They prefer to consider the observations of the special education teacher as "individual differences".

Parents deny their children's mental disorders to escape "social stigma"

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It can be difficult for parents to recognize mental illness in children.

As a result, many children who could benefit from treatment do not get the help they need.

How can parents recognize warning signs in children, and how can they be helped?

A mental health disorder is defined as patterns or changes in thinking, feeling or behavior that cause distress or impair a person's ability to function.

It is also defined as delays or disturbances in the development of age-appropriate thinking, behaviors, social skills, or emotion regulation.

These problems are distressing for children and disrupt their ability to function well in home, school, or other social situations.

It can be difficult to understand childhood disorders, because normal childhood development is a process of change.

In addition, the symptoms of the disorder vary depending on the age of the child, and children may not be able to explain how they feel or why they behave in a certain way.

On the other hand, many parents ignore the special education teacher's ability to distinguish students who face learning difficulties, mild disabilities, or motor coordination disorder, despite the experience they possess in this field.

They prefer to diagnose their children’s disorders according to “individual differences,” to escape “social stigma,” the cost of treatment, or social appearance.

Special education teachers said that once the guardian was informed of the necessity of presenting his son to the specialized medical team for early diagnosis, he rejects the notes he receives and insists that his child has only individual differences, warning of the consequences of denial, rejection and ignoring reality.

In detail, a special education teacher, who preferred not to publish her name, warned against not responding to the diagnosis of specialists from qualified cadres, whose role is focused on determining the ability of a student in his early academic stages to receive academic education in appropriate ways, including enrolling students who suffer from learning disorders and some minor disabilities. With therapeutic sessions that enable them to overcome the difficulties they face at school and mitigate the consequences of minor disabilities that they have.

And she confirmed the presence of children who need rehabilitation and training before entering academic education, because they suffer from problems that may seem unclear to their families, or they may consider them as individual differences, distinguishing them from their peers, noting that “neglecting these minor disabilities and disorders that some children suffer from, causes them In the future, academic delays and poor social relations may sometimes lead to psychological distress.

A kindergarten teacher in a government school in Ajman, Mariam Ahmed, said, "The nature of the difficulties that the child suffers from may not be clear to his parents, given their lack of experience in separating individual differences and some minor disabilities, as they are usually not clear." That «some parents refuse to evaluate the teacher or specialist from the qualified cadres, as a result of the shock they experience after evaluating their children among the students who need early diagnosis to ascertain their health condition and the type of disorder they suffer, with the aim of rehabilitating them and taking into account their health condition, and enabling them to move from a school stage To another without their academic stumbling and exposure to psychological problems as a result of unequal abilities between them and their peers in the classroom.

The psychologist, Hassan Issa, confirmed that the individual differences between children are represented in the characteristics that distinguish each child from the other, whether in form, behavior or thinking, and it does not mean that this child is better than the other, such as gender differences that measure the height characteristic measured by the meter or Weight, for example, sometimes a child suffers from short stature as a result of health problems that negatively affect his performance in class, and prevent him from keeping up with the subject teacher, which makes him need training different from his peers in the classroom and preparing him before receiving academic education, the same is the case with the difficulties that some students suffer from It is represented in controlling focus and others, which makes the child need a medical diagnosis to clarify the type of disability he has, and to determine the nature of the training that he will receive with well thought out and effective plans that enable him to absorb the lessons.

He added that the failure of some parents to accept the diagnosis of specialists for their children will result in some problems that the child will face with the passage of time, represented by the difficulty of learning and the inability to absorb the information explained by the teacher in the classroom or to hear it clearly in the event that he suffers from a hearing disability, which will result in Poor academic achievement, in addition to weak personality and a sense of frustration.

He called on parents to realize the importance of not being late in diagnosing their children, not neglecting the teacher's notes, and reviewing specialists and doctors for accurate knowledge of how to deal with the nature of their children, and containing them instead of denying the truth, which will require a double effort in the future when the student becomes in advanced educational stages.

He stated that some parents think that their children need private lessons only to remove individual differences between their children and their peers in the classroom. In fact, the solution they are taking is not appropriate, even if the student is able to graduate with weak grades, but he will not be able to acquire the skills that qualify him to move to education. undergraduate.

Consequently, he will not be able to obtain the appropriate job due to the lack of the required skills that distinguish him among the skills of other job seekers.

A special education teacher in a government school in the Emirate of Fujairah (preferred not to be named) mentioned that a child who suffers from minor disabilities such as visual and motor coordination disorder, severe hearing impairment, or learning difficulties, needs recognition of the type of disability he suffers from. Through early diagnosis and correct psychological evaluation, to be able to receive appropriate and continuous training that helps him to overcome the difficulties he faces while receiving academic education.

She added that special education teachers usually try to investigate accuracy in providing notes to parents, “because the error in diagnosis will affect the psyche of the child and his parents.” learning.

As a result of these observations, the guardian must present his son or daughter to health centers designated for early diagnosis, and prepare a detailed report on his health condition or the disability he suffers after presenting it to the family doctor, pediatrician, ear, nose and throat doctor, psychologist and ophthalmologist, each according to disability. or the disorder he has.

And she stated that once the child’s medical report was submitted by his guardian to the special education teacher, the teacher studies his condition to develop and implement proper care plans for him, which contribute to the effectiveness of his rehabilitation and reduce the results of disability, pointing out that the report includes a description of the student’s psychological diagnosis and the disorders he suffers, whether psychological or mental. Knowing the nature of the disability.

And she continued, "A student who has a disorder, or who is found to be of determination, is not isolated from his peers, but rather is taken between classes for therapeutic or rehabilitative and training sessions that enable him to overcome any difficulties he faces, and then he is returned to the classroom to complete the school day with his peers."

She stated that some parents face the remarks of special education teachers or class teachers with rejection, considering their children's simple disability or the disorders they face as mere individual differences, which reflects negatively on the child and his performance in the classroom because he is unable to overcome the difficulties he faces, explaining that «the difficulties that It is not necessary for the child to have an effect on his academic level. In some cases, which need speech sessions, the child is distinguished and has a high educational attainment.

• Parents' denial of their children's suffering prevents them from undergoing treatment sessions that enable them to overcome the difficulties they face at school.

• “Neglecting the disorders that some children suffer from causes them to be late in school and poor social relations.”

Unremarkable fact

The guardian of a kindergarten student in the Emirate of Fujairah, Sheikha Rashid, said that she was shocked when she received the special education teacher's remark about his slight or unnoticed disability, but she only thought about everything that benefits her son's health.

And she continued, "To find your son of people of determination after he seemed healthy to you is not easy, and he needs courage, because you will start treating him in a special way, to help him alleviate the disability he faces."

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