Types of LD students I've got so far :
- ADHD - energetic, cant concentrate that much
- Autism - like to repeat something, routine person , inside the box kind of person
- Down Syndrome - adorable and still ADORABLE
- Slow Learner - they are just slow, need to give specific and easier instruction
- Cerebral Palsy (CP) - they are not that bad, it just that their physical hm (the one cant straighten their legs, with wheelchair)
In Malaysia, special education divided into 3 types :
- Visual impairment
- Hearing impairment
- Learning disabilities
I strongly believe being on the 3rd type gotta be the toughest compared to those 2. It is because when it comes to LD, they are even students with visual/hearing/physical problem which is a bit harder because I have to deal with something I don't know yet.
It is bittersweet kind of situation
Gotta love kind of responses you might get from them. They seem to be happy and energetic most of the time. They dont even know they are handicap at the first place. Of course they know duhh, it just the might have accepted it before we even realised it. I have this one moment, I made a huge mistake. I told my student to write something (she is so small and still looks normal duh , I should have realised smtg !)
Me : Cuba ikut cikgu pegang pensil ni dan terus tulis ( Just follow my hand/fingers movement )
Student : Ok cikgu ( still no changes with the writing )
Me : Kamu tengok tangan & jari cikgu elok-elok (Just look at my hand/fingers)
Student : Tapi jari saya tak cukup ( Not enough fingers, 2 and half fingers )
Alright, I felt so bad. I should have pay more attention with my their disabilities. But then the satisfaction when they managed of doing something is golden. I gotta, even if they managed some basic calculation with less 20 is satisfying enough for me.
Sometimes even if you got so mad at them, they might even forget it in less than 5 hours or a day... But then, patience is virtue :)
Supportive Parents
It would help teachers A LOT. I mean, I appreciate them so much if they just let us do our job ( We are trained for this ).
Some of the parents need to accept the fact their child is not normal like others. Dont expect much and start to accepting. Happiness can only exists in acceptance
