Lack of early screening leaves learning disabilities among children undetected - rehab professional

Lack of early screening leaves learning disabilities among children undetected – rehab professional

Jun 28, 2022 News

Kaieteur News – The absence of early screening [testing] can leave learning disabilities, other impairments undetected among children.

Rehabilitation Professional and Manager (ag) of the Open Door Centre, Erica Verwayne.

Rehabilitation Professional and Manager (ag) of the Open Door Centre, Erica Verwayne spoke to Kaieteur Radio on Monday’s edition of Your Health Matters programme.
Ms Verwayne told this publication that in an effort to promote Rehab Services across the regions, the Ministry of Health’s Disabilities and Rehabilitation Services carried out a screening on pupils from at least 20 schools across the regions.
According to her, as a result of the screening “a significant number of children,” were found with hearing, speech and other types of impairments that would have otherwise gone undiagnosed. “I cannot give a number off my head but what I can say is that it is a significant number of children who were found to have some form of impairment or another …this is primarily discovered with the nursery school children,” Verwayne told Kaieteur Radio.
She noted that undiagnosed speech, hearing or learning disabilities can cause a child who needs special attention to suffer through the regular school system. “For instance a parent would not easily detect that his/her child is not reading or writing at the grade level because that child has learning disability like dyslexia. That child would have to be screened or tested to make that determination…” She stressed that it is prudent for parents to utilize the systems available to them free-of-cost.
Ms. Verwayne said that screening facilities can be accessed via the Ministry of Education, and the Ministry of Health. According to her, parents and guardians can reach to professional help through the two Ministries or can obtain a referral from one of the rehabilitation sites like the Open Door Centre across the country.
The Ministry of Education of Guyana has been developing a more inclusive education system that is flexible and caters for children with different educational needs.
The ministry had acknowledged that it has to create the opportunity for all students to be in regular classes where the education programme caters for their individual needs and where they are accepted and supported. The tendency in Guyana has been to regard inclusive education as necessary for children with physical disabilities while catering less for gifted and highly talented children.
According to the ministry, persons with disabilities who are mainstreamed in regular schools have to contend with negative attitudes from other students and teachers. The 2014 Education Bill made provision for ‘education suited to the requirements of persons who are mute, deaf, blind or otherwise physically, psychologically or mentally challenged’ and ‘education suited to the requirements of students who are gifted or have exceptional ability’.
The term ‘special education needs’ is used by the Ministry of Education of Guyana to describe students who have learning difficulties or disabilities which make it more challenging for them to grasp concepts, access information, master skills or absorb content compared to other students of similar developmental age.