Importance of inclusivity and patience
Of all the qualities expected of a teacher, inclusivity and patience are extremely essential for an individual who desires or has taken up the task of educating pupil with physical disabilities. In ensuring sheer success of a teacher in materializing the values mentioned about, the teacher is expected to take proper steps in grooming the pupils and most importantly devote individual care to pupils. The functional aspect of the individual attention to be provided to the pupils lies in the fact that the needs and nature of each pupil is unique and different from others which calls for special strategies and subjective maneuvering of the existing set of theoretically established methods of solving the issues of incapability in pupils.
The symptons of disability typical to a particular form of physical or mental disability might be common, however the way the one undergoing it responds to either the methods of providing care of the ailment varies from one pupil to the other. Hence the responsibility of the teacher and the school in looking after the well being of the ones suffering from disability is quite important, as on the basis of those arrangements the rate of progress of the one suffering from the disability is contingent. It is also necessary for the purpose of living up to the principle of being inclusive.
The purpose of this particular report is to provide an idea of the general situation that prevails in the educational institution through the provision of details of observations of a particular case of a pupil with disability. The following sections shall be elaborating upon a specific case enlisting the strengths, weaknesses, and capacities of a pupil who has been diagnosed with the ailment of developmental and cognitive delay, known in medical terms as autism spectrum disorder. On the basis of the experience gathered in the process of educating that particular pupil, an account of the possible methods which could be embarked upon to benefit the pupil shall be provided. The aim of this report is to provide an account of the existing facilities which are enabling to undertake proper care of pupils with disability, and the facilities that ought to be incorporated for the purpose of enhancing the task of taking care of pupils with disability. This particular report is thus intended to convey the message to the teaching staff, members at the helm of managing the affairs of the educational institution, the staff at the charge of providing support and other external agencies to extend a helping hand and improve the facilities available. The intention is not provide a negative generalization of the educational institution but to convey the appreciation for the facilities present in the education institution and for suggesting ways in which the functioning could be enhanced in future.
Unique needs of students with physical disabilities
This particular section of the report shall be containing an account of the observations of the behavioural specificities of the chosen pupil diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder. To put in very concise terms, the ailment that has affected the pupil named Jordan is in medically accepted terms known as cognitive and learning disorder, or autism spectrum disorder. It is a condition which is innately present in a newly born child. It is both a physical and a psychological condition which can be cured, but the process is quite lengthy and quite a lot of patience and determination is required on part of the educator to strengthen the disability of Jordan. This is in general about the ailment. Having mentioned about that, the discussion shall now be devoted towards providing an account of the details of a pupil having the cognitive disorder, who has been observed during the practice teaching session.
During the practice teaching session, it has been observed that despite having an ailment which impairs an individual’s learning capacities and makes it difficult to retain the course materials in memory for a long period of time. However Jordan on being put under the radar of observation, it has been discovered that he has some strengths which if cultivated can be quite beneficial for him. Jordan is quite observant and tends to take note of minute details of everything and that is quite evident in the paintings which Jordan makes. The kind of paintings which Jordan makes is reflective of the fact that Jordan is quite observant and the way the details are portrayed in the paintings made by Jordan is something which cannot be possible until and unless one has knack of taking note of details. Apart from that, it must also be said that Jordan has quite a good concentration power, and that is reflective and quite evident from the amount of intent Jordan devotes to the making of the paintings. It has been observed that no amount of distraction can make Jordan be diverted from making the paintings.
With regard to the weaknesses, it is quite generic and bears a sense of commonality with the general symptons that characterizes all the individuals suffering from cognitive disorder. That is the lack of enthusiasm on part on part of Jordan to devote attention towards studies. Allied to that is the disability of Jordan to grasp the academic material being disseminated among other pupils of the class. The weakness is not something which cannot be strengthened or that it cannot be tackled, just that Jordan is suffering from a condition which makes learning difficult
Observations of a student with autism spectrum disorder
By virtue of the fact that Jordan is differently abled than most other children, the needs of Jordan is also something which is different and needs to have that element of more support and empathy. Jordan needs special attention but the scope to provide that is something which is not supported by the set up of the classroom. The most important thing that is needed to deal with Jordan is time and more scope to be affectionate and devote special attention to Jordan so that it becomes possible to make Jordan gain interest in studies. Amidst the number of pupils, it is difficult to devote special attention to Jordan.
It might seem that Jordan shall only be interested in making paintings, but that is not the only area of interest which appeals to the sense and sensibilities of Jordan. On the basis of the observations gathered on the basis of close contact with the chosen pupil suffering from cognitive disability, it has been discovered that Jordan can be made to take interest into quite a lot of activities if proper guidance is provided. That caliber is present in Jordan. However, the set of interest areas that have been observed in Jordan, apart from painting, has been the deep interest in listening to stories with a lot of concentration. Jordan is interested in listening and also asks questions if something is unclear to Jordan, provided Jordan feels that the narrator is interested in making Jordan listen, and is eager to devote attention which Jordan craves for. Jordan is also interested in other creative and aesthetic aspects of life like making crafts. Art and Craft sessions are by far the most interesting time period during the school hours. Paper works, colouring and sketching are the most interesting thing to Jordan.
This goes as far as the account of the observations conducted on Jordan is concerned, which also serves as the education history of the student.
Before the discussion under this headship proceeds it must be clarified that the educational institution chosen for the practice teaching session does an excellent job in being inclusive towards Jordanren having some form of disability. Rarely can it be witnessed that schools are trying to create a level ground and trying to bring a level of parity between the pupils suffering from some form of disability and pupils who are not. It is extremely a commendable factor, and merits due acknowledgement.
Strengths and weaknesses of the student
However it has to be noted that there are some areas which needs to be highlighted for the sake of the benefit of both the chosen pupil and the other pupils as well. The issue areas which need attention shall be serving the general good as well the specific purpose. Mere inclusion of pupils being differently abled is not enough in itself, there must be some sort of special arrangements for assisting and catering to the specific needs of Jordanren with disabilities. Treating them as equals despite knowing the fact that they are but not equals goes fundamentally against the spirit and essence of equality. The systematic organization of the policies and arrangements must be done in a way which shall be promoting more of equity, and that is possible by means of incorporating mechanisms favouring protective discrimination.
Certain key suggestions in enhancing the noble enterprise unto which the educational institution has committed itself to are as follows. First of all, there must be enough scope and time provided to the teachers to ensure that Jordanren having disabilities are looked after well. Secondly, the number of ancillary teaching staff must be increased. Preferably having qualifications and experience in dealing with pupil having disability must be recruited so that it becomes easier to help the disabled children reach the level of parity in a justified way. Finally, the ones not having disability must be taught through seminars or by other means to be inclusive and extend a tolerant attitude towards the ones with disability.
In this section, an account of implementation of three learning goals to cater to the well being of the chosen pupil. First of all a behaviour plan has been made to ensure that dealing with the sensory overload of Jordan could be tackled better. It had enabled to deal with unprecedented circumstances at ease as autistic children are prone to sudden change in behaviour and that means they are supposed to disengage from their routinized and their cherished activities. It has also enabled to take prompt decisions in times of emergency and has provided a template to follow on the occasion of an emergency situation cropping up (Jenson et al., 2016).
Secondly, the mother of the pupil has been constantly kept in touch with for the purpose of communicating the updates related to the fluctuations and the developments of Jordan. The principle of decision making which involves the parents and the well wishers have been adhered to in order to ensure that the decision making process is done in a democratic manner. It has also been deemed necessary to connect with the mother for getting necessary information about the medical history of the pupil, and also that Jordan is quite emotionally connected to the mother (Makin, Hill & Pellicano, 2017).
Suggestions for enhancing inclusivity in educational institutions
Thirdly, a comprehensive set of observation has been recorded enlisting the strengths and weaknesses of Jordan. It has been done in order to ensure that the task of cultivating the strengths of Jordan and strengthening of the weaknesses of Jordan could be fulfilled (Plavnick & Vitale, 2016).
These are the three smart learning which have been implemented as of now utilising the existing resources and capacities of the educational institution. These three chosen smart learning goals are also reflective of pedagogical approach that had been taken for the betterment of the student. It has been considered as the justified pedagogical in meeting the needs of the student due to various reasons. First of all, the student suffering from autism spectrum disorder needs special treatment. Secondly, it has been deemed necessary in order to accommodate the lacunas in the classroom environment. Finally, the task of caring for the student needs a comprehensive scheme of planning to make a situation analysis before taking any action benefitting the student.
The lacunas in the classroom environment has been addressed by means of providing some extra care and concern to the child, as much as it has been possible. Since Jordan is disinterested in studying, some extra effort has been devoted to make him take interest in studies. He loves to paint and sketch, hence he is allowed to indulge in it, and his knack for listening to stories is also taken care of. However, these have not been enough to serve the interest of the child at its best, hence some additional support services are required to ensure that he benefits.
Besides the logistical help present in the educational institution, the presence of shadow teachers and persons belonging to the medical profession of dealing with autistic pupils must be made. These are the two basic requirements which deserve implementation. Shadow teacher are needed as helping hands in dealing with the high strength of pupils in the classrooms (Wong et al., 2015). Persons having medical knowledge is required as teachers are not aware of the nuances of dealing with autistic pupils as such. The basic knowledge is sometimes not enough, especially on emergency situations (Lee, Lo & Lo, 2017). These suggestions if implemented can broaden the horizon of inclusivity, plan for the individual needs and synthesize wider diversity and curriculum expectations in the classroom environment.
Conclusion
At the concluding section the nurtured expectation on part of the stakeholders and the school authorities to take the necessary actions for the betterment of the chosen pupil and the general classroom environment is being conveyed. Giving due acknowledgement to the steps taken by the educational institution, the positive hope of profound and holistic change in enhancing the environment is being harboured with affirmation that authorities shall be looking into the matter and make necessary changes.
References
Jenson, W. R., Clark, E., Davis, J., Director, G., & Hood, J. (2016). An Overview of The Autism Curriculum Encyclopedia, Rethink Autism, and Autism Apps Lauren Anderson Summer, 2016.
Lee, S. Y., Lo, Y. Y., & Lo, Y. (2017). Teaching functional play skills to a young child with autism spectrum disorder through video self-modeling. Journal of autism and developmental disorders, 47(8), 2295-2306.
Makin, C., Hill, V., & Pellicano, E. (2017). The primary-to-secondary school transition for children on the autism spectrum: A multi-informant mixed-methods study. Autism & Developmental Language Impairments, 2, 2396941516684834.
Plavnick, J. B., & Vitale, F. A. (2016). A comparison of vocal mand training strategies for children with autism spectrum disorders. Journal of Positive Behavior Interventions, 18(1), 52-62.
Wong, C., Odom, S. L., Hume, K. A., Cox, A. W., Fettig, A., Kucharczyk, S., … & Schultz, T. R. (2015). Evidence-based practices for children, youth, and young adults with autism spectrum disorder: A comprehensive review. Journal of autism and developmental disorders, 45(7), 1951-1966.
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