Veteran educator calls for more help for children with special needs

Principal of the Erdiston Special School Donna Holder says more must be done to support the education of students with special needs.

Her comments came during a virtual panel discussion entitled Honest Conversation on Special Education II: Best Practices and Solutions which was moderated by the Barbados Union of Teachers (BUT) on Wednesday.

Holder said although there have been efforts over the years to assist special needs students, there is no special education curriculum in Barbados.

“Several committees have been formed over the years to work on a special education curriculum; however, there has been no success up to this point,”  the veteran special needs educator said

Though teachers are currently required to incorporate children with special needs in teaching the national curriculum, Holder said too many children are slipping through the cracks. She said the method of assessing children with special needs also needs to be addressed.

“Students with special needs may find it difficult to demonstrate mastery on grade-level tests, so why restrict them to such tests? Use more flexible and adaptive diagnostic tools which will allow you to get a full picture of your students’ capabilities. They may also require additional academic support. However, data collection on the little wins adds up to great growth and it allows students the opportunity to track their improvement,” she explained, adding that assignments and curriculum requirements can be modified to fit a student’s needs.

“For example, task analysis in groups – this allows students to learn similar skills and concepts as their peers, but the materials to do so are modified to meet the student’s ability level.

“The goal of accommodation and modification is not only to make schools work easier, or break it down simpler, but to level the playing field for special education students, so that they can receive a comparative education as their peers,” Holder added.

One such programme, the Ministry of Education’s Individualised Education Program (IEP), provides a platform for special education instruction, support, and services that a student needs in order to function well in schools.

However, the IEP has still not been utilised to its full potential because of a lack of personnel and resources.

“One of the aims of the IEP is to level the playing field for students receiving special education services. The ideal individual education plan should consist of the child’s parent or parents, special education teacher, their regular classroom teacher, representative of the school system – be it the principal or senior teacher –, related service professionals like a psychologist, social worker or occupational therapist, or any other professional dependant on the student’s needs.

“However, for the most part, these services are sourced through the Student Services Division of the Ministry of Education. There is usually an extremely long waiting list and students may even age out of the school programme, without receiving such services,” the principal said.

Holder said many parents of children with special needs are unable to afford such resources themselves and she, therefore, called on stakeholders to assist.

“Government alone cannot do it,” she said. (SB)