Samaher Saif Al Yazal
An expert and consultant in special education, Osama Ahmed Madbouly, said that with the first bell bells for the launch of the new academic year, parents of children with special needs live a state of anticipation mixed with enthusiasm and anxiety, and the annual question is renewed: How do we make return to school or the educational center a moment for success and growth, and not a source of pressure and tension?
He added: This stage represents a double challenge for families with children with Down syndrome, children with autism spectrum disorder, or students who face learning difficulties. However, the studied pre -preparation and the effective partnership between the home and the school opens the door to convert this experience into a founding station that gives the child safety and trust and enhances his academic and social development. Here is the first step that we offer to parents to start immediately in the regular routine, as a safety valve for the success of returning to school, center or any educational place, where we confirm that the clear daily routine represents the cornerstone of the child’s involvement smoothly in the atmosphere A quiet corner for studying at home. Adopting these gradual habits gives children with special needs a sense of safety and ability to predict what they will face every day.
Madbouly said that returning to school is not only an academic event; Rather, it turns into an opportunity to enhance the child’s capabilities on social communication and engage with peers. Here, the guardian’s role in the positive talk about the school emerges, and to celebrate any progress, no matter how simple, to consolidate the concept of success and self -confidence, and this is what we seek in our field of work with people with special needs.
He continued, “Also, parents can arrange short playing meetings with some of the classmates before the start of the year, use comic stories and play roles to represent various social situations, which helps the child to overcome his fears, adapt to his new environment, and his understanding of the next stage successfully. The child’s success begins with partnership with teachers and specialists. So we advise parents to provide the school with accurate and detailed information about the needs of their child, discuss educational and behavioral goals, and continue to communicate in all possible ways to follow the academic and behavioral development. The unification of efforts between the family and the school is reflected directly on the child’s performance and a sense of belonging. ”
Madbouly stressed the importance of the physical and psychological health of the child, through periodic medical examinations and healthy nutrition, the educational process pays its fruits if the body is intact, teaching the child the basics of safety (crossing the road, disposing of emergency situations, and not talking to strangers). Also, training the child in independence skills such as hand washing and personal care supports his self -confidence in a new environment.
“Some children need special sensory tools, such as noise insulating headphones or visual tables, to facilitate learning and reduce anxiety,” he said. Giving the child options in arranging his bag and participating in preparing his tools, reinforcing his independence and feeling responsibility. ” He concluded that «in the end we would like to emphasize that returning to schools and educational centers is not just an academic beginning, but rather a golden opportunity for the child’s cognitive and social development. With prior preparation, attention to psychological and practical factors, and partnership between the home and the school, every guardian can transfer the transition from a source of concern to a success story that inspires everyone and gives our children a new beginning full of hope and achievement ».
