Impact of Inclusive Schooling in the Management of the Children with Downs Syndrome

Abstract

Education is Human right. Every children irrespective of their caste,culture,society and intellectual ability have equal right to education .The same is for children with mental disabilities like Down’s syndrome .Inclusive schooling can reduce discrimination and provide them normal learning environment.

Introduction

I. INTRODUCTION

Every  child  deserves love,care and also proper education .Education is very  important for  the mental growth  and development of a child.It will make them successful  in life and help them to get a social  status.But it is a well known  fact that every child is unique .There are some children  who needs  special  care and support .A child with special  needs are born due to different  factors . Genetic disorder is one of the major  factor and one such  condition is Down’s syndrome .Children  with Down’s syndrome  are not  able to blend in a normal learning  environment due to intellectual disability resulting  in behavioral  disorders  like impulsive behavior  or temper tantrums .A child with  Down’s syndrome cannot communicate or express themselves  in diverse  environment .They also have trouble in concentration and memory .

II. ROLE OF GENE IN CONTROLLING OUR  CHARACTERISTICS

Every individual  has a unique  characteristics which is due to the genetic make up.The gene is a part of the chromosome The number of chromosome  in a species always remains.fixed.Any change in the number is called  chromosomal aberration.chromosomal aberration  can be structural or numerical .Down’s syndrome is a condition due to numerical  aberration .Human being has 23 pairs of chromosomes-22 pairs autosome and one pair sex chromosome .When there is one extra chromosome in chromosome 21(trisomy 21) it causes Down’s syndrome .

III. CHARACTERISTICS FEATURE OF THE CHILD WITH DOWN’S SYNDROME

It is observed  that in US 1 in every  700 babies  are born with Down’s syndrome(L.M. Besser et al 2007) .The situation  is alarming  in India where every  year a significant  number  of children  are born with  Down syndrome .The survival rate is 44%..The age of the mother is one of the major cause that has been associated  with  Downs syndrome .A child with Down’s syndrome have less intellectual ability  and cannot  meet the developmental milestones  like normal child.So when  a child  is born with Down’s syndrome   it is the responsibility of everyone  associated with the child to provide a quality  life.Parents and Teacher has to play  a vital role in management  of those  children.

IV. MANAGEMENT OF   CHILDREN  WITH DOWN’S SYNDROME

The role of a skilled  and trained teacher  is significant in understanding a child with Down’s syndrome .A teacher  can create a normal classroom  environment and make them a part of the society(A.S. Davis ,2008).Inclusive  education  can be a way to manage those child and give them a social recognition.Children  can show significant  improvement in a main stream learning environment  as compare to special schools .(Buckley  et .al 2002).It is evident that the discrimination by teachers  and trainers are main problem  in the growth of children  with Down’s syndrome (Wishart, J. G., & Manning, G. 1996).It is possible to provide normal classroom environment to the child  if the class teacher actively participate in managing  the students  requirements .Parents also play a key role in providing  inclusive education to their child which will help in their mental development (Er-rida et.al2024)

The increase  in number of children with  Down’s syndrome and other disabilities is matter of concerns in India.Inclusive  education  is not practised and rehabilitation is given importance .children are seperated  due to their  disabilities which is against  equal educational rights.Therefore awareness of the society and strict government  strategies and policies for the implementation  of inclusive education  in our society  can help to improve  the quality  of  life of .the children  with Down’s syndrome

Conclusion

Research indicates that children with Down’s syndrome are not getting normal classroom environment specifically in India..Different strategies has to be taken by the government and school management to include them and help them to interact with other children in the normal environment .

References

[1] A.S. Davis 2008 Children with Down syndrome: Implications for assessment and intervention in the school School Psychology Quarterly, 23 (2) , p. 271 [2] Buckley, S., Bird, G., Sacks B. and Archer T. (2002). A comparison of mainstream and special education for teenagers with Down syndrome: Implications for parents and teachers. Down Syndrome News and Update, 2(2), 46-54, and on downsed information online at http://information.downsed.org/library/periodicals/ dsnu/02/2/046/ [3] Er-rida, S., Zaidouni, A., Mafhoum, M., Oubibi, M., Alami, M. H., & Alaoui, A. M. (2024). Inclusive Education: Exploring Parental Aspirations for Children with Down Syndrome in Regular Schools. The Open Psychology Journal, 17(1). [4] Hassold, T. & Hunt, P.2001 To err (meiotically) is human: the genesis of human aneuploidy. Nat. Rev. Genet. 2, 280–291. [5] L.M. Besser et al 2007.Prevalence of Down syndrome among children and adolescents in metropolitan Atlanta Birth Defects Res A Clin Mol Teratol [6] Wishart, J. G., & Manning, G. (1996). Trainee teachers\' attitudes to inclusive education for children with Down\'s syndrome. Journal of Intellectual Disability Research, 40(1).

Copyright

Copyright © 2024 Dr. Madhurima Samaddar. This is an open access article distributed under the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.