Qualitative Study on Needs of Children in Schools for Special Needs among the Teachers in North Central Nigeria

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However, experience has shown that each child comes from different home background and some may have some special needs to be given special attention. The schools for special needs are specifically designed, resourced and staffed to cater for children with learning difficulties, physical disabilities and intellectual problems. This study assessed the needs of children in schools for special needs among teachers. Methods : This cross-sectional study was carried out in three schools of special needs in north-central states of Nigeria. A total number of forty-two (42) teachers were involved in six sessions of the FGD with seven respondents in each session. The observational checklist was used by the researcher to observe facilities availability and functionality in meeting the needs of the children. Data collected was analyzed using thematic analysis. Results : All the schools had teachers and non-teaching staff comprising of those with/without disability. They all have clinic but only one school is well-equipped. Though they all have health records system in place, but they are not cumulative. The five schools had pipe borne water source, but they practiced open dumping and burning of refuse. Conclusion : The students have over the years adapted to their impairment and it doesn’t affect their learning in any way and that the students in schools for special needs have peculiarities and these are understood by the teachers for appropriate teaching of each student. Qualitative study Health Needs Students with Special needs North central Nigeria Figures Figure 1 Figure 2 Figure 3 Background Children with special needs are those who have challenges which are more severe than those of a typical child, they are born with a syndrome, terminal illness, profound cognitive impairment and serious psychiatric problems and their special needs may involve struggling with learning, food allergies, developmental delays and panic attacks 1 , 2 These children will need extra support, and additional services in fulfilling their academic, social and emotional potentials. They may also need lifetime guidance and support in dealing with everyday issues. 3 The United Nations International Children Emergency Fund (UNICEF) estimates suggest that there are at least 93 million children with disabilities in the world. These children are often likely to be among the poorest members of the population and are less likely to attend school, access medical services, or have their voices heard in the society. Their disabilities also place them at a higher risk of physical abuse, and often exclude them from receiving proper nutrition or humanitarian assistance during emergencies Children with disabilities like other children spend the most part of their life in school exposed to a variety of environmental, physical, emotional and social influences. Therefore to benefit maximally from the educational system children need to be physically, mentally and emotionally healthy while exposure during school hours to various hazards such as physical injury, infections and emotional problems should be minimal if not totally prevented and this has led to the establishment of school health services 4 A student who is not healthy, who suffers some form of disability will not profit from educational process if the needed assistance in shaping healthy attitude towards education is not provided 5 , 6 Materials And Methods Study design and population The research was descriptive study conducted among teachers teaching in schools for special needs in North Central Nigeria between September and December 2019. A purposive sampling technique was used to select forty-two (42) respondents for the Focus Group Discussion (FGD). The North Central zone of Nigeria is situated geographically spanning from the west to east, and it comprises of the Federal Capital Territory and six other states. During the period of this study, there were 18 public schools for special needs in North Central Nigeria from the desk review. The schools for special needs in the North central Nigeria have a free educational policy which includes feeding, accommodation and transportation for the students. The schools encompass students in both primary and secondary sections and practice boarding system with few students coming as day students for both primary and secondary classes. Some of the teachers and care givers have disabilities while many others do not have any form of disabilities. The teachers/care givers have ranging qualifications. Data collection and analysis Kwara State School for Special Needs, Ilorin, Government Special School, Lafia and F.C.T School for the Blind Children, Garki were studied. Teachers who did not wish to participate were exempted from the study. Focus Group Discussion guide, voice recorder and a note pad were used for the FGD interviews. For each session a moderator, a note taker and recording equipment were employed. Two sessions of FGD were conducted in each of the selected schools. A total of six FGD sessions were done. Seven participants took part in each session of the FGD. The participants were recruited in such a way that there was at least a teacher to represent each form of disability being tutored in the school. The participants were male and female teachers between the age of 27 and 43years. Following data collection, thematic analysis was done in line with the study theme. The checklist was used by the researcher to observe the facilities in the schools, and their availability and functionality in meeting the health needs of the children. The variables on the check list included health personnel, health appraisal methods, treatment facilities, emergency care, disease control measures, health records, nutritional services, health instruction, water supply, refuse disposal, sewage disposal, building structure, fire protection measures, floor types, ventilation, lighting and safety measures. The checklist was administered on all the five selected schools. Results All the schools had teaching and non-teaching staff comprising of those with/without disability (See Figure 1 and Figure 2). In The School of Special Needs, Abuja, 75% of the teachers do not see the relationship between the student’s disability and their learning processes (Table 1). Another 25% of the teacher feels that children need more motivation and encouragement. They feel the impairment has a way of inhibiting their rate of assimilation (Table 1). Table 1: Effect of Impairment on learning in North Central Nigeria Impairment Percentage Abuja Yes, disability affects their learning 25% No, it does not affect their learning 75% Ilorin Yes, disability affects their learning 25% No, it does not affect their learning 75% Nasarawa Yes, disability affects their learning 50% No, it does not affect their learning 50% More than half (75%) of the teachers agreed that the students’ disability did not affect their learning At the school of special needs Ilorin 50% of the respondents believe that the impairment has an effect on the children especially in their present case where they lack some material Effect of Impairment on Learning One of the qualities of most of the teachers at the school of special need is the ability to relate well with the students. All the teachers reported to have a good relationship with their students. This has helped to create a better learning environment for the children. These skills of emotional intelligence employed by the teachers make them more comfortable and choose school. It was agreed by the teachers that the students have over the years adapted to their impairment and it doesn’t affect their learning in any way. A respondent said “ the students are doing well despite their impairment; it doesn’t affect their learning at all ” They will, however, perform better if they have adequate educational materials to improve their learning. They don’t have enough Braille books for the visually impaired, books and tools for the hearing impaired and learning aids for those with learning disability. The respondents attested to this saying “ they are affected by the unavailability of many materials to assist them in learning like some can do better if they have hearing aids” And another respondent said “ they do not have enough materials to help them in studying well in their various classes” Their impairment is seen to affect their learning when the mode of communication is not right and when the students find what is being taught as abstract beyond their scope of understanding but generally the students enjoy learning and their impairment has not been a negative impact on their learning. A lot of the children see the school of special needs as a place for solace. Some students prefer to remain in the school as they have taken their teachers and care givers in the school as their parents especially those students who are not accepted by their families and one of the respondents said “ they see the school like their home and many of them don’t even look forward to going home ” another teacher said “ They are happy here because most of them are rejected at home, we are more friendly with them ” The cordial relationship between the teachers and students positively affects the students and this is because some of the teachers too also have impairment. One of the teachers said “ Some of us too have impairment so we don’t have any challenge interacting well with the students, we interact very well with them and assist them, making them feel comfortable to study well ” A. Health Needs of Students in Schools for Special Needs It was highlighted by the teachers that the health personnel in the schools are not enough and the school management need to employ more health personnel to take care of the large number of students. The need to have permanent doctors, more drugs in the pharmacy and the children should be routinely examined by specialist. One of the respondents said “ The government can provide specialist in the children’s areas of specialty need who will reside within the school or otherwise come on regular basis ” Another teacher said “ There is a need to have a permanent doctor, when the children have minor illnesses they don’t always get the prescribed drugs and we need specialist to come around and examine the children ” It was unanimously agreed by some of the teachers that most of the parents of the students with special needs do not care about their children’s welfare as well as they refuse taking responsibilities for the needs once they are in the school. A teacher said “ when we call them to come many of them don’t oblige, even when the children are sick, they will just be saying they are busy ” The teachers said they find some of the students on the street begging when schools are closed for holidays as their parents abandon them to fend for themselves. The children do not like to go home because they are not accepted wholly by the family members. A respondent said “ a father actually abandoned his child in front of the school, a blind young boy because he refused to go begging ” One of the teachers also said “ some of them they feel its waste of money caring for these special children especially those whose parents do not have any form of disability ”. The other teachers with different opinion said some parents are very caring, visit their wards often and bring gifts for their children and sometimes they bring for other students. A respondent said “ some parents call regularly to ask about their children wellbeing as well and anytime they are called upon they obliged ” In improving the health of the children, the teachers agreed that early assessment of the children will help prevent some deteriorating condition of the students as they have had some students who after treatment for chronic ear infection, they became better and did not have to remain in the school for special needs. The teachers also want the parents to be more involved in their children welfare and the general public, enlightened on early identification of children with special needs. B. Teaching Strategies of Students with Special Needs Teachers generally develop their teaching skills to pass knowledge to their pupils; this is not different at the school of special needs. They try to relate with the pupils base on their individual personality. Though they have limited materials, they crate alternatives that can still get the work done. The teachers flexibly have helped in teaching these children in a way that will make the learning environment conducive for them The students in schools for special needs have peculiarities and these are understood by the teachers for appropriate teaching of each student. The students are taught individually, in two or more groups as required for different students. Strategies used include peer tutoring, cooperative learning, collaborative teaching and the use assistive equipment such as learning aids. One of the teachers said “ Having studied the students well, we know the methods to use for them, some of them prefer to learn in groups and others require individual attention ” While another respondent said “ we use the best method for each student, we try within what is available, as they do not have all the essential materials for their specific impairment ” It was gathered from some of the teachers that methods used is mainly demonstration/ assistive in nature. This is because most students have the impairment from birth which deprives some of abstract reasoning; as a result, they do not have what to base their learning on. However, some others who become impaired after birth have improved adaptability. A teacher said “ for the hearing impaired, those who are post lingual tend to be more adaptable to learning ” The teachers explained that the schools run through a special curriculum for students with special needs which entails syllabus such as those in regular schools. The difference is that the teachers move at the students’ pace and the students are placed in classes according to their performances irrespective of their age. Like the regular schools the students undergo continuous assessment, they carry out projects as well during the term and at the end of the term, they write the end of term examination One the respondents said “ The children are assessed based on their ability and the assessment techniques are same across the different impairments with their class ”. All the teachers echoed that the main barriers to the teaching of the students with special needs is that the schools do not have adequate educational materials to teach the students and some of the teachers need retraining in order to give the students the best as well. The environment is said to be conducive for learning and there are no socio-cultural barriers identified. A teacher said “ we cannot give what we don’t have, there are modern methods of teaching students, some of our colleagues in private settings do tell us, we need to be trained to improve our skills as the world is developing everyday ” Another said “ There are not enough educational materials to help the children with their different impairments like braille, hearing aids and learning aids ” The teachers were of the opinion that the government need to provide more educational materials, qualified teachers, and retrain those in service already. They also feel some parents and philanthropists will be of help in achieving improvement. As a respondent said “ Everyone needs to work hand in hand to assist in making these children better citizens, the government, non-governmental organizations, their parents and philanthropists ” The teachers had a diverge opinion as regards inclusiveness in a general school setting. They felt their students might be intimidated by the regular students while others felt it will help the special needs students fit into the society properly. A teacher said “ I don’t think is a good idea these children have their own peculiarities and they will do better if they are separate ” Another respondent with a different opinion said “ as for me I think its better when we have other students without disability as this will also enhance their relationship with other people in the community ” The students were said to have access to routine health care such as pre entrance medical examination, periodic audiology testing, periodic visual screening, and treatment of common illness. The schools have clinic were ill students are being attended to and provided with drugs accordingly. However severe conditions are being referred to the general hospitals using the school ambulances or buses. One of the teachers said “ we have drugs in the clinic to manage some sickness like malaria ” And another respondent said “ there are some illnesses sometimes which the school clinic cannot handle here, so we refer them to the teaching hospital for expert management ” The students with special needs are said to engage in creative vocational activities. The teachers said the students make use of the library and the ICT center regularly. They also engage in sports and play games on the field like football especially those with hearing impairment. A respondent said “ The children engage in a lot of vocational activities, beads making, catering, sewing, singing, dancing and carpentry ” Another teacher said “ the students need more vocational tools, Braille, hearing aids, educational materials, books and picture charts to improve their learning” Discussion The medical and living conditions of the student were explored with the qualitative tools. The teachers reported that majority of parents were not caring enough and often abandon their wards in school. But on observation, the children in the school for special needs have good access to routine medical health care unlike their peers in regular school which is in contrast to the finding in the national school health policy 7 which reported inadequate school clinic in developing countries (Figure 3). The school medical services conduct pre-entrance medical test which allow for proper screening and identification of handicapping circumstances of each student (Figure 3). In addition, the school has some medical staffs that attend to basic medical needs of the students. The implied opportunity here is that the there is a good system in place for the medical needs of the students across the study area. It is possible that some of the children were already presumed to be handicapped by their parents, who are not trained or knowledgeable to determine early signs and symptoms of a reversible ailment, which may prevent permanent damage. Though the schools for special needs have some health workers attached to them, it was obvious from the observational survey findings that the health workers are still grossly inadequate (See Figure 3). This shortage in healthcare workers in schools for special needs setting can be attributed to the shortage in health workers across the nation generally. However, the need to prioritize distribution of healthcare workers to places such as schools for special needs cannot be over emphasized. This has also affected the routine health records in the school clinics as observed during the observational survey to be inadequate in all the schools which is not in keeping with the school health policy 7,8 (Figure 3). In this study, the teachers submitted that majority of these students were brilliant barring their deficiencies. This is contrast to the perception of the general public who believe that an average child with special needs is a dullard. This was corroborated by three quarters of the teachers affirming that the disability has not adversely affected the learning ability of the students. Some of the teachers had a contrary opinion and strongly believed that the children could not reach their potential because of the disability. However, given that the teachers generally observed higher intelligence among the students is a positive conclusion that the disability has not affected the cognitive ability of the students. The teachers also reported that students are being used by parents to beg for alms on the streets after school hours and this is in contrast to Part V of disability Act which prohibits the use of persons with disabilities in soliciting for alms. 9 This can be attributed to lack of awareness of the policy by the general public and it implies that children in schools for special needs are being exposed to activities that may endanger them. This is also an aberration from the school health policy 7,8 which supports school, home and community relationship. It implies that the parents and general public are not aware of these policies. As regards having an inclusive educational system, the teachers were of diverse opinion on the effectiveness of inclusive system in spite the law 10 which states that schools shall run inclusive educational system accessible to persons with disabilities and this may imply that the law might meet restrictions from the trainers of children with disabilities. The teachers also attested to inadequate training for them in updating their skills and knowledge to improve their methods of training and this was in keeping with findings in literature 11 which opines that the teachers are not adequately trained, and this implies that there will be limitations in their training of children with disabilities. Limitation Limited research on children in schools for special needs in this environment affected the information available in the literature review. Also, the lack of understanding of the sign language limited interaction with the hearing-impaired students which was addressed by employing an expert in sign language. Conclusion This study found that there are existing policies and regulations that make inclusive education a norm however the teachers, who are a major stakeholder, have reservations for the policies. Educational materials and updated technology are lacking in the training of the children. The school clinics do not keep proper records and the parents are not generally committed to the wellbeing of their wards. Surprisingly, some of the parents use their children to beg for alms while the Parent Teachers Association is not functional Recommendation Government should establish more schools for special needs. This will provide learning opportunities for many of the disabled that were denied education To provide better health care services, there should be linkage between the school and health facilities within the school location. This should be facilitated by the government, school and other stakeholders. Government and all stakeholders in the care of children with special needs should ensure the provision of more modern facilities for learning and at the health centres in the schools. Increased advocacy, engagement and sensitization should be undertaken through the newly constituted National Commission for Persons with Disability to Government functionaries, Community leaders, Policy makers and Administrators towards ensuring the implementation of the extant policy on inclusive education. The Commission should play a holistic role of implementing all policies that will protect the rights of children with disabilities and prevents them being used to solicit alms. Abbreviations ADA Americans with Disabilities Act BMI Body Mass Index CRC Convention on the Rights of the Child CRPD Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities EFA Education For All FCT Federal Capital Territory FGD Focus Group Discussion FRESH Focusing Resources on Effective School Health ICF International Classification of Functioning Disability and Health IDEA Individuals with Disabilities Education Act MLR Multiple Logistic Regression NGOs Non-Governmental Organizations NPE National Policy on Education NWDA Nigerians with Disability Act PTA Parents Teachers Association PWD People with disabilities QUANT-QUAL Quantitative-qualitative REF Reference number SDGs Sustainable Development Goals SLR Simple Logistic Regression SNE Special Needs Education UN United Nations UNICEF United Nations International Children Emergency Fund WHO World Health Organization Declarations Ethics approval and consent to participate Ethical approval was obtained from the Ethical Review Committee of University of Ilorin Teaching Hospital with approval number ERC PAN/2018/11/1848. Before commencement of the Focus Group Discussion and data collection, the purpose of the study was explained to all the participants and written informed consent was obtained from them. During the discussions and data collection, all the methods used were in accordance with standard guidelines and regulations. Consent for publication Not applicable. Availability of data and materials The FGD guide and observational checklist for this study are available as supplementary material. The datasets generated and analyzed are also available as supplementary material Competing interests The authors declare that they have no competing interests. Funding No external funding was received for this study. Authors’ contributions A.B.W, the main author was responsible for the conception, design, data collection, data analysis and the manuscript writing. A.O.M and A.M.A were responsible for design and manuscript review. O.O.A, O.O.M and A.H.A were responsible for design, data collection and manuscript review. B.O.A and S.A.G supervised the research work. All the authors have read and approved the final version of the manuscript. Acknowledgements The authors acknowledge Dr Alero Roberts who inspired this work in rehabilitative and social medicine and Prof T.M Akande, their mentor. They also acknowledge their colleagues at the Kwara State Ministry of Health for their support. Most importantly, they acknowledge the students and staff of the schools of special needs in North-Central Nigeria for their cooperation and support. References World Health Organization. Summary World Report On Disability. World Health [Internet]. 2011;1–24. Available from: www.who.int/about/licensing/copyright_form/en/index.html%0Ahttp://www.larchetoronto.org/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2012/01/launch-of-World-Report-on-Disability-Jan-27-121.pdf Amar HSS. Meeting the needs of children with disability in Malaysia. Med J Malaysia. 2008;63(1):1–3. Oyetunde. T O, Mallum. Y A ACA. The practice of teaching: Perspectives and strategies. Jos: Institute of education, University of Jos; 2004. Eskay M, Eskay O, Uma E. Educating People With Special Needs in Nigeria: Present and Future Perspectives. Online Submiss. 2012;10:898–906. Kostanjsek N. Use of the International Classification of Functioning, Disability and Health (ICF) as a conceptual framework and common language for disability statistics and health information systems. BMC Public Health [Internet]. 2011;11(SUPPL. 4):S3. Available from: http://www.biomedcentral.com/1471-2458/11/S4/S3 Saleeby PW. An introduction to the International Classification of Functioning, Disability and Health (ICF). Vol. 15, International Journal on Disability and Human Development. 2016. 1–3 p. Carvill S. Sensory impairments, intellectual disability and psychiatry. J Intellect Disabil Res. 2001;45(6):467–83. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Disability and Health Overview CDC [Internet]. NCBDDD. [cited 2019 Jun 15]. Available from: www.cdc.gov/ncbddd/disabilityandhealth/disability Algood CL, Harris C, Hong JS. Parenting Success and Challenges for Families of Children with Disabilities: An Ecological Systems Analysis. J Hum Behav Soc Environ. 2013;23(2):126–36. Stein R E. Workshop on Disability in America a new look [Internet]. Washington DC: Academy of Medicine; 2006. 143–156 p. Available from: https://www.nap.edu/download/11579 Nakpodia ED, James U. Gender discrimination in Nigerian school system. International Journal of Development and Management Review. 2012;7(1). Additional Declarations No competing interests reported. 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strength (disability) in schools of special needs in study area\u003c/p\u003e","description":"","filename":"2.png","url":"https://assets-eu.researchsquare.com/files/rs-2089864/v1/b5bae6454c54813f88f583ce.png"},{"id":27682987,"identity":"d725905d-db25-436d-8b11-cfed5c885100","added_by":"auto","created_at":"2022-10-12 15:24:06","extension":"png","order_by":3,"title":"Figure 3","display":"","copyAsset":false,"role":"figure","size":12996,"visible":true,"origin":"","legend":"\u003cp\u003eObservational checklist of the needs assessment of schools for special \u0026nbsp;needs in North Central Nigeria.\u003c/p\u003e","description":"","filename":"3.png","url":"https://assets-eu.researchsquare.com/files/rs-2089864/v1/438d7f005cf4f87a42004e90.png"},{"id":28852248,"identity":"58737cd3-6291-43d7-abdc-bdf7b061304c","added_by":"auto","created_at":"2022-11-09 11:59:28","extension":"pdf","order_by":0,"title":"","display":"","copyAsset":false,"role":"manuscript-pdf","size":376165,"visible":true,"origin":"","legend":"","description":"","filename":"manuscript.pdf","url":"https://assets-eu.researchsquare.com/files/rs-2089864/v1/35c5f719-4965-40aa-acee-723f32fafc4d.pdf"},{"id":27682986,"identity":"53fa2de1-3677-4307-bd29-c367202b515c","added_by":"auto","created_at":"2022-10-12 15:24:06","extension":"docx","order_by":2,"title":"","display":"","copyAsset":false,"role":"supplement","size":49553,"visible":true,"origin":"","legend":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eAdditional File 2: Study dataset\u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/p\u003e","description":"","filename":"PlaintranscriptsFGDQualitativestudy.docx","url":"https://assets-eu.researchsquare.com/files/rs-2089864/v1/861eeedc51a2fe09c2ec1c8a.docx"}],"financialInterests":"No competing interests reported.","formattedTitle":"Qualitative Study on Needs of Children in Schools for Special Needs among the Teachers in North Central Nigeria","fulltext":[{"header":"Background","content":"\u003cp\u003eChildren with special needs are those who have challenges which are more severe than those of a typical child, they are born with a syndrome, terminal illness, profound cognitive impairment and serious psychiatric problems and their special needs may involve struggling with learning, food allergies, developmental delays and panic attacks \u003csup\u003e\u003cspan citationid=\"CR1\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e1\u003c/span\u003e,\u003cspan citationid=\"CR2\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/sup\u003e These children will need extra support, and additional services in fulfilling their academic, social and emotional potentials. They may also need lifetime guidance and support in dealing with everyday issues.\u003csup\u003e\u003cspan citationid=\"CR3\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e3\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/sup\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eThe United Nations International Children Emergency Fund (UNICEF) estimates suggest that there are at least 93\u0026nbsp;million children with disabilities in the world. These children are often likely to be among the poorest members of the population and are less likely to attend school, access medical services, or have their voices heard in the society. Their disabilities also place them at a higher risk of physical abuse, and often exclude them from receiving proper nutrition or humanitarian assistance during emergencies\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eChildren with disabilities like other children spend the most part of their life in school exposed to a variety of environmental, physical, emotional and social influences. Therefore to benefit maximally from the educational system children need to be physically, mentally and emotionally healthy while exposure during school hours to various hazards such as physical injury, infections and emotional problems should be minimal if not totally prevented and this has led to the establishment of school health services\u003csup\u003e\u003cspan citationid=\"CR4\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e4\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/sup\u003e A student who is not healthy, who suffers some form of disability will not profit from educational process if the needed assistance in shaping healthy attitude towards education is not provided\u003csup\u003e\u003cspan citationid=\"CR5\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e5\u003c/span\u003e, \u003cspan citationid=\"CR6\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e6\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/sup\u003e\u003c/p\u003e"},{"header":"Materials And Methods","content":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eStudy design and population\u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe research was descriptive study conducted among teachers teaching in schools for special needs in North Central Nigeria between September and December 2019. A purposive sampling technique was used to select forty-two (42) respondents for the Focus Group Discussion (FGD).\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe North Central zone of Nigeria is situated geographically spanning from the west to east, and it comprises of the Federal Capital Territory and six other states. During the period of this study, there were 18 public schools for special needs in North Central Nigeria from the desk review. The schools for special needs in the North central Nigeria have a free educational policy which includes feeding, accommodation and transportation for the students.\u0026nbsp;\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe schools encompass students in both primary and secondary sections and practice boarding system with few students coming as day students for both primary and secondary classes. \u0026nbsp;Some of the teachers and care givers have disabilities while many others do not have any form of disabilities. The teachers/care givers have ranging qualifications.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eData collection and analysis\u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eKwara State School for Special Needs, Ilorin, Government Special School, Lafia and F.C.T School for the Blind Children, Garki were studied. Teachers who did not wish to participate were exempted from the study.\u0026nbsp;Focus Group Discussion guide, voice recorder and a note pad were used for the FGD interviews. For each session a moderator, a note taker and recording equipment were employed. Two sessions of FGD were conducted in each of the selected schools. A total of six FGD sessions were done. Seven participants took part in each session of the FGD. The participants were recruited in such a way that there was at least a teacher to represent each form of disability being tutored in the school. The participants were male and female teachers between the age of 27 and 43years. Following data collection, thematic analysis was done in line with the study theme.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe checklist was used by the researcher to observe the facilities in the schools, and their availability and functionality in meeting the health needs of the children. The variables on the check list included health personnel, health appraisal methods, treatment facilities, emergency care, disease control measures, health records, nutritional services, health instruction, water supply, refuse disposal, sewage disposal, building structure, fire protection measures, floor types, ventilation, lighting and safety measures. The checklist was administered on all the five selected schools.\u003c/p\u003e"},{"header":"Results","content":"\u003cp\u003eAll the schools had teaching and non-teaching staff comprising of those with/without disability (See Figure 1 and Figure 2). In The School of Special Needs, Abuja, 75% of the teachers do not see the relationship between the student\u0026rsquo;s disability and their learning processes (Table 1). Another 25% of the teacher feels that children need more motivation and encouragement. They feel the impairment has a way of inhibiting their rate of assimilation (Table 1).\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eTable 1: Effect of Impairment on learning in North Central Nigeria\u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003ctable border=\"1\" cellpadding=\"0\" cellspacing=\"0\"\u003e\n \u003ctbody\u003e\n \u003ctr\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" width=\"77.16666666666667%\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eImpairment\u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" width=\"22.833333333333332%\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003ePercentage\u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003c/tr\u003e\n \u003ctr\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" width=\"77.16666666666667%\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eAbuja\u0026nbsp;\u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" width=\"22.833333333333332%\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003c/tr\u003e\n \u003ctr\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" width=\"77.16666666666667%\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eYes, disability affects their learning\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" width=\"22.833333333333332%\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\u0026nbsp; \u0026nbsp; \u0026nbsp; \u0026nbsp; 25%\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003c/tr\u003e\n \u003ctr\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" width=\"77.16666666666667%\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eNo, it does not affect their learning\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" width=\"22.833333333333332%\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\u0026nbsp; \u0026nbsp; \u0026nbsp; \u0026nbsp; 75%\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003c/tr\u003e\n \u003ctr\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" width=\"77.16666666666667%\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eIlorin\u0026nbsp;\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" width=\"22.833333333333332%\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003c/tr\u003e\n \u003ctr\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" width=\"77.16666666666667%\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eYes, disability affects their learning\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" width=\"22.833333333333332%\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\u0026nbsp; \u0026nbsp; \u0026nbsp; \u0026nbsp; 25%\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003c/tr\u003e\n \u003ctr\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" width=\"77.16666666666667%\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eNo, it does not affect their learning\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" width=\"22.833333333333332%\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\u0026nbsp; \u0026nbsp; \u0026nbsp; \u0026nbsp; 75%\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003c/tr\u003e\n \u003ctr\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" width=\"77.16666666666667%\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eNasarawa\u0026nbsp;\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" width=\"22.833333333333332%\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003c/tr\u003e\n \u003ctr\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" width=\"77.16666666666667%\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eYes, disability affects their learning\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" width=\"22.833333333333332%\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\u0026nbsp; \u0026nbsp; \u0026nbsp; \u0026nbsp; 50%\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003c/tr\u003e\n \u003ctr\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" width=\"77.16666666666667%\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eNo, it does not affect their learning\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" width=\"22.833333333333332%\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\u0026nbsp; \u0026nbsp; \u0026nbsp; \u0026nbsp; 50%\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003c/tr\u003e\n \u003c/tbody\u003e\n\u003c/table\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/strong\u003eMore than half (75%) of the teachers agreed that the students\u0026rsquo; disability did not affect their learning\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eAt the school of special needs Ilorin 50% of the respondents believe that the impairment has an effect on the children especially in their present case where they lack some material\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e\u0026nbsp;Effect of Impairment on Learning\u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eOne of the qualities of most of the teachers at the school of special need is the ability to relate well with the students. All the teachers reported to have a good relationship with their students. This has helped to create a better learning environment for the children. These skills of emotional intelligence employed by the teachers make them more comfortable and choose school.\u0026nbsp;\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eIt was agreed by the teachers that the students have over the years adapted to their impairment and it doesn\u0026rsquo;t affect their learning in any way.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eA respondent said \u0026ldquo;\u003cem\u003ethe students are doing well despite their impairment; it doesn\u0026rsquo;t affect their learning at all\u003c/em\u003e\u0026rdquo;\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThey will, however, perform better if they have adequate educational materials to improve their learning. They don\u0026rsquo;t have enough Braille books for the visually impaired, books and tools for the hearing impaired and learning aids for those with learning disability.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u0026nbsp;The respondents attested to this saying \u0026ldquo;\u003cem\u003ethey are affected by the unavailability of many materials to assist them in learning like some can do better if they have hearing aids\u0026rdquo;\u003c/em\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eAnd another respondent said \u0026ldquo;\u003cem\u003ethey do not have enough materials to help them in studying well in their various classes\u0026rdquo;\u003c/em\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eTheir impairment is seen to affect their learning when the mode of communication is not right and when the students find what is being taught as abstract beyond their scope of understanding but generally the students enjoy learning and their impairment has not been a negative impact on their learning.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eA lot of the children see the school of special needs as a place for solace. Some students prefer to remain in the school as they have taken their teachers and care givers in the school as their parents especially those students who are not accepted by their families and one of the respondents said \u0026ldquo;\u003cem\u003ethey see the school like their home and many of them don\u0026rsquo;t even look forward to going home\u003c/em\u003e\u0026rdquo; another teacher said \u0026ldquo;\u003cem\u003eThey are happy here because most of them are rejected at home, we are more friendly with them\u003c/em\u003e\u0026rdquo;\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe cordial relationship between the teachers and students positively affects the students and this is because some of the teachers too also have impairment. One of the teachers said \u0026ldquo;\u003cem\u003eSome of us too have impairment so we don\u0026rsquo;t have any challenge interacting well with the students, we interact very well with them and assist them, making them feel comfortable to study well\u003c/em\u003e\u0026rdquo;\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eA. Health Needs of Students in Schools for Special Needs\u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eIt was highlighted by the teachers that the health personnel in the schools are not enough and the school management need to employ more health personnel to take care of the large number of students. The need to have permanent doctors, more drugs in the pharmacy and the children should be routinely examined by specialist.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eOne of the respondents said \u0026ldquo;\u003cem\u003eThe government can provide specialist in the children\u0026rsquo;s areas of specialty need who will reside within the school or otherwise come on regular basis\u003c/em\u003e\u0026rdquo;\u0026nbsp;\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eAnother teacher said \u0026ldquo;\u003cem\u003eThere is a need to have a permanent doctor, when the children have minor illnesses they don\u0026rsquo;t always get the prescribed drugs and we need specialist to come around and examine the children\u003c/em\u003e\u0026rdquo;\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eIt was unanimously agreed by some of the teachers that most of the parents of the students with special needs do not care about their children\u0026rsquo;s welfare as well as they refuse taking responsibilities for the needs once they are in the school.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eA teacher said \u0026ldquo;\u003cem\u003ewhen we call them to come many of them don\u0026rsquo;t oblige, even when the children are sick, they will just be saying they are busy\u003c/em\u003e\u0026rdquo;\u0026nbsp;\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe teachers said they find some of the students on the street begging when schools are closed for holidays as their parents abandon them to fend for themselves. The children do not like to go home because they are not accepted wholly by the family members.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eA respondent said \u0026ldquo;\u003cem\u003ea father actually abandoned his child in front of the school, a blind young boy because he refused to go begging\u003c/em\u003e\u0026rdquo;\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eOne of the teachers also said \u0026ldquo;\u003cem\u003esome of them they feel its waste of money caring for these special children especially those whose parents do not have any form of disability\u003c/em\u003e\u0026rdquo;.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe other teachers with different opinion said some parents are very caring, visit their wards often and bring gifts for their children and sometimes they bring for other students.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eA respondent said \u0026ldquo;\u003cem\u003esome parents call regularly to ask about their children wellbeing as well and anytime they are called upon they obliged\u003c/em\u003e\u0026rdquo;\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eIn improving the health of the children, the teachers agreed that early assessment of the children will help prevent some deteriorating condition of the students as they have had some students who after treatment for chronic ear infection, they became better and did not have to remain in the school for special needs. The teachers also want the parents to be more involved in their children welfare and the general public, enlightened on early identification of children with special needs.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eB. Teaching Strategies of Students with Special Needs\u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eTeachers generally develop their teaching skills to pass knowledge to their pupils; this is not different at the school of special needs. They try to relate with the pupils base on their individual personality. Though they have limited materials, they crate alternatives that can still get the work done. The teachers flexibly have helped in teaching these children in a way that will make the learning environment conducive for them\u0026nbsp;\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe students in schools for special needs have peculiarities and these are understood by the teachers for appropriate teaching of each student. The students are taught individually, in two or more groups as required for different students. \u0026nbsp;Strategies used include peer tutoring, cooperative learning, collaborative teaching and the use assistive equipment such as learning aids.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eOne of the teachers said \u0026ldquo;\u003cem\u003eHaving studied the students well, we know the methods to use for them, some of them prefer to learn in groups and others require individual attention\u003c/em\u003e\u0026rdquo;\u0026nbsp;\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eWhile another respondent said \u0026ldquo;\u003cem\u003ewe use the best method for each student, we try within what is available, as they do not have all the essential materials for their specific impairment\u003c/em\u003e\u0026rdquo;\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eIt was gathered from some of the teachers that methods used is mainly demonstration/ assistive in nature. This is because most students have the impairment from birth which deprives some of abstract reasoning; as a result, they do not have what to base their learning on. However, some others who become impaired after birth have improved adaptability.\u0026nbsp;\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u0026nbsp;A teacher said \u0026ldquo;\u003cem\u003efor the hearing impaired, those who are post lingual tend to be more adaptable to learning\u003c/em\u003e\u0026rdquo;\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe teachers explained that the schools run through a special curriculum for students with special needs which entails syllabus such as those in regular schools. The difference is that the teachers move at the students\u0026rsquo; pace and the students are placed in classes according to their performances irrespective of their age.\u0026nbsp;\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eLike the regular schools the students undergo continuous assessment, they carry out projects as well during the term and at the end of the term, they write the end of term examination\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eOne the respondents said \u0026ldquo;\u003cem\u003eThe children are assessed based on their ability and the assessment techniques are same across the different impairments with their class\u003c/em\u003e\u0026rdquo;.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eAll the teachers echoed that the main barriers to the teaching of the students with special needs is that the schools do not have adequate educational materials to teach the students and some of the teachers need retraining in order to give the students the best as well. The environment is said to be conducive for learning and there are no socio-cultural barriers identified.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eA teacher said \u0026ldquo;\u003cem\u003ewe cannot give what we don\u0026rsquo;t have, there are modern methods of teaching students, some of our colleagues in private settings do tell us, we need to be trained to improve our skills as the world is developing everyday\u003c/em\u003e\u0026rdquo;\u0026nbsp;\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eAnother said \u0026ldquo;\u003cem\u003eThere are not enough educational materials to help the children with their different impairments like braille, hearing aids and learning aids\u003c/em\u003e\u0026rdquo; \u0026nbsp;\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe teachers were of the opinion that the government need to provide more educational materials, qualified teachers, and retrain those in service already. They also feel some parents and philanthropists will be of help in achieving improvement.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eAs a respondent said \u0026ldquo;\u003cem\u003eEveryone needs to work hand in hand to assist in making these children better citizens, the government, non-governmental organizations, their parents and philanthropists\u003c/em\u003e\u0026rdquo;\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe teachers had a diverge opinion as regards inclusiveness in a general school setting. They felt their students might be intimidated by the regular students while others felt it will help the special needs students fit into the society properly.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u0026nbsp;A teacher said \u0026ldquo;\u003cem\u003eI don\u0026rsquo;t think is a good idea these children have their own peculiarities and they will do better if they are separate\u003c/em\u003e\u0026rdquo;\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eAnother respondent with a different opinion said \u0026ldquo;\u003cem\u003eas for me I think its better when we have other students without disability as this will also enhance their relationship with other people in the community\u003c/em\u003e\u0026rdquo;\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe students were said to have access to routine health care such as pre entrance medical examination, periodic audiology testing, periodic visual screening, and treatment of common illness. The schools have clinic were ill students are being attended to and provided with drugs accordingly. However severe conditions are being referred to the general hospitals using the school ambulances or buses. One of the teachers said \u0026ldquo;\u003cem\u003ewe have drugs in the clinic to manage some sickness like malaria\u003c/em\u003e\u0026rdquo;\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eAnd another respondent said \u0026ldquo;\u003cem\u003ethere are some illnesses sometimes which the school clinic cannot handle here, so we refer them to the teaching hospital for expert management\u003c/em\u003e\u0026rdquo;\u0026nbsp;\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe students with special needs are said to engage in creative vocational activities. The teachers said the students make use of the library and the ICT center regularly. They also engage in sports and play games on the field like football especially those with hearing impairment.\u0026nbsp;\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eA respondent said \u0026ldquo;\u003cem\u003eThe children engage in a lot of vocational activities, beads making, catering, sewing, singing, dancing and carpentry\u003c/em\u003e\u0026rdquo; Another teacher said \u0026ldquo;\u003cem\u003ethe students need more vocational tools, Braille, hearing aids, educational materials, books and picture charts to improve their learning\u0026rdquo;\u003c/em\u003e\u003c/p\u003e"},{"header":"Discussion","content":"\u003cp\u003eThe medical and living conditions of the student were explored with the qualitative tools. The teachers reported that majority of parents were not caring enough and often abandon their wards in school. But on observation, the children in the school for special needs have good access to routine medical health care unlike their peers in regular school which is in contrast to the finding in the national school health policy\u003csup\u003e7\u003c/sup\u003e which reported inadequate school clinic in developing countries (Figure 3). The school medical services conduct pre-entrance medical test which allow for proper screening and identification of handicapping circumstances of each student (Figure 3). In addition, the school has some medical staffs that attend to basic medical needs of the students. The implied opportunity here is that the there is a good system in place for the medical needs of the students across the study area. It is possible that some of the children were already presumed to be handicapped by their parents, who are not trained or knowledgeable to determine early signs and symptoms of a reversible ailment, which may prevent permanent damage. \u0026nbsp;\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThough the schools for special needs have some health workers attached to them, it was obvious from the observational survey findings that the health workers are still grossly inadequate (See Figure 3). \u0026nbsp;This shortage in healthcare workers in schools for special needs setting can be attributed to the shortage in health workers across the nation generally. However, the need to prioritize distribution of healthcare workers to places such as schools for special needs cannot be over emphasized. This has also affected the routine health records in the school clinics as observed during the observational survey to be inadequate in all the schools which is not in keeping with the school health policy\u003csup\u003e7,8\u003c/sup\u003e (Figure 3).\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eIn this study, the teachers submitted that majority of these students were brilliant barring their deficiencies. This is contrast to the perception of the general public who believe that an average child with special needs is a dullard. This was corroborated by three quarters of the teachers affirming that the disability has not adversely affected the learning ability of the students. \u0026nbsp;Some of the teachers had a contrary opinion and strongly believed that the children could not reach their potential because of the disability. However, given that the teachers generally observed higher intelligence among the students is a positive conclusion that the disability has not affected the cognitive ability of the students.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe teachers also reported that students are being used by parents to beg for alms on the streets after school hours and this is in contrast to Part V of disability Act which prohibits the use of persons with disabilities in soliciting for alms.\u003csup\u003e9\u003c/sup\u003e This can be attributed to lack of awareness of the policy by the general public and it implies that children in schools for special needs are being exposed to activities that may endanger them. This is also an aberration from the school health policy\u003csup\u003e7,8\u003c/sup\u003e which supports school, home and community relationship. It implies that the parents and general public are not aware of these policies. As regards having an inclusive educational system, the teachers were of diverse opinion on the effectiveness of inclusive system in spite the law\u003csup\u003e10\u003c/sup\u003e which states that schools shall run inclusive educational system accessible to persons with disabilities and this may imply that the law might meet restrictions from the trainers of children with disabilities.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe teachers also attested to inadequate training for them in updating their skills and knowledge to improve their methods of training and this was in keeping with findings in literature\u003csup\u003e11\u003c/sup\u003e which opines that the teachers are not adequately trained, and this implies that there will be limitations in their training of children with disabilities.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eLimitation\u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eLimited research on children in schools for special needs in this environment affected the information available in the literature review. Also, the lack of understanding of the sign language limited interaction with the hearing-impaired students which was addressed by employing an expert in sign language.\u003c/p\u003e"},{"header":"Conclusion","content":"\u003cp\u003eThis study found that there are existing policies and regulations that make inclusive education a norm however the teachers, who are a major stakeholder, have reservations for the policies. Educational materials and updated technology are lacking in the training of the children. The school clinics do not keep proper records and the parents are not generally committed to the wellbeing of their wards. Surprisingly, some of the parents use their children to beg for alms while the Parent Teachers Association is not functional\u003c/p\u003e "},{"header":"Recommendation","content":"\u003col start=\"1\" type=\"1\"\u003e\n \u003cli\u003eGovernment should establish more schools for special needs. This will provide learning opportunities for many of the disabled that were denied education\u0026nbsp;\u003c/li\u003e\n \u003cli\u003eTo provide better health care services, there should be linkage between the school and health facilities within the school location. This should be facilitated by the government, school and other stakeholders.\u003c/li\u003e\n \u003cli\u003eGovernment and all stakeholders in the care of children with special needs should ensure the provision of more modern facilities for learning and at the health centres in the schools.\u003c/li\u003e\n \u003cli\u003eIncreased advocacy, engagement and sensitization should be undertaken through the newly constituted National Commission for Persons with Disability to Government functionaries, Community leaders, Policy makers and Administrators towards ensuring the implementation of the extant policy on inclusive education. \u0026nbsp;\u003c/li\u003e\n \u003cli\u003eThe Commission should play a holistic role of implementing all policies that will protect the rights of children with disabilities and prevents them being used to solicit alms.\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003c/ol\u003e"},{"header":"Abbreviations","content":"\u003cp\u003eADA Americans with Disabilities Act \u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eBMI Body Mass Index\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eCRC Convention on the Rights of the Child \u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eCRPD Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities \u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eEFA Education For All\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eFCT Federal Capital Territory\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eFGD Focus Group Discussion\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eFRESH Focusing Resources on Effective School Health\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eICF International Classification of Functioning Disability and Health\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eIDEA Individuals with Disabilities Education Act\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eMLR Multiple Logistic Regression\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eNGOs Non-Governmental Organizations \u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eNPE National Policy on Education \u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eNWDA Nigerians with Disability Act \u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003ePTA Parents Teachers Association\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003ePWD People with disabilities \u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eQUANT-QUAL Quantitative-qualitative\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eREF Reference number\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eSDGs Sustainable Development Goals \u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eSLR Simple Logistic Regression\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eSNE Special Needs Education\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eUN United Nations \u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eUNICEF United Nations International Children Emergency Fund\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eWHO World Health Organization\u003c/p\u003e"},{"header":"Declarations","content":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eEthics approval and consent to participate\u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eEthical approval was obtained from the Ethical Review Committee of University of Ilorin Teaching Hospital with approval number ERC PAN/2018/11/1848.\u0026nbsp;Before commencement of the Focus Group Discussion and data collection, the purpose of the study was explained to all the participants and written informed consent was obtained from them. During the discussions and data collection, all the methods used were in accordance with standard guidelines and regulations.\u0026nbsp;\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eConsent for publication\u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eNot applicable.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eAvailability of data and materials\u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe FGD guide and observational checklist for this study are available as supplementary material. The datasets generated and analyzed are also available as supplementary material\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eCompeting interests\u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe authors declare that they have no competing interests.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eFunding\u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eNo external funding was received for this study.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eAuthors\u0026rsquo; contributions\u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eA.B.W, the main author was responsible for the conception, design, data collection, data analysis and the manuscript writing.\u0026nbsp;A.O.M and A.M.A were responsible for design and manuscript review.\u0026nbsp;O.O.A, O.O.M and A.H.A were responsible for design, data collection and manuscript review. B.O.A and S.A.G supervised the research work.\u0026nbsp;\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eAll the authors have read and approved the final version of the manuscript.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eAcknowledgements\u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe authors acknowledge Dr Alero Roberts who inspired this work in rehabilitative and social medicine and Prof T.M Akande, their mentor. They also acknowledge their colleagues at the Kwara State Ministry of Health for their support. Most importantly, they acknowledge the students and staff of the schools of special needs in North-Central Nigeria for their cooperation and support.\u0026nbsp;\u003c/p\u003e"},{"header":"References","content":"\u003col\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eWorld Health Organization. Summary World Report On Disability. World Health [Internet]. 2011;1\u0026ndash;24. Available from: www.who.int/about/licensing/copyright_form/en/index.html%0Ahttp://www.larchetoronto.org/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2012/01/launch-of-World-Report-on-Disability-Jan-27-121.pdf\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eAmar HSS. Meeting the needs of children with disability in Malaysia. Med J Malaysia. 2008;63(1):1\u0026ndash;3. \u003c/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eOyetunde. T O, Mallum. Y A ACA. The practice of teaching: Perspectives and strategies. Jos: Institute of education, University of Jos; 2004. \u003c/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eEskay M, Eskay O, Uma E. Educating People With Special Needs in Nigeria: Present and Future Perspectives. Online Submiss. 2012;10:898\u0026ndash;906. \u003c/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eKostanjsek N. Use of the International Classification of Functioning, Disability and Health (ICF) as a conceptual framework and common language for disability statistics and health information systems. BMC Public Health [Internet]. 2011;11(SUPPL. 4):S3. Available from: http://www.biomedcentral.com/1471-2458/11/S4/S3\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eSaleeby PW. An introduction to the International Classification of Functioning, Disability and Health (ICF). Vol. 15, International Journal on Disability and Human Development. 2016. 1\u0026ndash;3 p. \u003c/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eCarvill S. Sensory impairments, intellectual disability and psychiatry. J Intellect Disabil Res. 2001;45(6):467\u0026ndash;83. \u003c/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eCenters for Disease Control and Prevention. Disability and Health Overview CDC [Internet]. NCBDDD. [cited 2019 Jun 15]. Available from: www.cdc.gov/ncbddd/disabilityandhealth/disability\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eAlgood CL, Harris C, Hong JS. Parenting Success and Challenges for Families of Children with Disabilities: An Ecological Systems Analysis. J Hum Behav Soc Environ. 2013;23(2):126\u0026ndash;36. \u003c/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eStein R E. Workshop on Disability in America a new look [Internet]. Washington DC: Academy of Medicine; 2006. 143\u0026ndash;156 p. Available from: https://www.nap.edu/download/11579\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eNakpodia ED, James U. Gender discrimination in Nigerian school system. International Journal of Development and Management Review. 2012;7(1).\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003c/ol\u003e"}],"fulltextSource":"","fullText":"","funders":[],"hasAdminPriorityOnWorkflow":false,"hasManuscriptDocX":true,"hasOptedInToPreprint":true,"hasPassedJournalQc":"","hasAnyPriority":false,"hideJournal":true,"highlight":"","institution":"","isAcceptedByJournal":false,"isAuthorSuppliedPdf":false,"isDeskRejected":"","isHiddenFromSearch":false,"isInQc":false,"isInWorkflow":false,"isPdf":false,"isPdfUpToDate":true,"isWithdrawnOrRetracted":false,"journal":{"display":true,"email":"[email protected]","identity":"researchsquare","isNatureJournal":false,"hasQc":true,"allowDirectSubmit":true,"externalIdentity":"","sideBox":"","snPcode":"","submissionUrl":"/submission","title":"Research Square","twitterHandle":"researchsquare","acdcEnabled":true,"dfaEnabled":false,"editorialSystem":"","reportingPortfolio":"","inReviewEnabled":false,"inReviewRevisionsEnabled":true},"keywords":"Qualitative study, Health Needs, Students with Special needs, North central Nigeria","lastPublishedDoi":"10.21203/rs.3.rs-2089864/v1","lastPublishedDoiUrl":"https://doi.org/10.21203/rs.3.rs-2089864/v1","license":{"name":"CC BY 4.0","url":"https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/"},"manuscriptAbstract":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eBackground\u003c/strong\u003e: For a long time, the assumption has been that the children found in the classroom all have the same needs including their health needs. However, experience has shown that each child comes from different home background and some may have some special needs to be given special attention. The schools for special needs are specifically designed, resourced and staffed to cater for children with learning difficulties, physical disabilities and intellectual problems. This study assessed the needs of children in schools for special needs among teachers.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eMethods\u003c/strong\u003e: This cross-sectional study was carried out in three schools of special needs in north-central states of Nigeria. A total number of forty-two (42) teachers were involved in six sessions of the FGD with seven respondents in each session. The observational checklist was used by the researcher to observe facilities availability and functionality in meeting the needs of the children. Data collected was analyzed using thematic analysis.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eResults\u003c/strong\u003e: All the schools had teachers and non-teaching staff comprising of those with/without disability. They all have clinic but only one school is well-equipped. Though they all have health records system in place, but they are not cumulative. The five schools had pipe borne water source, but they practiced open dumping and burning of refuse.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eConclusion\u003c/strong\u003e:\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe students have over the years adapted to their impairment and it doesn’t affect their learning in any way and that the students in schools for special needs have peculiarities and these are understood by the teachers for appropriate teaching of each student.\u003c/p\u003e","manuscriptTitle":"Qualitative Study on Needs of Children in Schools for Special Needs among the Teachers in North Central Nigeria","msid":"","msnumber":"","nonDraftVersions":[{"code":1,"date":"2022-10-12 15:24:04","doi":"10.21203/rs.3.rs-2089864/v1","editorialEvents":[{"type":"communityComments","content":0}],"status":"published","journal":{"display":true,"email":"[email protected]","identity":"researchsquare","isNatureJournal":false,"hasQc":true,"allowDirectSubmit":true,"externalIdentity":"","sideBox":"","snPcode":"","submissionUrl":"/submission","title":"Research Square","twitterHandle":"researchsquare","acdcEnabled":true,"dfaEnabled":false,"editorialSystem":"","reportingPortfolio":"","inReviewEnabled":false,"inReviewRevisionsEnabled":true}}],"origin":"","ownerIdentity":"78902817-63c1-4512-926b-0b3ea7fd5978","owner":[],"postedDate":"October 12th, 2022","published":true,"recentEditorialEvents":[],"rejectedJournal":[],"revision":"","amendment":"","status":"posted","subjectAreas":[],"tags":[],"updatedAt":"2022-11-09T11:59:16+00:00","versionOfRecord":[],"versionCreatedAt":"2022-10-12 15:24:04","video":"","vorDoi":"","vorDoiUrl":"","workflowStages":[]},"version":"v1","identity":"rs-2089864","journalConfig":"researchsquare"},"__N_SSP":true},"page":"/article/[identity]/[[...version]]","query":{"redirect":"/article/rs-2089864","identity":"rs-2089864","version":["v1"]},"buildId":"WrCJVZZCHTDjtuVLN7oU0","isFallback":false,"isExperimentalCompile":false,"dynamicIds":[84888],"gssp":true,"scriptLoader":[]}