School for children with special educational needs opens in Lagos by Ukpono Etuk

Finally, children with special educational needs (SEN) can now get quality teaching and learning they deserve, as Anthos House, a brainchild of Greensprings School berths in Lagos.

Over the years, SEN has always been a challenging area, as most institutions lack the resources and expertise to provide support for children with special educational needs in Nigeria.

According to the Principal of Anthos House, Dr. Kimberley Scollard, the school will care for children with special needs including, but not limited to autism spectrum disorder (ASD), dyslexia, cerebral palsy, attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), down syndrome, behavioural disorders. These disorders if left unattended in childhood, she hinted can negatively affect a child’s ability to secure a job or maintain relationships.

“If you are a parent searching for the right school for your child’s special education needs, then your search is over as Anthos House is a unique place for your child to learn and grow. In the last couple of years, special needs education has gained more exposure in Nigeria, with schools such as Greensprings at the forefront of promoting inclusive education and providing appropriate support for children with special needs,” she said.

Several efforts have been made by the government and other regulatory institutions towards supporting special needs education, thus the promulgation of section eight of the National Policy on Education. The policy describes special needs education in Nigeria as “a customised educational programme that is designed to meet the unique needs of persons with special needs that the general education programme cannot cater for.”

Noting that Greensprings School will be helping children to understand and connect with their learning styles at the House, she said, “this will be supported by using systematic methods to discover their skills, abilities and individual needs. Anthos House, is indeed a unique school for special education needs, located at number one Platinum Way, Osapa London, Jakande Lekki.

Speaking further on the Special Needs Education and the link with early childhood development, she said, “For children early childhood education prepares the foundation for life-long learning and participation, as well as prevents potential difficulties in learning and delays in development. Developmental delay refers to children who experience significant variation in the achievement of expected milestones for their actual or adjusted ages.

“Some children have been diagnosed from an early age with a genetic condition that is associated with intellectual disability and this can be easily spotted during the developmental stage. Other children possess less obvious difficulties and these can only be detected through observation and assessments. If a child shows signs of delayed development, that child should be taken immediately for assessment by experts, because such a child may require special needs education.

On the signs to look out for in children with special needs, she said, if a child have difficulties with attention control; lack of concentration in class; easily distracted by noise in the environment; inability to access mainstream curriculum; irregular communication patterns; unprovoked aggressiveness; abnormal quietness and lack of fine motor skill coordination, that child may require special needs education.

“Every child deserves an opportunity to become the best they can be. Understanding your child’s developmental milestones is key to ensuring that they receive the support they may require, as early intervention is imperative.
Send an email to info@anthoshouse.org for immediate assessment of your child.”

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