special need kids and school during a pandemic

NewCreation435

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I work with a number of kids that have autism or learning disabilities and it seems like our schools during this pandemic are completely failing at providing an education to these kids. Who knows how much of a set back this will be. Most of the schools I know of are doing absolutely nothing to help with kids who have autism. They don't tend to do well with video conferencing and some of the technology that other students use.
 

tango

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Sadly it seems this is just one of many facets to the huge social cost of a lockdown.

People who insist it's a simple choice of putting either the economy first or people first completely miss the social costs involved in a lockdown - the increase in child abuse, spousal abuse, mental health problems as well as issues like this that you mention.

The way the people who have the greatest learning needs are likely to suffer the greatest losses and the greatest setbacks in their learning as a result of trying to do things over video link is another tragedy.
 

ValleyGal

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Jsimms, this pandemic and social isolation/distancing is going to be much harder on some than on others. Even I anticipated getting through it easily because I like being at home, but it's been harder than I thought. It is absolutely unfortunate when it comes to those who are most vulnerable in society. Those children, though, hopefully have parents who took the pandemic seriously enough to keep their children alive and healthy. What good would it be if they are compromised by the virus for the rest of their lives, as it seems some could be (permanent lung damage - or heart damage for young children).

In BC, even in the fall, our schools will remain changed. There will be classes, but they will be smaller classes. Students have an opt-out option for in-class, and they will be expected to attend online. The ones who do attend in class will only be part time in class and the rest will be monitored at home. I do not think any of our special needs students will be returning, and social programming will also not be taking place (the parenting program I facilitate will not be happening), but my team is still working with families at risk involved with child protection.

There is a huge cost, both socially and economically. But just think of what might have happened had we not distanced. Can you imagine how many people would have been sick, some more than once, and how many more people would have died? And the children it seems now have a different reaction to Covid-19 in that it affects their heart more than their lungs.... it would have been so much worse! And in the US it seems bad enough.
 

tango

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The trouble is that, as with so much else, there are two sides to it.

What of the children being abused during the lockdown who have no escape? What of the children whose parents have to work but who can't get regular childcare, and so have unwittingly handed their kids to someone who has had plenty of time to groom them for abuse? What of the families likely to be permanently broken up because parents who were really trying to control addictions fell off the wagon during the lockdown and risk having their children taken away permanently as a result? What of the children facing poverty and possible homelessness because parents lost their jobs because of the lockdown?

Sadly, as with so much else, it's those who were most vulnerable before the lockdown who will likely suffer the most because of the lockdown. I read an article this morning (I can't find the link or I'd post it) suggesting that the education of an entire generation has suffered more than expected, with the lowest income students and lower income school districts suffering the most. That's even before considering students with special educational and/or emotional needs.
 
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