Special needs education strategy should be flexible

Should special needs children be integrated into mainstream schools?

For many years, there has been a debate over whether the integration of children with special needs into mainstream schools would be beneficial or do more harm than good.

Those on one side of the debate point to research showing that students with special needs can grow academically and socially when included in a mainstream environment. In ordinary classrooms, these students will certainly have access to a more challenging curriculum. For example, one study showed that children with reading difficulties improved at a greater rate when they were placed alongside peers who read well. A mainstream school environment would also offer children with special needs the chance to socialise and play with a range of other children, helping them develop their social and emotional skills, boost their self-respect and confidence, and prepare them for the rigours of adult life.

Fatima Al Sayari, a graduate from Emirates Foundation for Youth Development’s Kayani Teacher Assistant Programme for high school-educated Emirati women, told The National yesterday that her special-needs nieces and nephews are often questioned about their disabilities when they mix with other children at social events. The more these children are integrated into mainstream schools, the higher the chance of them being accepted into the community and the more they will feel a part of society. For the other students, integration would provide an opportunity for them to learn to put aside prejudices and understand that, while they may be different, there is nothing abnormal or unusual about children with special needs.

Arguments on the other side of the debate focus on the practical problems associated with integration. Many special-needs children require properly trained staff to deal with their individual educational and personal requirements. If, for example, a student with autism lost control in class, an untrained teacher would find it difficult to deal with the situation. Such an incident would be disruptive for the entire class, and negatively affect the learning process.

Students with special needs will not benefit from integration unless extra resources and training are provided, and unless integration has the support of the entire school community. While a national strategy will be welcome, it must be flexible enough to consider the pros and cons of integration on a case-by-case basis.