MUSCAT: A Muscat-based teacher has come out with a book on standards operating procedures (SOP) for special schools to help assess the level of education or skills of the neurodiverse.
The book entitled 'INVAS' discusses how a uniform curriculum can be introduced in special schools. It advocates bringing a structured, uniform and measurable curriculum among special schools. Disability is a vast umbrella, but to make inclusion more successful and to make a neurodivergent included in the workplace, we need a measurable standardised accountable curriculum uniform throughout the special schools.
Speaking to Observer, Dr Gayatri Narasimhan said the book is the culmination of her unyielding efforts to uplift specially-abled children. Dr Narasimhan is a passionate special educator, inclusive education specialist, vocational trainer and counsellor with years of hands-on experience in special education.
"Parents with neurodiverse children, when they relocate from one city to another, face a big challenge in continuing the learning process for their neurodiverse child. Similarly, socially responsible employers who would like to employ neurodiverse as part of their inclusion and CSR strategies also encounter challenges as they cannot assess the level of education or skills of the neurodiverse. The reason for both is a lack of standardisation in teaching methodology for the neurodiverse," Dr Gayatri said.
Her book offers a pioneering solution through an integrated curriculum for vocational and skill-based institutions.
The curriculum has 13 topics, divided into five levels – early childhood, pre-skill level, basic level, intermediate level and advanced level.
The components of the curriculum and the learning outcomes at each stage demonstrate that the main educational goal for neurodiverse is not only to equip them with the right skills but also to train them to be highly independent. This will also pave the way for them to lead a very dignified life in society and reduce their dependence on the near and dear.
To cater to the educational and training needs of neurodiverse children as well as adults, Dr Gayatri founded Prakramika Vocational Institute (PVI) in Chennai in 2015. It works to equip specially-abled children to lead independent and dignified life.
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