We are currently faced with extenuating circumstances that we never thought would happen in our lifetime. We are forced to stay home and stay well, and in turn, our special needs children are regressing in front of our eyes. If your child is anything like mine, they thrive on routine and hands on learning. While our schools and teachers are trying their best, remote learning is in no way helpful to children with special needs.
Unlike typical children, most special needs children either have processing disorders, are non-verbal, unable to focus, and some, if not most, are physically unable to participate in therapies, or all of the above. My 3 year old son has a 1:1 aide in a 10:1:3 special needs classroom. He, like many other of his peers, need constant prompts and reminding to get through an activity, along with safety measures in place to not hurt himself when frustrated when transitioning through activities. It is nearly impossible to learn this way for him. It is a constant battle everyday that I gave up logging in anymore. A lot of children in his school are unable to walk and their parents are not able to physically do the activities that would benefit them most during Occupational Therapy and Physical Therapy. To no fault of their own, they are not trained to do these activities or physically able to.
Speech sessions that require face-to-face in person with prompts gently on a child's face are not done at home as they need to be done at a specific time. Speech Therapists are key to helping our children have a voice. We are not trained to do this either.
Although we as parents have to learn quickly and become teachers, speech therapists, Occupational Therapists, Physical Therapists, we are really doing a huge disservice to our children. Precious time is being lost during this crucial and detrimental days of development that can very well negatively impact the future of our children. These are times that we are never able to get back.
Although we all appreciate the teachers and therapists efforts, this is not benefiting our children, and for special needs children, the only option left is too swiftly and safely open Special Needs Schools
