Of ADHD and The One Who Gives a Damn.
For those of us who are unfamiliar, the Singapore education system segregates the mainstream and the special schools. While the mainstream schools fall under the ambit of the Ministry of Education, the special schools are run by welfare or charitable organisations. These schools are kept distinct such that children from the special schools will never, probably in their lifetimes, get a whiff of life in the so-called normal schools.
Children with mild levels of Attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and dyslexia may be admitted into normal schools on a case-to-case basis.
An acquaintant of mine, whose son was recently diagnosed with ADHD, attends Primary 1 at a mainstream school here. Life at mainstream school for her son has almost literally turned into a living hell as his teacher takes the liberty to whack him on the head with a book almost on a daily basis, to get him to behave. He gets called less-than-graceful names like “stupid” and “retarded” by the teacher, who thinks that the boy takes advantage of the fact that he has ADHD.
ADHD is characterized by a persistent pattern of inattention and/or hyperactivity, as well as forgetfulness, poor impulse control or impulsivity, and distractibility.
Many, if not most of the local young teachers these days step into their teaching careers already with the mindset that teaching is a very demanding and stressful career, and it is. The media has also assisted very much in increasing stress levels by reporting the upward trend of the number of teachers receiving treatment at the Institute of Mental Health.
To add, today’s mainstream teachers are not equipped with the skills, compassion, intelligence and stamina to work with children with behavioural disorder, learning disabilities, emotional disturbance, autism, unspecified difficulties, physical disabilities and special abilities. As the nation look towards areas where children with special needs can be included in the mainstream classroom context, I believe it is shortsightedness to the point of negligence to insist upon a fully inclusive classroom for all students.
It is indeed cruel to designate an individual to the special school system, without giving him the benefit of a choice. However, until the mainstream system has equipped itself to work with and provide for the special needs of these children, the inclusive setting may not necessarily be the most suitable environment for them.
Children with mild levels of Attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and dyslexia may be admitted into normal schools on a case-to-case basis.
An acquaintant of mine, whose son was recently diagnosed with ADHD, attends Primary 1 at a mainstream school here. Life at mainstream school for her son has almost literally turned into a living hell as his teacher takes the liberty to whack him on the head with a book almost on a daily basis, to get him to behave. He gets called less-than-graceful names like “stupid” and “retarded” by the teacher, who thinks that the boy takes advantage of the fact that he has ADHD.ADHD is characterized by a persistent pattern of inattention and/or hyperactivity, as well as forgetfulness, poor impulse control or impulsivity, and distractibility.
Many, if not most of the local young teachers these days step into their teaching careers already with the mindset that teaching is a very demanding and stressful career, and it is. The media has also assisted very much in increasing stress levels by reporting the upward trend of the number of teachers receiving treatment at the Institute of Mental Health.
To add, today’s mainstream teachers are not equipped with the skills, compassion, intelligence and stamina to work with children with behavioural disorder, learning disabilities, emotional disturbance, autism, unspecified difficulties, physical disabilities and special abilities. As the nation look towards areas where children with special needs can be included in the mainstream classroom context, I believe it is shortsightedness to the point of negligence to insist upon a fully inclusive classroom for all students.
It is indeed cruel to designate an individual to the special school system, without giving him the benefit of a choice. However, until the mainstream system has equipped itself to work with and provide for the special needs of these children, the inclusive setting may not necessarily be the most suitable environment for them.
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posted by The Reluctant Chauvinist at
7:43 AM
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