In ancient times, the children with special needs were considered as “unfit.” They were deprived of all sorts of human rights and facilities that existed in the society. Instead of compassion, people had some hatred tendency towards them. It was even believed that they are possessed by evil spirits.
During the middle age these children were exploited and tortured in the society. They were neither assigned any normal work nor considered as a member of the family. This type of temperament used to make the child remain more isolated from others.
As time passed, after the industrial revolution in Europe people developed a positive attitude to educate the specially abled persons of the society. The idea of survival of the fittest declined and the revolution changed the shape and structure of the social norms and customs. The emerging society facilitated better education, leisure time and merriment for all. The philanthropic institutions and benevolent people had shown their interest to give integrated education.
Samuel G Home one of the volunteers was deeply impressed by the thoughts of Seguin, established a residential for the special needs in Massachusetts, USA as by and by more such homes evolved. In the USA, the estimated prevalence of exceptional or gifted children for special education is approximately 13.5% of the school going children (between the ages of 5 and 19 years) out of which it is estimated that 3% are gifted or creative with their superior cognitive abilities and 10.5% are physically challenged. This glimpse is found in India towards the middle of the 20th century. The persons with disabilities act (PwD Act 1995) has made integration of students with disability a legal responsibility of the Government.
In general, the gifted children are superior in reasoning power to that of other children. They show promising skills in music, dancing, poetry, creative writing, dramatics, graphic arts, creative scientific exteriority, and unusual imagination. They do not find intellectual stimulation in the traditional classwork, school books, syllabus and methods of teaching adopted for the average student. They lose their talent when they are bound to face the normal school curriculum programs. Due to their special abilities, they show significant achievements in learning rate, reading aspects, memorization, and span of attention. While the general education pattern fails to nourish the special child in a planned way for a prospective future, there is obviously a question of social education.
India, like other countries, needs a well-planned system of special education in general schools both private and government schools to save the colossal waste of human energy and man power. Special or integrated education is a modified program which involves some unique tools, techniques, and research efforts in improving instructional arrangements to meet the needs of gifted children. Hence, the growth of facilities related to integrated education helps in getting mainstream facilities for all the special needs children.
The work of placing the learning disabled is an important educational service. The aim is to prepare the child as an efficient citizen of the country and to adjust in suitable work with supply of proper educational facilities to maintain livelihood. Such a service integrated with home support, also enables us to know the challenges that arrive in other aspects of living.
Education not only involves pre and post school activities in terms of the child’s age but is also concerned with home living, leisure time, work training and performance. Our education needs to encompass a much wider range of subject-matter and practical experience. And this can be done by the integration of a multidisciplinary team. Many of the skills which are required for teaching the special needs children are carried out by the people with little training – provided by volunteers and teachers. This should be encouraged by joining everyone’s hands in this service by launching special programs for rehabilitation and remedial services of the special needs through the integrated system of education.
LEARNING KNOWS NO BOUNDS
This post is a part of “International Day of Persons with Disability” blog hop hosted by Sakshi Varma – Tripleamommy. #IDPD2024Bloghop. Access all posts of this bloghop at https://tripleamommy.com/2024/12/02/beyond-barriers-amplifying-voices-for-inclusion-marking-idpd-2024/
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This is a very insightful post about the exact ways and procedures required for the education of special children to be successful. There is a lot of scope for improvement.
You’re right, we don’t have adequate number of schools and trained teachers for handling children with special needs. Of course, our species has come a long way from the olden days when children with such problems were considered unwanted burden.
We focus so much on formal education that we forget about life skills. As someone who used to teach children with learning disabilities, I saw how their skill set was different from a student without a learning disability. It’s important to recognize these skills and provide help that would enhance them.
[…] In her post, Sindhura highlights how societal attitudes towards children with special needs have evolved, from neglect in ancient times to growing inclusion after the Industrial Revolution. She stresses the importance of integrating special education into mainstream schools, supported by a multidisciplinary approach, to help these children reach their full potential. Read her post here. […]
Very well said. I couldn’t agree more that our (special) shcools need to incorporate range of subjects/skills by integrating multidisciplinary teams.
Thanks for sharing
Sachin Jakhotia
https://shlokabiity.blogspot.com/
I agree with you that integration of a multidisciplinary team in school will help mightily provide more opportunities for growth and integration of the persons with disability into the mainstream.
Indeed, India needs a lot to do for children with special needs. For that, parents have to come forward and accept that their children’s need are different and give them a school that understands them rather than fearing society forcing these kids in regular schools which is a torture for the poor kids. A lot needs to be done, a major shift in mindset is needed.
I was just thinking that I have never met a teacher in India who teaches disabled and specially gifted children. You’re right when you say that it lacks proper processes and methods. I am also thinking of the many children who are victims of wars and other calamities.
Well said! Special education is by and large left to volunteers and placing people with disabilities at work largely is on the shoulders of their parents. We need more infrastructural support and push from the government to build a more specialised educational system for people who are differently abled.
Integrated education empowers children with special needs by nurturing their talents and ensuring equal opportunities. Collective efforts can create an inclusive society. Truly!
I couldn’t agree more. Education and inclusive education at that, can solve so many problems that act as barriers in inclusion of the disabled in mainstream scheme of things.
Can you please suggest some material i could read on the treatment of special needs children in ancient times? it would be helpful…thanks a lot for sharing this article.
This blog sheds light on the evolution of society’s perception and treatment of children with special needs, offering a compelling historical perspective that leads into the present-day challenges and opportunities. It effectively highlights how far we’ve come—from rejection and exploitation to inclusion and advocacy—while emphasizing how much more remains to be done.
The focus on integrated education and its role in nurturing the unique talents of gifted and special-needs children is particularly inspiring. Your call for a multidisciplinary approach and the involvement of trained educators and volunteers is both practical and motivating. The mention of India’s progress and the need for further development in this field adds a localized yet universally relatable angle.
Overall, this piece is a thoughtful reminder of our collective responsibility to create an equitable and inclusive education system that celebrates diversity and empowers every child to thrive. A valuable read for educators, parents, and policymakers alike!
The issue you’ve overed is a very important one, I feel the student teacher ratio could also be an issue, as leaving 50 students on the one teacher and then employing a shadow teacher for a child with disability is not fair on the teacher and the student. One way to for this could be to have 2 very well trained teachers in the school so that all the children could have equal and required attention from the teacher, further working with Universal Learning Design’s (UDL’s) for each child could be a wonderful way of teaching children.
Education is a powerful tool in changing so many things let alone disability. But your post has some great guidelines on how to specifically educate the challenged and change his challenging situation.
I really hope this post reaches people who should understand that people should have to include not just formal education but also lifeskills. Systems in education for special education should also be advanced
Thank you for sharing this thoughtful blog. It’s true that our education system is not yet fully equipped to meet the needs of children with special needs. However, with time and effort, integrating their requirements into our education system will help us create inclusive and supportive institutions for them.
Education tailored to every child’s unique abilities is not just a responsibility but a moral imperative. There needs to be a system where every child, regardless of their challenges or gifts, can thrive and contribute to society.