SEN & Mainstream school - Making the right adjustments

In the article posted online by Schoolbag.sg on preparing one with Special Educational Needs (SEN) for a mainstream school, it revealed that there are many factors to consider before enrolment into a mainstream school. Very often, parents are caught in a dilemma when such decisions have to be made. My experience with the parents of SEN children concurs closely with the contents in the article - to heed advice from the professionals who have seen and have worked closely with the child, to be open with child's diagnosis, and the importance of setting realistic expectations.

Heed advice from professionals

We want every child to receive the right support. Many times, as parents, we may not be certain of our child's true abilities and whether or not his/her current skills are sufficient to meet the demands of a mainstream school. I have had parents who despite being advised against mainstream school continue to enrol child in it, only to end up regretting their decisions later on. My take is that a child with more severe SEN will require more intensive and longer term intervention support. Thus, SPED schools are the way to go with the presence of a multidisciplinary team, right resources and support to cater to child's needs.

On the other hand, if a child is deemed suitable for mainstream school, then parents must take on a proactive role in working closely with the school in order to provide him/her with the best support. This would entail being open about one's diagnosis.

Be opened to sharing with schools about child's diagnosis / learning needs

Teachers are not mind-readers - any information about any child's learning needs will help us plan our lessons better. On the contrary, failure to do so will do more harm than good. I hope parents can look beyond the fear of stigma and labelling and have the confidence that the school and teachers will provide the right support professionally. Often, a teacher takes note of possible special need(s) much later in a Semester and remediation may be 'too little, too late' to be of much benefit to the students.  

Besides being forthcoming about one's diagnosis, I also firmly believe in being transparent with the child on his/her strengths and weaknesses are. As an Educational Therapist, instead of covering up for their learning difficulties, I help my students realise and come to terms with their specific learning differences and the obstacles they will face with such learning difficulties. From here, they will use their strengths to work around their difficulties. This I believe will help them a long way in the long run.

Set realistic expectations

"Focus on their strengths, as every child has a gift, and develop them holistically. You want them to be happy learners, no matter how long the road is."

                                                                                                      (Dr Mariam, 2019)

As teachers and parents, we need to set achievable and attainable goals for our children of any profile. Unrealistic expectations again, does more harm than good. A child with learning difficulties is already struggling with the demands of school, we do not want to further dampen their morale and insist they get straight As for their exams.

The long term goal should be to nurture happy learners, learners who despite their difficulties still strive to enjoy learning. I have always emphasised and encouraged parents to look beyond the school grades, allowing their child the opportunity to explore their child's wide ranging interests in fields as diverse as sports, music, art, or even gaming!

References

Schoolbag.sg. (2019). Preparing your child with special educational needs for aMainstream school. Retrieved from https://www.schoolbag.sg/story/preparing-your-child-with-special-educational-needs-for-a-mainstream-school