Job Discussion Forums

[SunShan]

I worked voluntarily at a school here in the UK a few years back. The kids had all sorts of learning problems - ADHD, Autism, PLMD, Cerebral Palsy to name just a few. My class were 4-6 year olds and it was absolutely mental, but a whole lot of fun! One could do puzzles quicker than me, another ran around shouting (inaudible speech - he couldn't speak) and eating the wallpaper every chance he had. You get the picture.

We weren't following the national curriculum as such. It was more like concentrating on social behaviour so the kids stand some sort of chance functioning in their family environment and within society. However, some more brighter students occasionally made it to state schools - but felt alienated by their problems and struggled to fit in.

Does anyone have any experience of working with such learners abroad (particularly Asia I'd be interested to know)? and how they're treated (in education) and by society of that particular country?

Seems to me, and forgive me as I may be completely wrong in that this is just a hunch, but in most SEA countries children with such severe problems are hidden from society and the education and care that they need is simply not there, or lacking in quality.

My sister has cerebral palsy, and so I've always been very passionate about this kind of area. It could be an area that has the potential to build and thrive across most of Asia and other countries. It's another branch of education I'd like to look into and even kick-start something off myself down the right channels after finishing my QTS. Essentially, I'd like to get standards abroad up to those of England (and I'm told America is better than us). A mighty statement I know, but these things must start somewhere, and every individual should have some kind of help/education regardless of their difficulty/ies... It also gives the families some stress-free relief (time alone).

Sorry to ramble on a tad... An interesting area though away from TEFL, subject, language or uni teaching. An area of potential quite possibly.

As always: thought, opinions, tales & experience welcomed.

Xiexie,

SunShan

[suphanburi]

In my experience in East/SE Asia there is limited attention paid to SPED students and largely they are not provided an "English" education.

There are some programs to deal with them but all of the programs are in their native languages so there are no "foreign teachers" utilized.

In most cases, for mild learning disabilities, they are just placed into mainstream schools and allowed to sink or swim and passed along until they reach the age that they can leave.

If parents can afford it they will be assigned an "assistant" to help them at the elementary level.

Those with more severe problems remain largely uneducated and illiterate. They are cared for by family or extended family (unless the problems are too severe - in which case they usually don't live to adulthood - no money for medical care) and not schooled beyond a kindergarten level.

As to treatment outside of the school environment, they are largely either ignored if the disability is not obvious or treated like an infant if it is (until they reach puberty).

Upon reaching adulthood society generally ignores them. They continue to live in extended family units or occasionally, when such family unit does not exist or cannot care for them, they become residents of the local temple or church unit doing menial chores for their keep or become beggars on the street.

This varies WIDELY by country.

.

[naturegirl321]

My friends kid has CP and is special needs as well. She's not walking or talking and she should be going into kindergarten. Its really hard. The intl schools aren't equipped to deal with her. They could handle minor LDs but not this. She goes to a special local school for free. The parents are both TEFL teachers and it took pulling strings to get in. I would say here where I am there are schools but for anything but minor issues they're going to have local teachers.

[Shroob]

I was raised around people with learning difficulties, my mum used to work in a residential home in the UK, and my family still look after people with learning difficulties. I say that to make the point that I'm good at spotting learning difficulties, I can tell what the signs are and where they fit on the spectrum. I've seen very few people with these sorts of difficulties here (China).

My experience is limited to China, but mental health issues are generally covered up. Suphanburi sums it up pretty well.

I used to teach a boy, around 12, I was sure he had a learning difficulty, but I didn't know the family well and as such I didn't want to raise a potentially sensitive issue. There also used to be a man with Down's syndrome who lived on campus. I'd only see him when he was being walked by his grandma, perhaps once every two months.

[santi84]

I'm a TESL teacher and I also have a child with autism. I've decided to give up the abroad life as a result and hope I can offer an insight into a parent's view as well.

First, please remember that disabilities are both a medical and social construct. While those of us from a western culture may not agree, some cultures simply don't view disabilities as something that require focus but rather should be hidden. On the other side,other

[santi84]

Sorry, phone problems! On the other side, having a child with a disability is utterly life-changing. We aren't, in general, so much concerned with luxuries such as acquiring additional languages. Language is a particularly difficult subject in one's first language and culture when disabled, it would not cross the mind of most SN parents to get involved with foreign teachers. We tend to stick to our own familiar people, special programs, and cliques. One cannot necessarily say, from the observation of a foreign teacher, how they are truly treated academically. Maybe some can, but it is a narrow view.

[SunShan]

[santi84]

I understand what you are saying, and I appreciate the nobility in wanting to help SN children.

But I am, I suppose, trying to explain that SN parents and local officials in SN education may be very resistant to the idea and intrusion of foreign languages/teachers on a SN child. I understand you have a disabled sibling, but I speak from the parental view which is profoundly different. A lot of what SN parents go through in terms of administration, advocacy, personal attempts at therapy, etc goes on behind closed doors and as such, I caution the assumptions made here.

[SunShan]

[Chancellor]

Some of the coursework for my Bachelor of Science degree was coursework in special education. While it was helpful (I was working in the area of disability law at the time), the coursework itself convinced me not to pursue state certification in special education. (I have since become eligible to teach early childhood to 8th grade and ESL, intentionally choosing to avoid taking the state exam for special education).

In the US, it's the law that schools provide free and appropriate public education to disabled students. Sadly, that is not the case in much of the world (such as Kazakhstan, where I recently finished a contract at a language school).

[SunShan]

[naturegirl321]

Some of the DODs schools have special needs teachers but like santi has said it would probably be difficult. I could see it if you had dual citizenship and spoke the local language and went through local licensure. Otherwise you're probably looking at intl schools and most of those deal with the very basic special needs if any at all.

[scot47]

"Special needs is universal"

Nope - it is a cultural construct.

[SunShan]

[johnslat]

Dear SunShan

Well, with reference to your question:

"I'd be interested to know)? and how they're treated (in education) and by society of that particular country?"

it might be helpful to know that in far too many countries in Asia, special needs for children isn't even recognized as requiring any attention. Even though there may be laws regarding special needs individuals, all too often little or nothing has been done in actual practice.

You might find this interesting: http://icevi.org/publications/icevi_wc2006/08_equality_of_access_to_education/Papers/ea_064_yolanda%20s.quijano.pdf

And this:

""The World Health Organization (WHO) estimates that only five per cent of disabled children in developing countries have access to supports or services of any kind, and that less than two per cent attend school. Physical and attitudinal barriers often prevent families and communities from providing these children with the same opportunities that non-disabled children have."
What we do know is failure to ensure that children with special needs receive effective educational services results in their exclusion from the labor market and other forms of marginalization and dependency. It even contributes to poor health later in life."

Regards,
John