‘Noticing delays in
a little child’s development is the key for parents to help identify a child
with special needs, early on’, says Lathika
Rao, special educator at Udhavi. ‘It is easier when one is looking for developmental
delays, delays such as head control, rolling over, sitting, crawling etc.. According to the
special educator, while there are parents who are keen to know if their child
might have certain challenges, especially when they notice that the child is
taking time to understand or comprehend things in the way an average child
his/her age will, quite a few are still in denial that their child might
require intervention. ‘It becomes harder when there are two or more children in
a household. There is constant comparison and this is when the child with
special needs feels the pressure.’ ‘If left unaddressed, the child with special
needs is likely to develop depression or show signs of aggression as he/she
gets older. Indicators of aggressive behaviour are disobedience, frequent
confrontation and tantrums.’
Another important
aspect for parents of children with learning disabilities or slow learning is
to not expect turnaround results from special education. Ms Rao says, ‘Results
are not in anyone’s hands. In fact, a joint effort on the part of the parent,
child and special educator is key to improvement. Let the child develop his/her
own abilities, not be forced to come up to anyone else’s standards. To expect a
child with special needs to come to the level of an average child is unreasonable.’
