the other day while i was in class, my lecturer showed us a video about how this down syndrome child lived through his schooling years all the way to high school and how his life was after he graduated from school. the video showed how the boy struggled in mainstream schools and how he was being ostracised by other children and how he couldnt really learn anything much throughout his schooling years. there's also interviews conducted with his mom and she was in denial cus she believed that her child should go to normal schools just like other children so that he could learn to blend in and survive in this society.
after watching the video, i had a lot of thoughts running through my mind. the reason why im so overwhelmed with thoughts and emotions was cus there's this kid with behavioural problems in my class this year. i dont deny that he was really problematic, giving me a hard time every morning but at the same time, i couldnt blame him for being 'naughty' cus he's having some disabilities unlike normal children. he had really short attention span, couldnt sit still for more than 10 minutes, disturbed and hurt other children whenever he had the chance to do so, couldnt read and write at all, couldnt even recognise any alphabets or numbers.
because of his behavioural issues, i had to be very harsh and firm with this boy cus im left with no choice. i had to do this so as to keep the other normal children in my class 'sane'. however, whenever i had to be harsh on him, i kinda pitied him at the same time cus i know he just cant control himself, not that he really wanted to hurt others. teachers like us, who are not trained in special needs would never be able to teach and give those children any proper guidance. sad, isnt it? but really, there's nothing much that i could do even thou i really pity him. he can be really cute sometimes and i dont really mind having him with me till end of the year but i really wanna help him to get proper treatment.
i dont know if his parents are in denial of his condition but i really think that he should be enrolled into a special needs school where he could be given proper guidance and learn things that he was supposed to learn instead of wasting time in mainstream schools in which we cant do anything to help him at all. at the end of the day, the child is gonna suffer in the long run.
sometimes, i dont understand why parents are ALWAYS in denial of their children's condition whenever outsiders tell them that their children are perhaps having some disabilities. i mean, PLEASE for goodness sake, get them a doctor and do early intervention. by putting them and forcing them into mainstream schools really dont do them any good. it will just backfire and make things worse for them. it can be really devastating to know that your child is abnormal but if its meant to be like this, accept the reality and do something to help them.
well, its easier said than done. i keep asking myself this question, 'what if i have a special needs child? what am i gonna do?' i cant really answer that cus it doesnt only requires temporary attention but permanent attention for life. i've to take care of this child for my whole entire life and i've to even worry about him/her after i die. i cant imagine how traumatising that can be for me yet i cant just leave the child alone and abandon him/her.
just something for everyone to think about.
