FROM TEACHERS AND FAMILY TO COMMUNITY: WHAT SUPPORT IS AVAILABLE FOR OUR CHILDREN WITH SPECIAL NEEDS

One of the most pressing issues that most countries, including Malaysia and Singapore, are facing today is meeting the needs of their children with special needs. Teachers in mainstream schools (as well as special schools) have seen more and more children with special needs in their regular classroom settings and these children are unable to cope with the regular curriculum. Families with children with special needs are also desperate for help from the schools their children are attending as they are unable to cope with them at home. As the community begins to see more and more children with special needs in their midst, there is now a conscious awareness of the need to provide adequate services and appropriate resources to support these children. In this paper, the authors have attempted to raise this issue by exploring and questioning what kind of support teachers, family and community can provide in terms of services and resources for children with special needs, if there is, indeed, such a support available. Article visualizations: