“What will happen when we’re too old [to take care of them] or when these children age out of the school system? They need places to go, employment, housing, and friends.”
“They need a structure that helps them navigate life.”
These are the sentiments and concerns commonly expressed by parents and family members of children and youth with special needs. There is a very real and urgent need to help prepare them for the challenges that they will face in life.
According to the Department of Health, more than 50,000 persons were diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder in 2023. But this number is conservative because many, usually from lower-income households, cannot afford to consult medical professionals for a proper diagnosis; cases are believed to be underreported as well. Depending on their varying abilities and talents, those with the condition face certain difficulties as they grow older.
It is heartening that in Philippine society, core values that foster social cohesion, such as pakikipagkapwa, continue to persist. Pakikipagkapwa accounts for the communal attitude of Filipinos—sometimes faulted in extreme cases as toxic culture—that sees “a shared identity with the other,” as formulated by the social psychologist Virgilio Enriquez, known as “the father of Filipino psychology.”
This core value has proved profoundly helpful in assisting children and youth with special needs and development conditions make productive lives for themselves.
Holistic care
Since 1982, The Child’s World – A Growing Center in Quezon City has provided holistic care for children and youth with special needs. Drawing from her educational training and professional experience, its founder, Evelina Mendoza Tan, has spearheaded efforts to build the skills of its students to prepare them to integrate into society.
“We want them to realize their full potential as human beings,” Tan said.
The Child’s World is devoted to persons with autism, Down syndrome, attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, cerebral palsy, and other development conditions. Because specialized care does not come cheap, it has provided generous scholarships to children from low-income families, giving them a better chance at coping with life.
The school provides a nurturing community guided by professionally trained teaching and non-teaching staff members with diverse educational backgrounds and varied experiences and perspectives. With the students’ respective families, they form a robust support system that fosters a sense of community, creating an environment in which the students thrive and realize their full potential.
Individualized interventions
After evaluation and assessment, each student’s unique needs and level of functionality are considered in crafting programs that will help them thrive.
The school has in place learning programs for its students from toddlers to adults, providing continuity in guided instruction, whether individualized lessons or group therapy.
Children aged two-and-a-half years and older are enrolled in the Early Intervention Program, where they receive individualized instruction. The Middle Childhood Education and Transition Programs are special education programs that are duly recognized by the Department of Education.
Young adults learn skills that they need to be functional members of society through the Vocational Preparation Program. These include valuable life skills, including dressing and grooming, housekeeping and home arts. They also receive livelihood training, such as in making products like packaged virgin coconut oil and fabric softener.
Une Residence Plus Que Suffisante is a residential program for adolescents and adults with special needs. The curriculum is a result of the school’s more than 30 years of experience, and is specially designed to equip the students to live independently within the community residence.
The students also receive individualized and group therapy in visual arts, dance/movement, and music.
Finding a new home
The expanding and aging student population and its needs have made it imperative for The Child’s World to find a bigger space, to continue to provide a conducive learning atmosphere for the children as they transition to adulthood.
This year, the school found a spacious patch of green in the province of Cavite to become its Forever Home, which will help adults from a wide range of neurodivergent diagnoses, including autism, Asperger’s syndrome, ADHD, and Tourette syndrome, to live independently, receiving as much or as little support as each of them needs.
The communal living development will provide a supportive environment to help the students transition from school life to adult life, with varying levels of support as appropriate. Professional staff will provide supervision at all hours of the day, every day. The students can learn to live more independently, learning to perform chores to help them become functional members of society.
The Child’s World has been raising funds to complete the construction of appropriate facilities and learning spaces, for it to move into its new space as soon as possible. Many students are budding artists cultivated by their supportive learning environment, and the sale of their artworks are sources of some funding.
This weekend, The Child’s World is restaging its highly successful original musical, “Sabay-Bayan,” an allegorical play. The creative process draws from the knowledge of the talents and capabilities of the participating students, so that they can not only showcase their talents in the performing arts but also conquer the stage in performing for an appreciative audience.
“It is wonderful to see them perform for an audience!” Tan said. “When they come onstage, they get to talk and move, and they are able to socialize with other people.”
Performances are scheduled on Dec. 8 (3 p.m. and 7:30 p.m.) and Dec. 9 (3 p.m.) at the University of the Philippines Diliman’s IBG-KAL Theater.
For information, log on to [email protected] or call 0917 5981588.
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