Struggling in silence

Sharmini: The emphasis of many learning support or remedial programmes is on literacy skills but learning difficulties are complex and may involve multiple learning domains such as language and cognition.

Need to enhance remedial programmes for students with learning difficulties, says expert

MORE proactive policies are needed to prevent students with learning difficulties from falling behind.

This is because students who suffer from learning difficulties have symptoms that are so subtle that they often go unnoticed, a recent Institute for Democracy and Economic Affairs (Ideas) social policy study found.

The “Falling Through the Cracks: Identifying Children with Learning Difficulties in Malaysian Schools” paper by speech and language therapist Sharmini Xavier highlighted the various Malaysian school programmes for students with learning disabilities and the problems that have to be addressed.

Sharmini was a research intern with Ideas when she wrote the paper. Published last September, her paper revealed that these students make up 10% to 15% of the school population. Most of the educational services available for students with disabilities are, however, catered to those with moderate to complex needs in special education classes or whose difficulties are more apparent and identifiable.

“These include developmental disabilities and disorders such as cerebral palsy, Down syndrome, autism spectrum disorder and intellectual disabilities.

“However, there exists a group of children whose difficulties are (so) subtle that they often go unnoticed.

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“These children have no apparent or diagnosed developmental disorders, yet they struggle with the basics of reading, writing, oral language or numeracy, which are typically co-present with behavioural difficulties and poor school performance,” she said in her paper.

Children with learning difficulties tend to fidget and show disinterest during lessons, be disruptive, act impulsively and find it difficult to manage their emotions.

“Those who are quiet or cope by copying the actions of others are even more difficult to identify. Some continue lagging behind their peers despite additional coaching and intensive tuition classes.

“Sadly, these children are often labelled as lazy, slow, forgetful or lacking in motivation,” she said.

When these students move from one year to the next, she said, their difficulties may show in their declining school performance, for example, as academic and social demands become increasingly complex and challenging.

Remedial programmes

Sharmini’s paper also outlines remedial programmes provided in mainstream primary schools for pupils with special needs.

Mainstream schools in the country commonly have a mix of students who are differently abled and those who are abled.

The remedial programmes in these schools include special rehabilitation programmes, Literacy and Numeracy Screening (Linus), Primary Literacy and Numeracy and a dyslexia screening instrument test.

While the programmes provide individualised instruction and support for children struggling to cope with their core curriculum, there are challenges that need to be addressed (see infobox).

Children with learning difficulties may have issues that go beyond literacy and numeracy; therefore, learning support programmes in mainstream schools should be designed to also cater to other areas such as language and communication, which also impact learning, said Sharmini.

“The emphasis of many learning support or remedial programmes is on literacy skills but learning difficulties are complex and may involve multiple learning domains such as language and cognition,” she said.

The process of identifying learning difficulties, she explained, involves clear criteria and timeline for referrals to hospitals, and multidisciplinary assessments which are important as they impact the diagnosis and the kind of support that a child may need.

While lauding the Education Ministry’s effort in investing resources to devise and implement policies and programmes for students with learning difficulties in mainstream schools, she said there are gaps in the process and quality of identification, assessment and support services.“Greater training of professionals, and consistent and widespread implementation of education support throughout the school and hospital systems are urgently needed.

“No effort is too great if we can prevent even one child from falling through the cracks,” she said.

THE VIEWS

Teaching special needs children...

“I TEACH students with learning difficulties and hearing impairment. I have a degree in special needs education but teaching students with learning difficulties is still a challenge. They need teachers to guide them to do their homework.To keep them engaged and to ensure my lessons are effective, I devise different modes of teaching which involve asking the students to give their opinions or examples of what they understand from the topics, getting them to answer exercise questions and discussing the answers with them, and doing quizzes with them.

I have also noticed that conducting group-based discussions encourages them to learn and helps them understand the subject matter better.”

Keningau Vocational College, Sabah, teacher who only wants to be known as Avyasvina“

I HAVE been teaching children with special needs for 15 years. The children I teach are slow learners, those who are diagnosed with dyslexia, attention deficit hyperactivity disorder and autism, and those who have cerebral palsy. They require special care. Parents, doctors who diagnose them and teachers play a big role in their lives. As teachers, we must first assess their level of understanding.

I had a pupil who was 10 but his mental development was that of a five-year-old so I had to cater my lesson delivery for him according to his mental age.For slow learners, we cannot push and force them to learn according to the year or form they are in as they will not absorb the lesson; this is why it is important to assess them first.

Every student learns differently. Some love to sing, so I would deliver my lessons to them through songs. Others love drawing. I make my lessons interesting by tailoring it to the individual according to how he or she learns best.

The biggest challenge, however, is not in educating these students but in making parents understand their children’s condition. Some parents do not want to come to terms with the fact that their children suffer from a condition or are slow learners, and this makes our jobs as teachers difficult.”

Mariamma Suppan, former private school special education teacher