It is probably a parent’s worst nightmare to find out that one of their children has a learning disability or disorder. Affecting a broad range of academic and functional skills, learning disorders include the inability to adequately speak, listen, read, write, spell, reason or organize information. And while it is natural for parents to initially resist this reality, the disorders are quite recognized and common nowadays that parents are increasingly aware of them. Yet, teachers in the Arab world are faced with the difficult task of convincing parents that their child has a special need. Arab culture makes it shameful for parents to admit such shortcomings for they are tantamount to admitting they produced failures or that they are failures themselves, which is unacceptable.
These culturally-born denials are rooted in parents who are also oblivious of the fact that special needs are not an indication of low intelligence. Quite the contrary, research found children with special needs have above average intelligence and other intuitive skills that normal people do not possess.
Research in this area also determined that having a problem with short term memory due to a chemical deficiency in that area of the brain that controls the process has no bearing on deductive reasoning which a special needs child might excel in.
So it is not uncommon to have an Arab parent tell a teacher “My kid is fine! You are not teaching him properly.” Unfortunately, it is the child who pays the price, who stands to suffer from being labeled stupid for not having a good memory, not being able to read letters or write them properly. Children are apt to believe anything they are told and when enough people ridicule them or disapprove of their disabilities, children start to believe something must be wrong with them. Instead of utilizing their hidden talent in productive and ingenious ways, these kids generally become society outcasts. Treating special needs children starts by operating on parents. They need to recognize that their kids are indeed special. That is a positive thing and not something to shun, hide, or deny.
With its puzzling nature and no known explanation or cure, autism and learning disabilities within the autism spectrum are topics that can inspire speculation of miracle treatments and radical causes.
The LIFE SKILLS PROGRAM at GAINLearning Center in Bahrain supports the belief that people with disabilities have the right to live and work in the most normal, least restrictive setting as is consistent with their abilities, and that they should be afforded the same dignity and rights as all other citizens. Our comprehensive curriculum is designed to encourage the individual’s emotional and spiritual growth, family and social relationships, and community involvement.
Each component of the program is specifically designed to “bridge the gaps” that other programs were not able to effectively connect. Whether the piece is psychological, academic, or emotional, the LIFE SKILLS Program is a multi-faceted program designed to empower each person with all of the tools needed to fit all of the pieces together; so that each person will attain the goal of this program; that is Living Independently, Functioning Effectively.
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