A SYMPOSIUM geared towards sensitizing parents on caring for children with special needs and disabilities was held in Region three yesterday, April 29, 2019, at the Department of Education’s office in Vreed-en-hoop, under the theme “Parenting with love and Logic”.

According to National Special Education Needs (SEN) Officer, Ms. Savvie Hopkinson, the parent symposium is said to be an interactive session for parents to share, discus and ask questions. She also added that she believes that for parents who desire to be parenting with love and logic they need to keep four points in mind, which are acceptance, courage, wisdom and enjoyment. Hopkinson stated that parents must first be able to accept their child or children.

“Acceptance is not to tolerate or to have a feeling of being trapped or saying you have no choice. Having prepared and followed the best prenatal advice, your first responsibility is to accept the reality and seek the help needed and follow recommendations that would improve the life chances of the child and grow your personality,” the National SEN Officer remarked.

Moreover, Ms. Hopkinson explained that wisdom allows parents to set realistic goals for their children. She said that daily interaction with children will reveal their strengths and weaknesses.

“Spending quality time with your child will help you to understand him or her and set realistic achievable goals. You are your child’s greatest advocate. It is important to believe that your child can achieve and become successful”, Ms. Hopkinson said as she offered advice to the parents in attendance.

In addition, parents were told that enjoying their children does not mean ignoring teachable moments and training. The National SEN Officer noted that children with special education needs and disability must also be taught to respect others. She said that parents 0 need to be fair, consistent, calm and realistic when teaching their children
Meanwhile, Regional Education Officer for Region Three, Mrs. Annesta Douglas, said that, with the month of April being used to observe autism globally, it is important to place the spotlight on the hurdles that people with autism face every day. She said that, as a growing global issue, owing to its increasing exposure, in the press and common knowledge, autism is an issue that is only gaining more understanding, and activities such as today’s parent symposium are planned every year to further increase and develop world knowledge of children and adults who have autism.

During the symposium parents were engaged in discussions targeting four topics. These topics were understanding behavioral therapy for children with autism, characteristics and core defects of autism, classroom management and functional routines and everyday life and how to teach self-help skills. The symposium was a collaborative effort between the SEN Unit and the Department of Education Region Three.