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Educational facilities for children with mental retardation

In addition to a team of professionals working with children with mental

retardation, the teacher plays an important role in their alround

development. The special teachers for mentally retarded children are trained and predominantly work in special schools. In places where special schools are limited or due to distances or if children cannot go to schools, the special educators provide home based training. In home based training, the parent is trained periodically by the special teachers to train the child at home. Depending on the mutual convenience of the teacher and the family, the training is imparted either at home or at the training centre.

When the trainer visits home and trains, it is called home based training while if the parent/family member brings the child to the centre periodically, it is called centre based training. This model of service helps children with severe motor disabilities and severe/profound mental retardation.

There is another educational model called resource room facility where the schools for normal children have a resource room. A resource room has educational training materials for disabled children and a trained resource teacher who will help the regular class teacher, as well as the children. with disabilities to learn appropriately at their own pace. This facility helps children with any disability.

Role of parents in the education of children with mental retardation

As the development is slow in children with mental retardation, they take

longer time to learn when compared to other children. Children with mental retardation also have difficulty in transferring what they have learnt in one situation to another situation. To get the maximum benefit of teaching children with mental retardation, it is essential that parents are involved at

each stage. Whatever is taught at school, the teacher should make an effort to inform the parent so that similar activities at home environment with household materials can be provided by the parent. For instance, if the teacher has taught colour red with blocks and beads at school and told the parent so, the parent will automatically use tomato or red shirt or red chillies to strengthen the concept learnt in school.

The teacher should keep herself informed about the child's medical

problems, and the medicines he takes so that she can suitably organise activities for them. For instance, those children with epilepsy should be given activities not involving sharp instruments, fire, swimming and such other tasks that are dangerous.

Creativity and imagination of the teacher is very essential in training the mentally retarded children, as variety sustains the interest of such children.

Alertness and observation of the child's reaction to his environment will provide the teacher with clues for training.

The preschool and primary teachers lay the foundation for education of a

child on which his whole life is built. Hence, there is little need to overemphasise the role of the teacher at this age. Her commitment, creativity and ability to teach is of utmost importance for successful

integration of disabled persons in the society.

Following are readiness activities for children with mental retardation.

Though some activities are listed in line with the 'School Readiness'

requirement of normal children, it is cautioned here that all children with mental retardation will not learn at the same pace. The teacher has to

aim at ensuring mastery of the skill in the child though children take

their own of time to achieve the mastery. Taking suggestions from this guide book, the teacher can develop her own activities.

Activities for School Readiness

Selection of activities for developing school readiness amongst children with mental retardation has been categorised across level 1 to level 3.

The divisions do not restrict the teacher with time limits within which targets have to be met. Flexibility can be exercised to suit the child's individual rate, style and learning, and specific strengths for learning the activity.

What is important is to identify child's ability to perform tasks selected and master them for school readiness. However, it would be wise to start teaching a child after ensuring that the child has necessary pre-requisites to learn a given activity.

One of the major learning characteristics among children with mental retardation is their slowness in learning, demanding longer time and repetition to practice. Poor attention constitutes an important factor which requires that an activity is carefully planned and carried out so that the

child's attention is aroused and sustained. This consists of

_planning out strategies to stimulate, reducing distractions, individualising training, assisting appropriately, and giving opportunities to observe normal _peers or more competent peers.

Another major learning characteristic among the persons with mental retardation is their deficits in the ability to generalise. It is essential _to maintain continuity in practising learnt activity at home and pre-school.

Frequency of practice and appropriateness to perform in given context is_a skill leading to mastery only after they have had an experience of their own, instead of just observing others. This calls for special attention at home, and therefore this handbook suggests activities for school readiness which can be practised at home also. Family members can easily follow these activities, as the materials suggested are available at home. The methods listed allow for flexibility.

Most of the school readiness activities are transition activities from more informal to formal ones. Hence the categories of activities selected in this handbook involve conversation and creative activities. Games, stories and songs can be taught with pictures and actions as generally done for normal pre-school children. Mentally retarded children require multisensory input for better learning. Therefore, add as much visuals, gestures and actions as possible so that they learn better and the classes are interesting.

Each of these activities will cut across 3 levels of performance. Pre-

requisites as well as outcome indicators are clearly listed to enable teachers and parents to evaluate where to include or transfer from, and when the child has mastered a given level of performance.

1. Conversation

Every aspect of learning involves interaction of verbal or non-verbal mode.

Teachers and parents are the persons involved in initiating this aspect of development in a pre-school aged child. The child develops from pointing

to an object to naming it which is a constant phenomenon. It then progresses to describing objects or understanding and stating the

functioning of a given object, finally leading to discussing about it. This process enables the child to be less dependent and express oneself with clarity of thought. It helps to achieve effective skills in interaction and also promotes scope for socialisation, while interacting with peers. The activities listed here are provided level-wise so that the children will gradually develop skills in interaction.

Activities:

Level I

a) Tell your name.

b) Ask each child his/her name.

c) Tell children in group the name of the school.

d) Encourage children to talk about their home and family.

e) Let children tell about their homes, name of parents.

f) Introduce children to school building, facilities in school, other

neighbouring classes

g) Note cLaanliness and hygiene in children such as dress, bag, nails, hair, hands, shoes and socks

Shabby neat and tidy

Activities for Home

Pre-requisites:

a) To recognise their own name by responding when called and to tell the name when asked.