Kindergarten 6, District 3, HCMC, an inclusive school in HCMC
ILLUSTRATION THUS HUNG
That is a fact raised at the regular training session "Educating pre-school skills for children with disabilities to learn inclusion in preschool educational institutions", organized by the Pre-school Education Department, Ho Chi Minh City Department of Education and Training on the morning of May 23.5 at City Kindergarten, District 3.
“Some families are too protective of their children, or worship them too much.”
At the event, Ms. Nguyen Thi Doan Trang, an expert from the Department of Early Childhood Education, Ho Chi Minh City Department of Education and Training, presented important points in pre-school skills education, before officially entering grade 1, for children with disabilities to learn to integrate.
Ms. Doan Trang said that many factors from families, preschool institutions as well as the community affect the development of independence and life skills formation for children with disabilities.
According to Ms. Doan Trang, in some families, children with disabilities are overprotected by all members, not allowing them to do anything; or worshiping their children excessively when they have some outstanding abilities such as speaking English well, or drawing beautifully… Some families ignore them and don't care about and teach their children. The most positive case is that parents treat their children properly, respect and care for them properly.
In addition, community factors can be mentioned such as negative feedback about children; avoid the child's disability; consider children like any other normal children, do not pay enough attention or focus too much on disabilities, behave inappropriately with children. All of the above factors negatively affect children with disabilities, Ms. Doan Trang shared.
So what should each preschool with children with disabilities learn to integrate? Doan Trang gives advice: “It is necessary to encourage positive feedback so that children with disabilities are learning to integrate, develop independence and form life skills. It is essential to accept the child's special needs and meet the child's special needs as a matter of course, to ensure that the child receives appropriate support; create opportunities for children to learn from those around them”.
“Many families in very poor circumstances”
A large number of preschool teachers from districts, Thu Duc City (HCMC) participated in the training session
Ms. Luong Thi Hong Diep, Head of Early Childhood Education Department, Ho Chi Minh City Department of Education and Training, shared with preschool teachers about the pitiful and pitiful plight of many families with children with disabilities. “For every family with a child with a disability in their hands and feet, taking care of and teaching them is very difficult. But for families with children with intellectual disabilities, the care, upbringing and education of these children is even more difficult," said Ms. Diep.
According to Ms. Diep, the program of inclusive education and early intervention for preschool children with disabilities is a very humane program. Every preschool teacher should pay a little more attention to the children, interact with parents, when observing the children have any unusual problems, it is necessary to discuss and convince the parents immediately to take their children to the doctor for examination and examination for early intervention. The earlier children receive intervention, the more positive progress they will make.
Ms. Nguyen Thi Doan Trang noted that preschool teachers when teaching pre-school skills for children with disabilities who are learning to integrate, need to provide information that is easy to understand, specific, and suitable to the individual characteristics of each child, because no two children are the same.
In addition, teachers should help children be trained from basic skills to develop solid skills; Teaching new skills should encourage children to be proactive instead of forced.
Teaching children to integrate requires understanding and patience, tolerance and love
Preschool teachers need to assign tasks to these children to fit, invest in the tasks children love. In particular, the cooperation between families, schools and communities to take care of children with disabilities is extremely important.
“I know the work of educating children with disabilities is very difficult, but there are families who do not accept their child's condition, making it increasingly difficult to educate children. Or from a community perspective, I once knew that there were parents who went to the ward to ask for a certificate of disability for their children, and someone in the ward said: "What do you do with that paper, it will follow your children for life," said Ms. Doan Trang.
However, according to Ms. Doan Trang, when children have a certificate of disability, there are more opportunities, society has better regimes for them. This expert noted: "For a normal child, it is important for the family, school, and community to work together to educate the child, but for children with disabilities this is even more important."
Guide children from turning the pages of the book
What are the measures to educate pre-school skills for children with disabilities at preschool age?
Ms. Nguyen Thi Doan Trang said that teachers need to equip children with self-service and learning management skills such as: preparing and managing school supplies; Identify school supplies and maintain school supplies.
After that, teachers need to guide children to familiarize themselves with the skills of holding a pen and flipping books. For children with disabilities, motor skills develop more slowly, so teachers first need to choose books with thick pages and hard enough for children to turn easily. Then the teacher turns to the pamphlet; Create a comfortable reading space for children. Teachers read books to children, help children familiarize themselves with and comply with regulations on study habits.
Next, teachers can familiarize children with reading and writing skills; Training children to have verbal communication skills, behavior control skills.
