HT Dialogues: Are we doing enough for kids with special needs amid Covid-19?

Virtual events and competitions, increased collaboration between parents and educators, and the challenge of social isolation – these are some of the pointers that were discussed during this week’s HT Dialogue Sessions on children with special needs (CWSN). Mental health professionals, school counsellors, principals, and parents came together, albeit digitally, on Thursday for the fortnightly school edition of the HT Dialogues sessions. This week’s discussion was centered on the question -- are we doing enough for children with special needs during the pandemic? The session was attended by Anit Chhetri, director at the Lubdhak Research Foundation; Richa Sharma Agnihotri, Principal, Sanskriti School, Chanakyapuri; Shashi Chadha, special needs educator, The Shri Ram School, Aravalli, Gurugram; Manjula S. Basak, teacher, Vidyasagar Int. School, Bhayander, Mumbai; and Jyoti Joshi Jain, parent, Step by Step School, Noida. The session was moderated by Hindustan Times’ Health and Science Editor Rhythma Kaul. While technology helped parents adapt to the new mode of education and a stronger partnership with schools led to parents rediscovering more about their children, learning gap and lack of social and play skills among CWSN was a concern raised by stakeholders. Throughout the discussion, principals and special educators emphasized on the importance of making best use of the situation and that much more can be done in the coming times. “We tried to clean the gym and got the field and invited parents to come with children while maintaining safe distance. But parents were worried and were comfortable with children being at home. We had inter-school competitions for children with special needs, fancy dress shows, cooking sessions but these were all done virtually. The subconscious learning that happens during physical interactions was missing but it was true for everybody. When we come back, getting back to the routine will take some time but things will get better,” said Agnihotri. Chadha, special educator, said social isolation has been a challenge but the virtual medium limits the interactions. “We tried to create virtual entertainment through various means and somewhere children have begun to accept it and enjoy what they get. Sometimes class gets together on a Zoom call and celebrates birthday or even watches movies. This helped in fostering inclusivity,” she said. EXPERT SPEAK “There is always more to be done for CWSN. Since we had not been prepared for the pandemic, there have been a lot of changes. Parents got to spend quality time with their children and it helped with working on the bonding. Time management has been an issue for them as special children require more attention and supervision. But parents have managed to teach their children with help of technology.” -Anit Chhetri, Director, Lubdhak Research Foundation “Every child has gone through a journey to learn on this new medium (online). Educators too have found ways to deal with the problems as they come. For instance, if a child gets distracted quickly, we try to give them the turn ahead of others so he doesn’t lose patience.” -Shashi Chadha, Special Needs Educator, The Shri Ram School, Aravalli, Gurugram “As a head of school and educator, my primary responsibility is to provide a safe learning space for the child where they can feel secure and learn in that space. We have been able to do that to a large extent. Children are resilient and they took a time but managed to adapt to online learning. We were able to provide opportunities to them to build their self-esteem and skills. The revelation has been the beautiful partnership and collaboration between parents and educators.” - Richa Sharma Agnihotri, Principal, Sanskriti School, Chankyapuri “The teamwork between educators and parents worked well during the pandemic. Earlier, teachers had to write in the diaries or call parents to school but that communication delay was bridged during online learning. We could give suggestions to teachers and discuss the learning with other parent.” -Dr. Jyoti Joshi Jain, Parent, Step by Step School, NOIDA “Ours is an all-inclusive school which helps everyone in doing their best. Government help is not up to the mark and we have to make do on our own. Empathy and patience are important trait among peers as well. The pandemic has taken away our efforts of putting students in a routine. The physical motivation was missing. During lockdown, fathers were at home and bonded more with their children which was not frequent during normal times.” -Manjula S. Basak, Teacher, Vidyasagar International School, Bhayander, Mumbai

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