Special kids to walk in the shadow of teachers………Priya Ramakrishnan
Thanks to inclusive education, children like Anuj, who has borderline autism, are able to find place in mainstream schools. Since his teachers are not trained to handle his special needs, Anuj’s school Gundecha Education Academy (GEA) in Kandivili introduced the method of shadow teaching.
“Shadow teaching is a concept where a special educator sits with the child and helps him achieve skills necessary to function independently in the classroom. Since autism hampers social and communication skills, we advised Anuj’s parents to employ a shadow teacher who could sit in class with him and help him,” said Seema Buch, principal, GEA.
Anuj’s shadow teacher is Meenaxi Mehta, a special educator. She attends all his classes with him. “My job is to make him independent. Since his attention span is short, I help him focus. I explain the concepts he finds difficult and even spend playtime with him,” she said.
Also, since Anuj’s social skills are not developed, he emulates Mehta’s mannerism. “After observing me, he behaves in an acceptable manner and doesn’t get over-excited.
Earlier, he used to shake hands with even strangers on the road but not now.”
According to Mehta, such methods can be very helpful for children with special needs.
“But only some schools give permissions to teachers from outside to sit with a child in class. Even parents are unaware about the concept,” she said.
“It is necessary to address the child’s development issue at an early stage. Since the appointment of the shadow teacher, the child has shown remarkable improvement in his studies and behaviour,” said Nandita Shivkumar, supervisor of primary section at GEA.
The school has another student who is in need of a shadow teacher. “However, his parents cannot afford to hire one. We are looking for volunteers who will help the child,” said Buch.