United States – based Special Needs Education Specialist, Dr. Bimpe Abayomi – Ige, has called for proper diagnosis of intellectual disability in children.
Speaking at a virtual meeting with a select group of Nigerian journalists from her base in the United States via zoom, the Pennsylvania – based teacher and Special Education Compliance Monitor, who also is the founder of Learning Helpers, said “what I noticed in Nigeria is that most kids are being diagnosed wrongly. Most teachers in Nigeria just look at the child to determine if he or she is intellectual disabled or not. I believed a lot of children are labeled wrongly by teachers in Nigeria.”
According to her the child must be diagnosed properly to be able to know what you are treating or know what the challenge is with the child. Some children may not be able to read or struggle with reading problem but they could be the best in the Maths class.”
She said bringing these children together on the assumption that they have similar problem without proper diagnosis and examination of individual cases is not health for the children, their parents and country in general..
She said it has always been her desire to make a positive and lasting impact in the lives of children with one form of disability or the other as well as their parents, who, according to her, struggle with the challenges of taking proper care of these special children on a daily basis.
“I have been doing this for years but this is the first time I will be addressing my people (Nigerians) . My desire is to bring awareness and support to parents, caregivers, government parastatals, schools and non-governmental organisations on the need for proper diagnosis and adequate care for children with special needs.”
”We are poised to changing lives and improving outcomes for all children,” she maintained, saying ”Learning Learners is a virtual platform only and we do direct consulting, direct coaching, parent coaching, individualised coaching, targeting the special needs of the individual.”
She expressed her desire to come down to Nigeria with her team of experts in different areas of special needs to offer free services to groups, churches, non-governmental organisations involved in taking care of children with special needs given adequate preparation and assurance on safety and security of the team members.
Learning Helpers objective is to ensure that parents and teachers understands what special education is and why the need for special education.
Their mission is to meet the educational needs of children and adults who find learning particularly difficult due to disabilities, language barriers (English Learners), and other reasons so that they, too, can achieve their highest potential in life.
Part of their focus is parent education so that parents of children with disabilities are equipped with the knowledge they need to become the best advocates for their children through their parent empowerment programs.
