DR RADICA MAHASE
It’s that time of the year when parents are rushing to purchase school books and materials for their children. It’s that time again when children are getting ready to start school; some with excitement and happiness, others with anxiety.
Many children diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder in TT do not get to have this experience. Instead of preparing for schools, many autism parents are stressed out and worried about their children because they cannot afford or access schools for their children.
Maureen, a mother from East Trinidad, who has a six-year-old son who was diagnosed with autism last year, said, “Earlier this year I applied to four primary schools within our school district and none accepted my child.
"One school is just five minutes away from our home and I met with the principal, who said that he doesn’t have any teachers trained in special needs education and they won’t be able to give my son the education that he needs.
"He was sympathetic and understanding and he spoke to the two teachers who will be teaching the first-year class, but both of them said they didn’t know anything about teaching children with special needs.
"We also had a meeting with the principal of another school which is also located within our district but she was not even open to accepting our son. She said that her school performs very well in SEA, with 90 per cent of the children going to prestige schools, and that the teachers push the students and my son will not be able to keep up or get good results.
"The other two schools said they didn’t have any space.”
Maureen’s experience is similar to that of many other parents of children with special needs. In fact, most parents will tell you that one of the biggest struggles in raising a child with autism in our country is educating their children. Many parents have resorted to home schooling because they just don’t have any other options.
Lisa, the mother of a 13-year-old boy diagnosed with autism and ADHD (attention deficit hyperactivity disorder), said, “For many years I tried to get my son into a school.
"When I was turned down by the government primary schools, I tried the private ones but eventually it became too expensive. We also had too many bad experiences. In one private special needs school, they would lock my son in a room if he had a meltdown and say that they couldn’t deal with him because he was aggressive.”
[caption id="attachment_970882" align="alignnone" width="478"] Archaic teaching methods put special needs children at a disadvantage.Photo Courtesy - Rahul's Clubhouse -[/caption]
As much as we want to talk about inclusive education in TT, the reality is that inclusive education is a myth more than anything else.
First, there is the issue of actually getting a child into a school. The mere fact that children are being turned away by schools and that principals are saying their teachers cannot teach special needs children shows the extent to which our education system is definitely not for all.
The saddest thing abo
