortunately, is borne by children with special needs. They face not only learning dearth but social pressure and rebuke which comes from ignorant peers and their families. It is very common for parents of special children to hear irrelevant advices from family, friends or even teachers regarding behavioral or learning issues of their children.
This article aims at clarifying various categories and sub categories of special needs in children and current law and education system in Pakistan which cater to these concerns.
Main Categories of Special Needs in Children
There are four main categories of special needs in children:
1. Physical – Includes Muscular issues, Multiple Sclerosis, Asthma, Seizures due to Epilepsy, Quadriplegia, Hemophilia, Cleft lip etc.
2. Sensory – Includes impairment of main senses like Blind, Deaf, Hearing impairment or Speech impairment.
3. Behavioral/ Emotional – Includes Autism Spectrum Disorder, Attention Deficit Hypersensitivity Disorder (ADHD), Anxiety, Stress, Bipolar disorder, Oppositional Defiant Disorder (ODD), Learning disorder etc.
4. Developmental – Down Syndrome, Autism, Dyslexia, Speech and Language Delays, Cognitive Delays etc.
Physical and sensory disabilities are often obvious and require medical help. However, behavioral/emotional and developmental disorders are more complicated to identify. An autistic kid may be able to memorize a whole book but can have language barriers or social issues to communicate his knowledge. Similarly, a child with ADHD can be easily confused with a mischievous child who doesn’t want to study willingly.
Read More: Ask the Child Psychologist: Learning, Behavior and Emotions in Young Kids
What parents can do?
The solutions to problem of any disorder in children varies from child to child. There is no accurate way to identify disorders or disabilities in a child. However, there are few things that parents can do, irrespective of if they have special children or not. This needs to be done in order to evaluate and identify special needs of children.
” Parents should know that development delay means that the infant or child is slower in developing traits that other children can develop in same age.
” Parents should be aware of standardized developmental milestones in a child’s life.
” Since early age, parents should keep track of child’s behavior and any special observations.
” If any irregular behavior or delay in development is observed, parents should not shy away from asking a professional expert like pediatrician or child psychologist.
” Understand that each disability has a solution for handling it, even if one cannot get rid of it.
Education for Special Needs Children in Pakistan
Pakistan is facing a debilitating situation for special needs children. There are fewer appropriate tools, specialists and education system to integrate them in mainstream society. Schools with teacher to student ratio of 1:30 or worse, do not have the potential to accommodate, identify and care for special children. According to Population and Housing Census of 2017 in Pakistan, around 0.5% of population in Pakistan is disabled. There is a stark difference in figures from global institutes like World Bank (3.56%). On the other hand, Annual Status of Education Report (ASER) states that around 22% of government schools in Pakistan have students with disabilities. The reason is obviously the lack of identification tools and limited role of constitutional institutes in this regard.
There are several private institutes in main cities of Pakistan that provide special education for children with any kind of disability. With rising awareness regarding People with Disabilities (PWDs), more and more institutions and experts are joining hands to allow these special children to learn, grow, and join the mainstream society. Here is a list of some of the special needs institutes in main cities of Pakistan that cater to needs of special children.
Constitution for Special Needs Children in Pakistan
In recent years, there has been a progress in addressing the concerns of parents of special needs children in Pakistan. Punjab government is definitely taking the lead in increasing awareness regarding children with special needs. It has been working on various laws and entities that can address concerns of People with Disabilities (PWDs). The Special Education Department has so far established more than 300 special education institutes from primary level to university level. These institutes cater to more than 35,000 disabled students and provide accommodation to more than 2000 students. Recently, the Punjab government also started providing a stipend of Rs. 850 to differently-abled students for pursuing education. Currently, Federal and Provincial laws that cover physically and emotionally disabled people include
” The Disabled Persons Employment and Rehabilitation Ordinance 1981
” The Mental Health Ordinance 2001
” Sindh Mental Health Act 2013
” Sindh Differently Able Persons Employment, Rehabilitation and Welfare Act 2014
” Punjab Disabled Persons Employment and Rehabilitation Act
” Punjab Mental Health Ordinance
” KP Child Protection and Welfare Act 2010
Pakistan’s government needs to establish policies that cultivate relationship across students, teachers, parents, and communities regarding inclusion of special children in society. It is also crucial to move away from traditional method of assessing disabilities using binary questionnaires and adopt the World Health Organization’s new International Classification of Functioning, Disability and Health (ICFDH) Model for identification of any disability in children.
