Wednesday, December 12, 2007 Attention: Children with special needs By Dr. Elizabeth Bagares-Poyogao
IS YOUR child having communication problems? Is your child hyperactive or having difficulty interacting with other children? Is your child unusually exceptional? If yes, then your child may have developmental problems, which include learning disorders, autism, attention-deficit disorder and other behavioral disorders.
With early recognition and prompt intervention, the future of these disabilities in your children will look bright. Not only doctors but also parents and caretakers should be motivated to keep an eye on these developmental disorders.
In fact, special education and speech therapy program have been implemented with the emergence of these disorders nowadays.
Special Education focuses on academic enhancement, behavior therapy, self-help skills training, motor development, communication and social skills development.
With this education program, the child will be assessed and evaluated by a Special Education (SPED) teacher to determine the child's level of learning and determine his/her special needs.
Based on the child's assessment, he will have an individualized program to be implemented by the SPED teacher. The child's education program will be discussed thoroughly with the parents or guardians to encourage awareness and involvement on their part not only in goal implementation but also in consistency of behavior modification.
Speech Therapy Program focuses on speech improvement on children with language delay and learning disorders. A speech therapist will evaluate the child and create a program, which will be implemented by the SPED teacher.
A Special Education teacher who has been working for more than 5 years now in a school in Manila but is currently based here in Cagayan de Oro City intends to offer her services to children with special needs. Her services cater to children with Autism, Pervasive Developmental Disorder, Mental Retardation, Attention Deficit/Hyperactive Disorder, Global Developmental Delay and Down syndrome. She also extends her services to children with specific learning disability such as reading problem, writing/spelling difficulty, difficulty in math to name a few. The frequency of her sessions will depend on the result of the child's assessment. The cost per session is reasonable. Therapy and instructional materials are all provided for.
If you are interested, please don't hesitate to contact Teacher Chie @ Cherub Tutorial Clinic, 9-21 St. Nazareth, Cagayan de Oro City or you may text at # 0918-4779852.
Early recognition results in prompt intervention and eventually a bright future for your child.
(Dr. Betty Bagares-Poyogao is based in Oro Doctors General Hospital, St. Ignatius Medical Clinic, and JR Borja General Hospital. For your questions, comments, and suggestions email me at betbags@yahoo.com.)
