Addressing pandemic impact on children with special educational needs must be a priority in India
With the pandemic lasting about two years and everyone adjusting to the “new normal”, many institutions experienced severe barriers and have been unable to provide the same quality of output and experience as in pre-pandemic times. A lot has been written about the pandemic and the impact of lockdowns on different sectors, one of the most important being schools and education. The learning process and developmental years have been adversely affected for countless children, as homes cannot provide a similarly stimulating learning environment and focus. Several studies have mapped the serious effects of online schooling on children – the number of students being a staggering 250 million, as per the Observer Research Foundation. Many children were at risk of child labor and had to take up odd jobs to support their families, or dropped out of school due to lack of resources and digital mediums. Private, urban schools were still better off, but amidst the chaos, little attention was paid to children with special needs or learning disabilities. Their progress has moved many steps backward during these turbulent times.
Education of atypical children or children with special needs should not be quantified as “slower” or compared to the progress of their peers, for the two are different. These children have their unique methods and paces of learning. COVID-19 proved to be a huge setback for them as tutors and regular study material could not provide the human interface through online learning. Schools were too preoccupied with logistic challenges of initiating online learning and virtual classrooms, and the change was tough for every student to cope with. Lack of motivation, distractions, and decreased attention spans were problems all students dealt with. However, as most mainstream schools do not majorly admit children with special needs, their needs could not be prioritized. A school environment is important to facilitate values and ethics, healthy competition, and also hone interpersonal skills by interacting with peers, seniors, and faculty. It was chiefly this aspect that online schools couldn’t substitute. This was even more detrimental for atypical students as they have shorter attention spans and often lack interpersonal skills, and so a fixed routine with specific instructions, and interactive face-to-face learning – essential to their growth, were lacking. As per data available with several institutions, including our own, the situation has been serious – with nearly three out of four parents of children with special needs facing challenges, and that in 75% of cases, their child’s learning levels have gone several steps back, with required therapies not working.
It is important to note that parents may not have the skills or capabilities to address the needs of children with learning disabilities. The pandemic has been tough on them too, as they juggle working from home, undertaking housework, and supervising their children. Just by being parents, they are not equipped or qualified to fill in the shoes of special educators and therapists their children need. This results in unintentional negligence and frustration, which often manifests in harsh insults or physical punishment upon the child, who is already burdened and struggling.
Therapy classes and assistance for children with special needs have to be customized and carefully planned, with methodical approaches to provide the children the space they need outside of their classroom and home, to learn and express themselves. The physical care, acceptance and support they needed was lost coming through the virtual interface of a laptop screen. It is also technically difficult to conduct speech or occupational therapy classes, for writing and comprehension, in online mode. The resources and study material for them have always been limited, and it became tougher to provide the same quality of teaching, as the process of explanation and new concepts felt daunting. Rapid digitization of the required material was not possible or easily accessible.
Children are sensitive to their environment and experience a lot of stress and feel overwhelmed, when trying to adapt and fulfill the deadlines of school and expectations of parents. At Adhyayan Academy, many expressed that their ability to fully comprehend what is taught has been impacted due to full time online classes. This was also observed at Shradhanjali Integrated School, operated by the Association of People with Disabilities (APD) in Lingarajapuram, Bangalore, which held a session with a UNICEF communication expert. Children having cerebral palsy and other conditions, voiced their concerns about challenges during the pandemic, and the widespread need for institutions and the system to increase efforts in making their online education more inclusive.
Some students have also shown symptoms of ADHD (Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder) over the course of the pandemic, and some parents have also expressed concern over a rise of aggression and irritability in their children. The problem does not solve itself with the reopening of schools, as children find the transition back to school after two years online overwhelming, and have problems sitting and focusing in class for eight periods straight.
As a way forward, it is critical that along with regular educational needs, the needs of special children are not placed on low priority during a crisis. The system and key stakeholders must work together and outline a targeted intervention program with a back-end system. There is an urgent need to provide comprehensive tech-oriented training to special educators in the field of online/hybrid teaching, which is fast becoming the new mode of teaching and requires a completely different mindset for both teachers and students, to focus on simultaneous learning and counseling. Skill enhancement and upgradation are a must as special educators are few. These are urgent interventions that must be taken if we care for our citizens of tomorrow, and with the reopening of institutions we can hope to overcome these challenges through collective efforts.
(The author is Director, Adhyayan Academy; MD, Action Dyslexia. Views expressed are personal and do not reflect the official position or policy of the Financial Express Online.)
