Remedial Education Program
The primary aim of remedial education is to help students, often children who function at a lower than average level because of a certain learning difficulties or behavioral problems or disorders in regular schools cope with the prescribed school curriculum, to help students develop study skills, to train students in organizational skills, to give one-on-one intensive instruction in language skills and mathematics and to improve their overall academic performance. Most often than not remedial education is provided to children who have been diagnosed with any bio-neurological, disorder such as dyslexia, dysgraphia, dyscalculia or other non-verbal learning difficulties, ADHD (attention deficit hyperactivity disorder), Autism Spectrum Disorder, Intellectual difficuty, slow learners, those suffering from cerebral palsy or spasticity. It is also required by those with major psychological or emotional disorders such as depression, anxiety disorders, adjustment issues or conduct disorders. Many a times it is also provided to gifted and talented children who need aided assistance with analytical and logical thinking that is not part of school curriculum.
The remedial educator uses special techniques and strategies depending on the level at which the child is functioning. It may start with core basics of the language including letter recognition, sound identification, syllabification and move on to higher elements such as blends, classification, grammar rules and so on. With children in higher grades, help is provided at the age where the child is stuck taking him up to his age appropriate level. Special audio-visual stimuli are used to facilitate learning such as flashcards, workbooks, pictorial aids, puzzles and so on. A multi-modal approach known as the V-A-K-T (visual, auditory, kinaesthetic, tactile) is used as it is known to have maximum benefit to simulate learning.
There is no fixed duration for remedial education. It depends upon each child’s distinctive needs. Typically, the child is required to be under remedial learning as long as he or she is able to show significant improvement and able to cope with his peers in the class. It only helps and never hurts.
Special education differs from remedial education because the students in these programs lack the intellectual ability to perform in a class that teaches standardized concepts and subjects. The students in these classes may lack social maturity, emotional maturity, physical ability or the analytical skills that are needed to perform in a remedial or a standard classroom environment. In simple terms, special education is designed specifically for students with special needs, remedial education can be designed for any students, with or without special needs.
Dyslexia is a learning disability which impacts a person’s ability to read and write. It affects the way the person’s brain processes written materials, making it more difficult to recognize, spell, and decode words, and to read sentences or passages in its entirety without skipping words or the right order of the sentences. A person with dyslexia often has difficulty in understanding the concept of left and right (with the likelihood of reading mirror images) and in memorizing the sequential order of things. They exhibit difficulty in expressing their thoughts or in their ability to organize and manage their personal affairs. Dyslexia may also affect the person’s everyday skills and activities including social interaction, memory, and dealing with stress.
Dyslexia does not occur due to a problem with intelligence or due to poor teaching, instruction, or upbringing. It is a neurological condition, often genetic and hereditary, and typically results from an impairment in the brain’s ability to process phonemes (the smallest units of speech that make words different from each other).
Like any other disability, early diagnosis and support are key in helping a person with dyslexia to lead a better life. At Jewel Autism Centre, we manage dyslexia in children with interventions that include.
- Evaluation of their specific needs,
- Providing them learning tools that improve memory capacity, Pattern recognition and focus and reading activities that help to overcome difficulties with words and sentences
- Guidance and support to build confidence and self-esteem, and
- Ongoing evaluation to help them identify the areas where they would need continuing support and to develop coping strategies.