News
World Autism Awareness Day: Educators Share Ideas to Improve School Life For Autistic Kids
Leading educators Shriya Vashist and Jayashree Ramesh share ideas to make schools inclusive for children with autism.
Being Autistic comes with lots of challenges and only inclusive practices around them can make thing more manageable for them. In a school setting, for example, challenges appear tougher as the little minds have to cope up with the educational pressure along with assessing their mood that changes swiftly with what's happening around them.
On World Autism Awareness Day (April 2), we decided to raise awareness about children with autistic spectrum disorders including autism and Asperger syndrome. Here are the views of two experts who strongly believe that once our schools begin to take Inclusive Education seriously, autistic students will find it easier to cope up with everyday difficulties.
Shriya Vashisht, Child Psychologist, Mom's Belief SOCH
It is very essential that we give constant support and encouragement in the form of positive reinforcements to children with special needs. After all, acceptance is all what they are looking for.
In my experience, the Peer Buddy system or Role Modelling has worked wonders for our kids where a child with special needs is paired with a regular child. This regular child acts as a mentor or a constant Peer Buddy, fully aware of the support they are expected to provide. Result? The practice enables the emotional and social development in both the kids involved, hence initiating a sense of trust and communication in special children and a sense of responsibility, humility and acceptance amongst the regular kids. Further, the art of learning is expanded for the children together to ensure that a concept (academically-driven) is thoroughly learnt through creative and novel means.
Jayashree Ramesh, Director, Academy for Severe Handicaps and Autism
For peer learning and interaction to be successful, mainstream children have to be made aware of the characteristics of autism. ASD children may look like any other kid but will have differences in the way they perceive and understand information. If accepted in the peer group, it can do wonders for the ASD kid, the family and the school as well.
Both these experts are trying to focus on the fact that the moment students begin to embrace the presence of kids with special needs around them and make efforts to recognise their needs, the latter won't feel left out in the schools anymore. Do you agree? Write to us at editor@scoonews.com.
(photo source: Pixabay)