Many schools, no matter where they are located or how much finances they have, are dismissive of students with special needs. Today’s teachers are overburdened because, in addition to their primary responsibility to teach, they have to do an enormous amount of non-core work. Teachers cannot provide inclusive education for students, although “educational standards require them” (Knight, 2018, p. 210). Parents do not usually expect a regular teacher to treat a child with reading and writing difficulties differently. It is easier for educational institutions and teachers to get rid of such a student than to give them a chance to study. However, dyslexics and children with ADHD have fully preserved intelligence, according to the research. Teachers can and should change instructional strategies and methods so that every student is included.
It does not take an extraordinary effort on the part of the teacher to get a student with special needs to begin learning successfully; the most important thing is the desire to help. This assistance does not come at the expense of other “students who also need the teacher’s attention” (Kalsoom et al., 2020, p. 156). The most important thing to do is to allow students with special needs to spend a little more time on the task. The teacher, not the parents, can identify precisely the particular needs and difficulties the child has in reading and writing. It is enough to carefully observe the student and draw the parents’ attention to these characteristics. To maintain pupils’ interest, the “teacher should praise and encourage them more often” (Muin et al., 2020, p. 906). It is desirable to show support with a word even before the child starts working, and then one can praise the number of correctly completed tasks.
I agree with Mooney that special-needs students are not given the attention and respect they deserve. Modern technology allows for absolutely everyone to be included in the educational process, yet this is ignored by asking “special” students to flip the cutlets. I believe it is wrong to isolate such youth, depriving them of the opportunity to achieve a better life for themselves. It seems to me that teachers and parents should show more support and allow more time for children with special needs to realize themselves.
References
Kalsoom, T., Mujahid, A. H., & Zulfqar, A. (2020). Dyslexia as a Learning Disability: Teachers’ Perceptions and Practices at School Level. Bulletin of Education and Research, 42(1), 155-166.
Knight, C. (2018). What is dyslexia? An exploration of the relationship between teachers’ understandings of dyslexia and their training experiences. Dyslexia, 24(3), 207-219.
Muin, J. A., Riyanto, R., & Wibowo, S. B. (2020). Teacher competencies for dyslexia students. Universal Journal of Educational Research, 8(3), 904-908.