Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is a group of developmental disabilities that can cause considerable social, communication and behavioral challenges. People with ASD often have issues with social, emotional, and communication skills. They might repeat certain behaviors and might not be comfortable with change occurring in their daily activities. Many people with ASD also have different ways of learning, paying attention, or reacting to things. There is currently no cure for ASD. However, research shows that early intervention treatment services can improve a child’s development.
A long way to go for special education
PASSION FOR SPED. Feliciano Sante, 36, says his love and passion for SPED make him stay. Photo by Lizly Edralin Pimentel Ventura, retrieved from Sante's Facebook
MANILA, Philippines – He almost got hit by a chair on his first day on the job. After getting briefed by more experienced colleagues, Feliciano Sante knew more or less what to do should a kid throw a tantrum. But left to his own, the scene still took him by surprise. Teaching in special education (SPED), he learned, is worlds different from the usual teaching he knew. That was 6 years ago, in 2008, when Sante had to learn from scratch how to teach 15 children with special needs in Malaybalay City Central School. Together with a few SPED teachers, he used to have the biggest classroom in the school – the gymnasium – which housed about 90 pupils. Since then, the school has provided 6 more classrooms, but the gymnasium today still accommodates quite a number of children with special needs from Malaybalay City, Bukidnon.
State of special education
CHALLENGES AHEAD. DepEd SPED division chair Mirla Olores talks to Rappler about the state of special education in public schools in the country. Photo by Jee Geronimo/Rappler
With the “zero reject” policy, any parent can enroll their children in public schools – even SPED pupils. Unfortunately, not all public schools in the country has a SPED center, or at least a SPED program. “Every school should have a program for SPED,kasi lahat ng bata, makikita mo sa lahat ng eskwelahan(you will see all kinds of children in schools),” Department of Education (DepEd) SPED division chief Mirla Olores told Rappler. Citing an estimate from the World Health Organization, Olores said children with special needs comprise 15% of the population in a given community. Back in 2012, they were estimated to be more or less 13% of the country's youth and children, with only 2% receiving government support. (READ:Special kids get higher DepEd budget) But today, only 416 SPED centers nationwide are funded by the government, with 4 more waiting for recognition. Aside from this, Olores estimated around 200 public schools offer a SPED program, but without a center. That is 620 out of 34,000 public elementary schools nationwide – a long way to go, obviously, for special education in the Philippines. Based on enrollment alone, there are 239,000 SPED pupils in public elementary schools today, and only 6,000 pure SPED teacher-items. But since the ultimate goal of special education is thechild's integration or “mainstreaming” into regular school– and eventually, in the community – Olores said every teacher should have an orientation in special education. “Kasi akala ng teacher bobo lang [yung estudyante], 'yun pala may specific disability.Angteachergagawa ng maraming sulat saboard, 'yun pala 'yung bata nagsasayaw lang yung mga letra [para sa kanya] kasireading disability,iba-brandngayon sya na bobo.Kaya lahat ngteacherdapat alam angSPED,” she said. (What teachers call stupidity is actually a specific disability. As the teacher writes on the board, and the letters seem to be dancing for the child with reading disability, the teacher might brand him as stupid. That is why all teachers must know SPED.)