Isolated Children with Special Needs in Schools - Report Example

Isolated Children with Special Needs In Schools (Pre-pubescent) Isolated children at schools is not a new problem, and not a diminishing one. It would be unfair to think that all children that suffer isolation at school suffer because of same reasons. And it is not always the case of a handicapped child sitting alone on the bench feeding pigeons while his friends play basketball, this is cliché, however there are many cases in which children feel isolated at schools where physical abnormality is not the problem. Race, religion, ethnicity and even physical and mental ability or disability can create walls and mental boundaries between students. It is the job of the schools and authorities to tackle this problem because this will have psychological damage plus it will also have a negative impact on the economy at both micro and macro levels. Well reputed schools always take care of the academics of children, however the best schools out there also look forward to taking care of other issues of students. For instance supportive schools also help in preventing violent behavior, isolation, suicide and forfeiting studies (ASCD, 2012). That is how a child learns something on the whole, and nourishes his other aspects of life too instead of just memorizing a text script and regurgitating it in the exams. Social isolation can also hamper the simple process of learning as isolated children get distracted and negative feelings and emotions take over their minds. They are unable to concentrate on studies and as a consequence, become a victim of self-loathing. Psychological impact: for the child and their parent. (Social, lifestyle) First it needs to be born in mind that this is a serious problem; isolated children at schools with special needs are not few in numbers. Statistics have always shown an increase in the number of such pupils at school. Why is the number going up? Well, there are many factors contributing to this, however, this paper delves more into the other aspects of this situation rather than scratching the surface to get to the cause of it. The psychological impact of such isolation can be huge on the development and learning of the child. Cognitive functions can be deeply and horrendously influenced by isolation as the child keeps asking wrong and self-defeating questions that have no answers. Children who fall in the category that have ‘special needs’ include autistic, slow learners, spastic, and others; children with psychiatric or emotional problems. No matter what the cause of their problem socially isolated children are not dumb, they have their own choices, moods and are not necessarily passive. Sometimes it is not easy to talk to them; “Socially isolated children seldom initiate contact with others or respond to others’ invitations.” (Weiner & Craighead 1631)   In children, isolation (especially the social isolation) can be very dangerous, not only in terms of emotional and cognitive damage but also in terms of their hampering physical health. Very serious illnesses can grab hold of socially isolated children. “Social isolation in childhood maybe associated with an increased risk of cardiovascular disease in adulthood.” (Caspi, 2006) Educational impact (how does the isolation impact their development and behavior)  Education of an isolated child can be severely damaged by staying away from an otherwise normal or active social life. They will not act normally when presented a social situation and they will probably act in socially inappropriate ways towards the situation. As long as they don’t sit with the normal students, they will never learn any social skills or their conventional school education. Consider an example, a child sits in the classroom and the teacher is scribbling with chalk on the blackboard, this child, (lets name him Henry) is sitting on the bench placed in the middle of the classroom. He won’t sit with the back benchers as bullies live there, and he won’t step forward and sit at the front row with the fear that teacher will be keeping a close eye on him and he can’t handle that pressure. “…social withdrawal has multiple connotations that include avoidance of children’s play activities, low interaction rate across settings, exclusion by peers, poor social skills, unpopularity, shyness, loneliness, and feelings of alienation or rejection.” (Leitenberg 161) So what happens is he sits with his mind filled with all sorts of confusions and fears and he is never able to concentrate on the subject under discussion in the classroom. It’s not hard to imagine what will happen in case the teacher wants to engage with the students in a discussion or any class activity. He will avoid the situation, barely participating and will always be dreaming of the bell to go off so he could go home and live in his mental safe haven. Moreover there are different stages of isolation, some students feel extremely isolated and some mildly. It is obvious that severity of isolation would decide the severity of complications a student faces; “…victims of severe isolation are able to learn, but they do so far more slowly than children who have not been isolated.” (Kornblum & Smith 102) Economic impact Economic impact might not seem immense at a single glance but digging deeper would reveal isolated children are equivalent to a typical brain drain. They are the children who won’t be able to contribute to the society. Resources are being used on their education, their development and their nourishment but if they can’t give back to the society then it’s a total waste of resources plus they are supposed to be doctors and engineers but they are not interested in such professions, the country suffers economically because there is either no output or there is less output. It is not just the peer pressure or the pressure at school that leaves their skills in the dirt and never lets them open their wings and channel out their talents and skills and play a part in the economy, they also feel pressure at home from their family. “…isolated children are subjected to almost constant family pressures.” (Rasmussen 109) Another important factor that baffles school authorities regarding student isolation is how to measure it? There is no standard way to measure the severity or the impact of isolation. For instance, in measuring racial isolation, each school uses a different technique from others (Conger, 2008) Solution for this problem. (merging the social needs with normal student in school and in social life and public places and events) Solution to the problem of isolated children at school is not that hard, but the society or school can’t be the only part making an effort toward this solution, the community needs to work for it too. Without the help of other students and friends in the neighborhood, the efforts of social security and other departments that are there to help bring up better individuals for the community, will feel their efforts are being wasted. Catharsis and problem sharing is one of the best medicines out there that can help kill half the disease. Isolated children need to sit with the normal students, which is the easiest and most practical way of dealing with this situation. Socially isolated children, be at schools or at home, if they don’t mingle with the other children that have healthy social activities, they will always be isolated. It is definitely not the job of isolated children to take the initiative, other children need to make them comfortable enough so they can communicate and start thinking that it’s also normal for them to act like other children. “Students who are people-oriented need to have positive and enjoyable relationships with their peers” (Lavoie, 2007) Once their brains get the message that it is better to get involved than to sit in the corner, living in their own thought cycles, they will keep repeating it – operant conditioning. There is a lot of pent up energy in everyone and when it doesn’t come out in the form of discussion, activities or sports, it will start to rot and in turn will rot the brain. Isolated children develop a lot of emotional problems this way. The opposite of acceptance is rejection and when a child feels rejected, feelings of sadness and sorrow start taking over; “Children who are rejected by their classmates and those who are not satisfied with their friendship relations often feel lonely.” (Margalit 111) To solve the problem of isolated children at school, we need to delve into the reasons and causes of the problem. All isolated children don’t feel that way because of same or even similar reasons. Race, gender, ethnicity, physical appearance, religion and even preferences can create psychological boundaries between students. At Derby Public Schools, matters regarding social isolation are taken seriously and methodological approaches have been divested to tackle the problem. Staff of psychologists and social workers is present on school grounds and they have designed and implemented programs, classroom discussions and other activities that support school’s efforts (Derby Public Schools, 2012) to build a better school environment for children.   Sources Caspi, Avshalom. "Socially Isolated Children May Become Unhealthy Adults." Medical News Today. MediLexicon International, 09 Aug. 2006. Web. 12 Apr. 2013. . Craighead, W. Edward., and Charles B. Nemeroff. The Corsini Encyclopedia of Psychology and Behavioral Science. New York: John Wiley, 2001. Print. Dylan Conger. New Directions in Measuring Racial Isolation in School. USA. NYU Steinhardt. New York: n.p., 2008. Web. 12 Apr. 2013. . "Efforts to Reduce Racial, Ethnic and Social Isolation." Derby Public Schools. N.p., Oct. 2012. Web. 12 Apr. 2013. . Kornblum, William, and Carolyn D. Smith. Sociology in a Changing World. Fort Worth [u.a.: Harcourt Brace College, 1997. Print. Lavoie, Rick. "Helping the Socially Isolated Child Make Friends." LD OnLine: The Worlds Leading Website on Learning Disabilities and ADHD. N.p., 2007. Web. 11 Apr. 2013. . Leitenberg, Harold. Handbook of Social and Evaluation Anxiety. New York: Plenum, 1990. Print. Making the Case For; Educating the Whole Child. Rep. ASCD, 2012. Web. 12 Apr. 2013. . Margalit, Malka. Lonely Children and Adolescents: Self-perceptions, Social Exclusion, and Hope. New York: Springer, 2010. Print. Rasmussen, John E. Man in Isolation and Confinement. New Brunswick, NJ: AldineTransaction, 2007. Print. Read More