Creative Social activities that incorporate children with special needs
Introduction
Children with special needs, like every other child, long for a peer group to associate. When peer groups do not appreciate their presence or effort, their emotion growth is affected. Striving to fit in a group that resists the person trying to prove they are useful is traumatizing. Young children are playful and engage in many social activities such as fun games and interesting learning activities. Most of these activities require a group of participants and competition for enjoyment. When the children with disabilities are completely unable to participate effectively or enjoy the activities equally, they feel odd and secluded. Tutors and parents with disabled children need to create structures and models that will enable the children to learn efficiently and play with the rest of the children without feeling lonely (Nat, 2012). Close interaction and monitoring are vital in developing their social skills. The parents, guardians and parents should focus on providing equal (if possible) opportunity to the children with disabled children as their counterparts. This study focuses on the social activities that can involve both normal and disabled children and their importance to the children's growth.
Importance of inclusion of children with special needs in social activity
• improves their social skills
Participating in interesting activities with the rest of their peers helps the children with special needs learn to associate with others and create relationships with other children. By making player partners, they can make more friends. For instance, the teacher may require collaborative work where the children pair up to construct models or share roles in completing their art assignments.
• Eliminates inferiority complex
Including children with special needs in social activity helps them to develop strong personalities and eliminate any inferior qualities (if any). Most disabled children have been abused or segregated and have created an inferiority complex within them. They think they are useless and inferior to others. To bridge the gap and mend the wounds of bitterness, activities that involve all children make the few disabled ones feel accommodated and appreciated. To boost the children's esteem, the activities they participate in encourages them to explore their worth. The realization that they are useful and creative is extremely vital in improving their general performance. Through painting, they can enhance their motor skills as they learn about basic shapes, contrasts, brightness, boundaries, math concepts as well as spatial relationships.
Causes of discrimination
• Unexpected actions
Whenever a disabled child acts in a different way that is not considered normal to the other children, the normal children ridicule them and avoid them. For instance, a child with no arms may pick up an object such as a cup or pencil with their mouth or feet. Although they may effectively use the object like drinking tea in the cup or writing with the pencil, other children who are not used to see such behaviors find it hard to accept and interact with these children motor challenges. Other rare movements such as child with useless limbs dragging themselves over the floor may draw attention from other children.(Nat, 2012) The normal children will avoid association and close contact with the children consequently hurting their feelings. When the normal children proceed to play and participate in extra-curricular activities that are especially vigorous, the disabled children get envious.
• The disabled are the minority
In institutions that have very few children with special needs as compared to the normal children, although the teachers and other students may not segregate them, the minority disabled group feels out place and secluded mainly because most of the activities do not involve them. They feel useless and incompetent. If a group or class consists few children with motor challenges, the activities chosen are likely to favor the majority normal students.
• Embarrassment of association
Since naturally, growing children do not want to associate with losers and poor performers, children with special needs are the most likely victims to lose friends. Friends may feel embarrassed to be associated or spend time helping a student while missing out on other activities that the normal children are engaging in (Agnew, 2009). The disabled feel like they are a burden to their friends especially when they rely on people so as to help the move, eat or communicate effectively. Fearing that the disabled are delicate and touching or playing with them may harm them more, some children prefer to keep their distance.
Effects of discrimination
Discrimination in a society depends on the level of exposure and civility of that society.
• Lack of self-worth.
Children gradually shy away from their peers who seclude them by avoiding their company or maintaining silence and a low profile (Plicher, 1994). They do not have self-confidence to express themselves among their peers during interaction. When the situation persists to extreme extents, the feeling develops into detest and hatred. Trauma and depression are the results of consistent seclusion and rejection. Most affected children end up completely locking themselves away from their peers and instead revert to care-free lives. These children mostly grow up with negative attitude and insensitivity to emotional issues.
• Crime and violence
According to a report published in 2008 by the UN study on Violence against Children with Special needs (2008). The overall rate of crime in Canada is reported to have increased with homicides and several violent crimes becoming so common. Much of the increase violence rates are as a result of segregation and discrimination of the disabled people. The major effect of violence among the youths in Canada is identified as lack of self-worth. Violence comes with pains from serious injuries that may lead to mental health problems, physical health problems, sexual health problems and death.
• Limited school admission and career opportunities
Many people do not want to admit or hire disabled persons to their institutions or workplaces. They view disabled people as liabilities which will require extra attention. By denying the children with special needs their right to education because of their disabilities, frustrates them for a long time.
Revengeful Measures
Whenever the children are harassed, embarrassed or ridiculed, they harbor the envy, jealousy, rage and a desire to revenge. As the pressure builds in them to act in retaliation and rebellion, they get frustrated and desperate (Agnew, 2009). They resort to a care-free attitude (not considerate of others) to protest at how they are treated. For instance, when a disabled person in a shopping mall or hotel does not use their hands to pick items from a shelf or food from the counter and instead uses their mouth or chin, people stop to look (instead of lending a helping hand). Such a person protests by arrogance and minding their own business, for example, a person who feel they are discriminated may refuse to answer to an attendant or may answer in a rude provoking manner.
Inclusive activities
• Painting
Painting enables children to explore their ideas and express their feelings. It enables the child to express their perception of their environment on paper using exciting colors that they find interesting. Moreover, painting does not involve vigorous movements and motions yet it actively engages the creativity of children's brains. Moreover, participants can be confined in a room throughout the painting sessions. It allows most disabled children to participate and compete with their fellow children fairly despite the fact that they may need to use other body parts to hold the brushes. For instance, children with dysfunctional hands (motor challenges) prefer to use their toes to hold the paint-brush and those without both functional feet and arms use their mouths. Visually-impaired children can focus on modeling materials with varying textures and sizes. All children love to play with paint to illustrate their environment (Agnew, 2009). While painting, children can relate their real life and display how they perceive the world. Every painting is unique to the young artists as it reveals their view and expressions. The paintings identify the children apart, and each one has their rate of progress without necessarily competing with one another.
• Modeling
Using objects and materials with different sizes, shapes and textures are vital in building especially the visually impaired children's brains. The visually impaired children depend on touch to identify and differentiate objects. As they touch the objects, the teacher can explain and mention the objects and their function.(Gavin, 2011). Once they have mastered and can memorize, the teacher can then involve the children in a game where they are required to identify an object and its function.
At an early stage, the children may learn to construct larger models that require arranging smaller objects together or fixing into one another. Apart from arranging, they can use clay to model and remodel desired shapes of the objects they already know, name them and mention their functions. Both the children with disabilities and the ones without can participate in the game and have fun alongside one another.
• Simple interactive Virtual games
• Improvisational storytelling
Improvisational storytelling entails putting pictures for instance, of animals or fruits, up-side down on the table (so they would not know the expressions prior to the game).(Kelly and Peter, 2001). The players (children) then decide together on a specific story elements that must appear in the story. The aim of the game is to give players opportunities to create their narrative basing on that of the previous player. At the end of the game, all the elements that make up the story will be useful. The instructions of the game are simple, and the children can be guided through it without losing attention (Wyn and Woodman, 2007).
• Musical artwork
In musical artwork, music plays on for instance, an iPod or CD player and the children place a marker on paper (Agnew, 2009). With a child's eyes closed, the teacher shifts the position of the source. The child should move the marker towards the direction of the music. When they open their eyes, the teacher asks them to make a creative and meaningful design from the rough work they just made on their paper without any intention. They then paint the design appropriately. Every child comes up with a unique and creative idea from the rest.
Challenges in inclusion of children with disabilities in social activities
• Stigmatization and rejection
Some children are rejected and treated unfairly in their homes. Such children are hurt but have accepted the fate and developed an inferiority complex. Even after therapy, they fail to heal because they live in homes where they are discriminated. These children find it hard to change their perception of their situation.
• Inadequate facilities
Most teachers and parents do not have the financial ability to acquire the equipment necessary to maintain the children with special needs and provide comfortable and adequate facilities for their learning and play (Plicher, 1994).
Solutions
• Parent-teacher
Guardians, parents and teachers should encourage the students with special needs to participate in art and music activities but not force them into attending the sessions. The facilitators of the activities should first, be very creative. Instead of initiating activities with already specified directions, they can modify the directions to fit all the children and especially the ones with special needs such as motor challenges (Agnew, 2009). For instance, a teacher may provide materials that are modifiable so that the students can manipulate according to their abilities or limits and create their unique designs. Activities that are already made with specific directions may prove too challenging for the disabled children. Open-ended dynamic art materials are paramount in helping the teacher to include the children with special needs to participate in art lessons.
• Appropriate materials
The tutor should modify art materials to fit the child's ability and limits. For instance, a child who may not be able to handle a pair of scissors and cut paper during an exercise that requires using small pieces of paper, needs to tear the papers by other means or access the already cut pieces.(Chisholm, Lynne and Reymond, 1993). The teacher may cut the papers for such a child. If, on the other hand, they cannot handle or carry a heavy object and move it around, the teacher should either help or teach other students to be considerate and help their colleague whenever they need to move heavy objects.
• Availability of materials
The children should always find the materials and tools necessary for their learning and games available whenever they need them. Availability is crucial in helping the child to take extra time on their own to practice and sharpen their skills in the activity. As they improve, they get more confident with handling the tools and producing the items. As they get used to using and manipulating the materials, they become more creative and effective in handling the material. Over time, they may be able to compete effectively with other children (if it is a competitive activity).
• Appreciation
The art-room should be modified to favor and accommodate the children with motor challenges. To improve the room and increase the comfortability of the children the room should have modifications such as adequate space to allow ample movement, low working tables, modified bathroom facilities and special seats. These modifications are an effort in providing equal opportunities for all children alike. The children can explore and exercise their talents and use their senses and abilities creatively in the art-room.
• Assistance
When helping children with special needs (and especially with severe motor disabilities), the facilitator should be keen not to take control of the activity. Instead, the facilitator should let the child take the lead and only give help when it is necessary. The teacher can also inquire from the baby to find out how they can be of help. However, the child should try the activity on their own before requesting for a helping hand. Trying activities on their own helps the children to be innovative and creative to improvise methods of handling and manipulating their models and materials according to their limited abilities. The teacher should keep close and check on the child to help whenever help is necessary or suggest creative ways to add to the models or paintings.
Recommendations
Consistent static eye contact implies that someone is interested in the other person's concerns. For instance, if one is talking, focusing one's eyes on them creates good reception and gives the speaker confidence to express themselves. A staring contest, therefore, entails maintaining eye contact with the child for as long as they can. Staring helps build the confidence of especially children with fear of competition (Torrance, 1986). After the starting test, the parent can then stick paper pictures of eyes and ask the children to focus on the funny fake eyes. Focusing on eyes (whether real or not) helps them to learn to focus directly on the right things and targets instead of shying away. Another exercise involves maintaining eye contact when the child is swinging.(Gavin, 2011). They feel more comfortable and calm as they focus on the static eyes rather than the environment that seems to swing with them. After the exercises, the parent should at all times congratulate the child on any progress they make. For instance, if they can pass the eye contest taste, the parent should let them know they are proud of them.
Parents and teachers should point out the positive traits and achievements of the children to encourage them to exploit them. By cooperating with other parents in the same situation, a parent will avoid mistakes by learning and sharing crucial tactics to get the best out of their children. These parents should also keep records of their children's achievements in order to monitor their progress (Kelly and Peter, 2001).
Conclusion
In order to prevent stagnated growth and delays in development that occurs in children with disabilities who are segregated, arts are an extremely important method that gives the children a wide variety of opportunities to express their feelings and ideas and most importantly, enhance their social skills. Developing the children's skills and cognitive functioning goes a long away in solving the inferiority complex that arises with frustration from discrimination. Painting and modeling help them exploit their sensory-motor skills such as hand-eye coordination that stimulates their senses.
References
Agnew, V. (2009). Racialized migrant women in Canada: Essays on health, violence and equity. Toronto: University of Toronto Press.
Brown, Gavin. (2011) “Emotional Geographies of Young People’s Aspirations for Adult Life.” Children’s’ Geographies.
Chisholm, Lynne and Maneula du Bois-Reymond. Sociology (1993)“Youth Transitions, Gender, and Social
Hurley, Nat. (2012)“Childhood and its Discontents: an Introduction.” English Studies in Canada.
Kelly, Peter. (2001)“Youth at Risk: processes of individualization and responsibility in the risk society.”Discourse: studies in the cultural politics of education. 22.1
Pilcher, J. (1994)“Mannheim’s Sociology of Generations: An Undervalued Legacy.” British Journal of Sociology.
Torrance, J. M. C. (1986). Public violence in Canada, 1867-1982. Kingston, Ont: McGill-Queen's University Press.
Wyn, Johanna and Dan Woodman. (2007)“Researching Youth in a Context of Social Change: A Reply to Roberts.” Journal of Youth Studies.
