ALLAMA IQBAL OPEN UNIVERSITY

Submitted By : Shahrukh Mazhar

Submitted To: DEAR SIR SAEED AHMAD PITAFI

COURSECODE: 0672

Level: M.A (SPEACIAL. EDU)spring(2022)

ID :19PRP01370

Perspective of Special Education

ASSIGNMENT no 1

Q.1 Define attitudes. Discuss public attitudes towards disability and vice versa.
ANS:
Attitudes have gradually changed over the years towards disability, both physical and mental. The latter is
becoming more prominent in today’s society, with people being encouraged to speak up about their personal
struggles.
After the First World War, there was a dramatic shift in attitudes towards disability, as almost two million
soldiers returned home with life-changing injuries. Following their return, there was an advancement in
prosthetics, new housing was built for ex-servicemen and sport and fitness was used as a treatment for both
physical and mental illnesses.
In the UK at least, it feels as if a huge improvement in attitudes towards disability picked up around 2012 with
the Olympic games being held in London. There was a great sense of inclusion and equality around the games,
as competing Paralympic athletes were displayed across television and advertising billboards for months and
years afterwards.
In day to day life, disabled access to local amenities, such as shops, office buildings and sporting arenas has
improved. However, there is still a lot to be done. There is still ignorance over parking spaces at retail parks and

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shopping centres, with people willing to occupy a space with complete disregard for anyone else. By being
empathetic and promoting more positive attitudes toward individuals with a disability, you can pass that attitude
onto others and build a better world.
Disability has become a natural part of the global human condition across various areas, due to the growing
aging population, and the changes of demographics of societies. According to the World Health Organization,
disability, which is extremely diverse, results from the interaction between individuals with a health condition
and personal and environmental factors. Indeed, there are more than one billion people (15% of the world’s
population) experiencing different types of disability, which also poses a serious medical and social burden in
the world. Therefore, it evokes the public to consider appropriate strategies to include and support people with
disabilities. Recent years, many countries have started to develop social and rehabilitation plans to overcome
the burden and enhance the well-being of people with mental and physical disabilities in their community.
Nothing is more essential to the well-being of people with disabilities than acceptance and support given by the
public. As by Helen Keller, a famous disabled writer with disabilities, “the chief handicap of the blind is not
blindness, but the attitude of seeing people towards them”. Attitudes toward the disability involve
multidimensional evaluation of people, which can be either positive or negative, or comprised of both. A
number of studies have addressed the impacts of different attitudes, for example, positive social attitudes could
facilitate inclusion and facilitate acceptance by family, friends, and employers, while negative attitudes may
lead to low expectations, discrimination, and marginalization. To be more specific, evidence showed that
negative attitudes of the healthcare professionals have been indicated as a barrier for the participation of
individuals with disabilities in several demands such as physical activity, fitness, and education settings. Given
this global situation and the importance of attitude, the public must be urged to rethink and promote their
attitudes towards people with disabilities, in order to build a more inclusive society.
Evidence shows that social inclusion, community participation and the empowerment of people with
disabilities, are central concepts guiding current policies and services provided around the world. Public
attitudes towards disabled people not only affect their integration into the community and access to public
services but also influence their daily lives and social participation, such as employment. As recognized by
several studies, attitudes can be formed by people’s past and present experience, indicating that a variety of
factors could mediate and impact public attitudes toward disabled people. The concept of attitude is
multidimensional, but public attitudes towards people with various disabilities have not been addressed in
current available studies. It is therefore necessary to identify the influential factors and determine if the
association between those factors and the public attitudes exits. This could provide insights into appropriate
measures to not only promote the positive attitudes, but also modify the negative attitudes. An overview of
potential influential factors, both hindering and facilitating, could provide information for health professionals,
educators, and policy maker to develop effective interventions and decisions.
Murphy (1990) explains disability as a ‘disease of social relation’ and social relations between disabled and the
able bodied are tense and problematic. And this situation is known to every person with disabilities. They face a

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lot of questions from others out of curiosity and unable to answer that. They are facing social hurdles in the
form of prejudice, discrimination and avoidance. They become object of pity while they are in a group. They
are socially isolated but it is mirrored by physical isolation.
There are many factors that influence and determine inter-personal relationship between the able bodied and the
disabled. One of the most significant factors is concerning the extent and nature of disablement. A common
man’s reactions to gross physical deformities, like cerebral palsy, the victim of which presents and ghastly
appearance, with constant jerky movements of the limbs, incoherent speech and saliva dripping down the
mouth, are at one’s indicative of repulsion apprehension and avoidance. In contrast a leg amputee wearing an
artificial limb may not cause such an embarrassment to the onlooker, for his deformity is not visible to the eye.
An individual is part and product of his social environment and so is a person with disability. His relationship,
attitude and behaviour patterns are vitally affected by the nature and extent of the harmony or disharmony of his
relationship with the family members, relatives, friends, community members, workplace colleagues and
employers etc. Tragically enough, the persons with disabilities are “less handicapped by their own disability
than by the social attitude” (Silver, 1957) meted out to them in every walk of life (Shrivastava, 1970). More
than physical disability the individual disabled face more problems in the societal attitude and behaviour.
A disabled person, like every other person, is a ‘social being’ therefore, no different from other able-bodied
persons. It is an irony, however, that he is not accepted by the society as he is, for it invariably focuses its
attention on his disabilities rather than on his abilities, victims of disease, accident or negligence, they have
been further victimized by their peculiar and irrational prejudice of the society. Social Scientists have known for
decades that able-bodied people tend to avoid interacting with people with disabilities, because they are
uncertain about how to behave in their presence (Thompson; 1982, Yamamoto; 1971).
Parents play an important role in training and socialization of their child. When they identify their child is a
person with disability they face problem to cope up with that situation. Denials of reality, self pity, guilt feeling,
shame, depression, rejection of the child are the common reactive patterns. The presence of the child increases
the stress level of the family. Defensive reactions are likely to occur; they think it is because of their sin. At
times parents deny the fact that their child is a person with disability. They reject the child because of
resentment. So child is also doing the same. But he is not able to express his blame so he becomes prey of guilt,
anxiety and self hostility. Some parents started overprotecting their child out of sympathy. This will also spoil
child’s future. Having a child with disability increases the financial burden of the family. If the parents are
economically stable most of the time it leads to a positive attitude towards the child.
Q.2 How are the children with special needs categorized? Describe the characteristics of children with
hearing impairments.
Ans:
 Hearing impairment in newborns most commonly results from cytomegalovirus infection or genetic
defects and in older children results from ear infections or earwax.

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  If children do not respond to sounds, have difficulty talking, or are slow starting to talk, the cause may
be hearing impairment.
 A handheld device or a test that measures the brain’s responses to sounds is used to test hearing in
newborns, and various other techniques are used for older children.
 Untreated hearing impairment can impede a child's verbal, social, and emotional development.
 If possible, the cause is treated, but hearing aids may be needed.
 If hearing aids are not effective, a cochlear implant can sometimes be helpful.
Hearing impairment is relatively common among children. About 1.9% of children have trouble hearing, and
permanent hearing loss is found in more than 1 out of every 1,000 children screened for hearing loss, whether
or not they have symptoms.
Hearing impairment is slightly more common among boys. Not recognizing and treating impairment can
seriously impair a child’s ability to speak and understand language. The impairment can lead to failure in
school, teasing by peers, social isolation, and emotional difficulties.
Often, teachers seek extra support and help in recognizing the characteristics of deafness in their students in
order to better address the specific needs of the child. This usually happens due to certain cues that the teacher
is able to pick up about the student's language development in class or after a known hearing impaired child
continues to struggle in their classroom.
A student or child with deafness or hard-of-hearing disabilities has deficits in language and speech development
due to a diminished or lack of auditory response to sound. Students will demonstrate varying degrees of hearing
loss which often results in difficulty acquiring spoken language. When you have a child with hearing
loss/deafness in your classroom, you need to be careful not to assume that this student has other developmental
or intellectual, delays. Typically, many of these students have average or better than average intelligence.
Some of the common characteristics of deafness commonly found in classrooms include the following:
 Difficulty following verbal directions
 Difficulty with oral expression
 Some difficulties with social/emotional or interpersonal skills
 Will often have a degree of language delay
 Often follows and rarely leads
 Will usually exhibit some form of articulation difficulty
 Can become easily frustrated if their needs are not met — which may lead to some behavioral
difficulties
 Sometimes the use of hearing aids leads to embarrassment and fear of rejection from peers
Language will be the priority area for students who are deaf or hard of hearing. It is the basic requirement for
success in all subject areas and will influence the student’s comprehension in your classroom. Language

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development and its impact on the learning of students who are deaf or hard of hearing can be complex and
difficult to attain.
You may find that students will need interpreters, note-takers, or educational assistants to facilitate
communication. This process will usually require external personnel involvement. However, some of the basic
steps that you as a teacher can take to address the needs of a hearing impaired student include:
 Many students with hearing disabilities will have some form of specialized equipment recommended by
an audiologist. Help the child to feel comfortable with their hearing device and promote understanding
and acceptance with other children in the class. 
 Remember that devices do not return the child's hearing to normal.
 Noisy environments will cause grief to the child with a hearing device and noise around the child should
be kept to a minimum.
 Check the device often to ensure it is working.
 When using videos, make sure you use the 'closed captioning' feature.
 Shut classroom doors/windows to help eliminate noise.
 Cushion chair bottoms.
 Use visual approaches whenever possible.
 Establish predictable routines for this child.
 Provide older students with visual outlines/graphic organizers and clarification.
 Use a home/school communication book.
 Enunciate words clearly using lip movement to assist the child to lip read.
 Keep close proximity to the student.
 Provide small group work when possible.
 Make assessment accommodations to enable a clear picture of demonstrated academic growth.
 Provide visual materials and demos whenever possible.
Q.3 Define special education and special needs. Discuss the steps so far have been taken to promote
special education in Pakistan.
ANS:
Special education, catering to the special needs of the disabled, is in in a debilitated state in Pakistan. A rise in
the number of disabled is not supported with appropriate tools to identify and integrate them into mainstream
society. However, with a Special Education Policy in the works, the Government of Punjab aims to move
towards a more inclusive education system. This policy intends to categorize disabilities into four main groups,
namely mild, moderate, severe and profound, and enhance public policy towards persons with disabilities
(PWDs). Nonetheless, the adoption of this new pedagogical approach collides with the existing stigma attached
with ‘disability’, and when this is further coupled with inadequacy in identifying and targeting those who suffer
from it, it becomes difficult to construct a viable support system to facilitate those with disabilities in Pakistan.

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According to the 2017 Population and Housing Census, 0.48 percent of Pakistan’s population is disabled; this
shows a stark decrease from the 2.38 percent figure in the 1998 census. Other sources, such as the World Bank
Report on Disability places the disability ratio in Pakistan at 3.56 percent, whereas the Annual Status of
Education Report (ASER) indicates that 22.1 percent of the government schools have children with disabilities.
This discrepancy regarding the number of disabled in Pakistan is connected to an underlying problem of
identification. With no universal definition of disability in place and limited constitutional cover in Pakistan,
these figures are deemed as controversial and unrepresentative of the true extent of this issue.
The Consortium for Development Policy Research organized a Policy Exchange talk, focused on ‘Leaving No
One Behind,’ bringing together a panel of experts to discuss the future of special education in Pakistan. It
explored the state of special education in Pakistan, as well as discussed the recent initiatives the Government
has undertaken in improving access to education for people with disabilities.
The panel highlighted that a traditional binary approach was used for identifying PWDs in the census, where
respondents were asked a yes or no question about whether they have a disability. The binary nature of this
question does not account for those who suffer from undiagnosed disabilities or those who do not wish to
identify as disabled due to family pressure and stigma. This inability to gather robust and meaningful data on
disability severs the efforts made to integrate PWDs into the mainstream education system, and emphasizes the
continued need to design and implement stronger mechanisms for the identification of those with disabilities.
The aim of embracing inclusive education for people with disabilities has grown from minimal awareness and
prioritization to a recognized component of the education policy in Pakistan, especially with the introduction of
Article 25A in the Constitution of Pakistan, which guarantees a right to education for all. However, when one
zooms in at the school level, there is still a sense of widespread confusion regarding what it means to be
inclusive. Currently, children with disabilities are not only ten times less likely to attend schools compared to
their peers without disabilities, but for even those who attend mainstream schools, the dropout rates are much
higher for those with disabilities. This depicts a self-perpetuating trap, where lack of education amplifies the
disadvantage associated with a disability, becoming another impediment towards the rehabilitation of PWDs.
Inclusive education entails that all children must be accepted as members of the social community, where the
education setting for those with disabilities should be the same as their non-disabled peers. This mainstreaming
approach at the school-level is focused on those who suffer from low to medium levels of disability. Experts
recommend that children with mild levels of disability should not be segregated, but supported with special
teachers and policy reforms in the mainstream education system. On the other hand, special education schools
are required to accommodate those with severe or profound disabilities in order to address their special needs
adequately aimed towards making them productive participants of society.
Although inclusiveness is a recognized goal on paper, it is not practiced at the school level, where either
inadequate teacher training or social stigma prevents the identification of those with special needs. It is easier to

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identify a child with a physical disability, but becomes much more complicated in the case of a child who is
mentally challenged and yet appears to be similar to his or her peers in other aspects.
Moreover, the rampant ignorance and discrimination against those with disabilities becomes more apparent in
their life after school. With bleak employment prospects and lack of government support, these PWDs lack the
means to sustain themselves. Their agony was evident in the recent protests at Mall Road, Lahore, where the
visually impaired came out on the road to demand the Government to fill in the 8,000 vacant positions for the
disabled in Punjab’s public sector alone.
In the case of Punjab, special education falls under the mandate of the Special Education Department, which
became independent from the School Education Department in 2003. Since then, the Special Education
Department has successfully established 302 special education institutes at primary, secondary, and university
levels, with the capacity to cater to around 35,000 disabled students. It has more than 600 buses to offer a pick
and drop service to both teachers and students, and 42 hostels, offering accommodations to 2,000 disabled
students. The Punjab Government now also offers a monthly stipend of 800 PKR to those with a disability,
along with a health card to compensate for their medical expenses. Hence, this begs the question that if not
capacity, where does the government lag in terms of policy making to improve access to education for PWDs?
Moreover, the new special education policy in Punjab promises to create better collaboration with different
departments, especially the health and education departments, to improve the future prospects of PWDs. It also
aims to increase the number of special education institutes in the province, while improving the role played by
the research and development unit in enhancing decision-making and identification of disabilities.
It is essential to understand that inclusion of any kind comes with acceptance, and hence, establishing an
inclusive education system in Pakistan requires commitment towards cultivating relationships across students,
parents, teachers, and the broader community based on increased awareness about mental illness. Examples
exist worldwide where those with special needs have been integrated into mainstream society with proper
support and inclusive policymaking. The education system in Finland, for instance, acknowledges the fact that
at some stage in his or her life, every child requires help and support to move forward. Hence, the Finnish
Government prioritizes early identification of those with special needs, such as learning difficulties, emotional
or behavioral problems, and physical disabilities, by offering specialized support at the school level.
To ensure that inclusive and equitable education is offered to all children in Pakistan, the country needs to
provide support at every level. This entails clearly devising identification parameters for different forms of
disabilities and preferably combining social diagnosis for disabilities with a medical one. For instance, ASER
has moved away from a binary questionnaire towards a more multi-dimensional approach, underpinned by the
World Health Organization’s International Classification of Functioning, Disability and Health (ICF) model.
The ICF model recognises disability as a three-fold issue based on an individual’s biological, psychological and
social condition, generating unique insights regarding the incidence of disability in Pakistan.

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Moreover, proper identification of disability must be followed by greater awareness at school-level for students,
parents, teachers, and the school administration. Teachers must be trained to identify children with special needs
during the early years of education, while the Higher Education Commission (HEC) must also facilitate these
children with relaxations in subject selection and examinations. Lastly, it is also essential to create more
inclusive spaces at the societal level, whether it is through designing more inclusive buildings or setting quotas
for employment.
Q.4 How evolution of science and technology brought revolutionary changes in the status of persons
having disabilities?
ANS:
Intellectual disability (ID) becomes apparent during childhood and involves deficits in mental abilities, social
skills, and core activities of daily living (ADLs) when compared to same-aged peers.[10] There often are no
physical signs of mild forms of ID, although there may be characteristic physical traits when it is associated
with a genetic disorder (e.g., Down syndrome).[11]
The level of impairment ranges in severity for each person. Some of the early signs can include:[11]

Delays in reaching, or failure to achieve milestones in motor skills development (sitting, crawling,
walking)

Slowness learning to talk, or continued difficulties with speech and language skills after starting to talk

Difficulty with self-help and self-care skills (e.g., getting dressed, washing, and feeding themselves)

Poor planning or problem-solving abilities

Behavioral and social problems[12]

Failure to grow intellectually, or continued infant childlike behavior

Problems keeping up in school

Failure to adapt or adjust to new situations

Difficulty understanding and following social rules[10]
In early childhood, mild ID (IQ 50–69) may not be obvious or identified until children begin school. [7] Even
when poor academic performance is recognized, it may take expert assessment to distinguish mild intellectual
disability from specific learning disability or emotional/behavioral disorders. People with mild ID are capable
of learning reading and mathematics skills to approximately the level of a typical child aged nine to twelve.
They can learn self-care and practical skills, such as cooking or using the local mass transit system. As
individuals with intellectual disability reach adulthood, many learn to live independently and maintain gainful
employment.[7] About 85% of persons with ID are likely to have mild ID.
Moderate ID (IQ 35–49) is nearly always apparent within the first years of life. Speech delays are particularly
common signs of moderate ID. People with moderate intellectual disabilities need considerable supports in
school, at home, and in the community in order to fully participate. While their academic potential is limited,
they can learn simple health and safety skills and to participate in simple activities. People with moderate ID are

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capable of learning reading and mathematics skills to approximately the level of a typical child aged six to nine.
As adults, they may live with their parents, in a supportive group home, or even semi-independently with
significant supportive services to help them, for example, manage their finances. As adults, they may work in
a sheltered workshop.[7] About 10% of persons with ID are likely to have moderate ID.
People with Severe (IQ 20–34). accounting for 3.5% of persons with ID or Profound ID (IQ 19 or below)
accounting for 1.5% of persons with ID need more intensive support and supervision for their entire lives. They
may learn some ADLs, but an intellectual disability is considered severe or profound when individuals are
unable to independently care for themselves without ongoing significant assistance from a caregiver throughout
adulthood.[7] Individuals with profound ID are completely dependent on others for all ADLs and to maintain
their physical health and safety. They may be able to learn to participate in some of these activities to a limited
degree.[11]
Among children, the cause of intellectual disability is unknown for one-third to one-half of cases. [7] About 5%
of cases are inherited from a person's parents.[8] Genetic defects that cause intellectual disability, but are not
inherited, can be caused by accidents or mutations in genetic development. Examples of such accidents are
development of an extra chromosome 18 (trisomy 18) and Down syndrome, which is the most common genetic
cause.[8] Velocardiofacial syndrome and fetal alcohol spectrum disorders are the two next most common causes.
 However, there are many other causes. The most common are:
[7]


Genetic conditions. Sometimes disability is caused by abnormal genes inherited from parents, errors
when genes combine, or other reasons. The most prevalent genetic conditions include Down
syndrome, Klinefelter syndrome, Fragile X syndrome (common among
boys), neurofibromatosis, congenital hypothyroidism, Williams syndrome, phenylketonuria (PKU),
and Prader–Willi syndrome. Other genetic conditions include Phelan-McDermid syndrome
(22q13del), Mowat–Wilson syndrome, genetic ciliopathy,[17] and Siderius type X-linked intellectual
disability (OMIM: 300263) as caused by mutations in the PHF8 gene (OMIM: 300560).[18][19] In the
rarest of cases, abnormalities with the X or Y chromosome may also cause disability. Tetrasomy
X and pentasomy X syndrome affect a small number of girls worldwide, while boys may be affected by
49, XXXXY, or 49, XYYYY. 47, XYY is not associated with significantly lowered IQ though affected
individuals may have slightly lower IQs than non-affected siblings on average.[20][21]

Problems during pregnancy. Intellectual disability can result when the fetus does not develop properly.
For example, there may be a problem with the way the fetus's cells divide as it grows. A pregnant
woman who drinks alcohol (see fetal alcohol spectrum disorder) or gets an infection like rubella during
pregnancy may also have a baby with an intellectual disability.

Problems at birth. If a baby has problems during labor and birth, such as not getting enough oxygen, he
or she may have a developmental disability due to brain damage.

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 
Exposure to certain types of disease or toxins. Diseases like whooping cough, measles, or meningitis can
cause intellectual disability if medical care is delayed or inadequate. Exposure
to poisons like lead or mercury may also affect mental ability.

Iodine deficiency, affecting approximately 2 billion people worldwide, is the leading preventable cause
of intellectual disability in areas of the developing world where iodine deficiency is endemic. Iodine
deficiency also causes goiter, an enlargement of the thyroid gland. More common than full-
fledged cretinism, as intellectual disability caused by severe iodine deficiency is called, is mild
impairment of intelligence. Residents of certain areas of the world, due to natural deficiency and
governmental inaction, are severely affected by iodine deficiency. India has 500 million suffering from
deficiency, 54 million from goiter, and 2 million from cretinism. Among other nations affected by iodine
deficiency, China and Kazakhstan have instituted widespread salt iodization programs. But, as of
2006, Russia had not.[22]

Malnutrition is a common cause of reduced intelligence in parts of the world affected by famine, such
as Ethiopia and nations struggling with extended periods of warfare that disrupt agriculture production
and distribution.[23]

Absence of the arcuate fasciculus.
Q.5 How the non-sensory physical limitations interfere with the physically handicapped children’s
learning activities? Suggest measures to minimize these limitations.
ANS:
One recent trend illustrating the changing nature of families is the rise in prevalence of single-parent families.
While somewhat more common prior to the twentieth century due to the more frequent deaths of spouses, in the
late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, the nuclear family became the societal norm in most Western
nations. But what was the prevailing norm for much of the twentieth century is no longer the actual norm, nor is
it perceived as such.
In the 1960s and 1970s, the change in the economic structure of the United States –-the inability to support a
nuclear family on a single wage–-had significant ramifications on family life. Women and men began delaying
the age of first marriage in order to invest in their earning power before marriage by spending more time in
school. The increased levels of education among women, with women now earn more than 50% of bachelor’s
degrees, positioned women to survive economically without the support of a husband. By 1997, 40% of births
to unmarried American women were intentional and, despite a still prominent gender gap in pay, women were
able to survive as single mothers.
Cohabitation
Cohabitation is an intimate relationship that includes a common living place and which exists without the
benefit of legal, cultural, or religious sanction. It can be seen as an alternative form of marriage, in that, in
practice, it is similar to marriage, but it does not receive the same formal recognition by religions, governments,

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or cultures. The cohabiting population, although inclusive of all ages, is mainly made up of those between the
ages of 25 and 34. In 2005, the U.S. Census Bureau reported 4.85 million cohabiting couples, up more than
1,000% from 1960, when there were 439,000 such couples. More than half of couples in the United States lived
together, at least briefly, before walking down the aisle.
Same- Sex Unions
While homosexuality has existed for thousands of years among human beings, formal marriages between
homosexual partners is a relatively recent phenomenon. As of 2009, only two states in the United States
recognized marriages between same-sex partners, Massachusetts and Iowa, where same-sex marriage was
formally allowed as of May 17, 2004 and April 2009, respectively. Three additional states allow same-sex civil
unions, New Jersey, Connecticut, and Vermont. Between May 2004 and December 2006, 7,341 same-sex
couples married in Massachusetts. Assuming the percentage of homosexuals in Massachusetts is similar to that
of the rest of the nation, the above number indicates that 16.7% of homosexuals in Massachusetts married
during that time. Massachusetts is also the state with the lowest divorce rate.
Same sex couples, while becoming increasingly more common, still only account for about 1 percent of
American households, according to 2010 Census data. About 0.5 percent of American households were same-
sex couples in 2000, so this number has doubled, and it is expected to continuing increasing by the next Census
data.
Childfree Couples
Voluntary childlessness in women is defined as women of childbearing age who are fertile and do not intend to
have children, women who have chosen sterilization, or women past childbearing age who were fertile but
chose not to have children. Individuals can also be “temporarily childless” or do not currently have children but
want children in the future. The availability of reliable contraception along with support provided in old age by
systems other than traditional familial ones has made childlessness an option for some people in developed
countries. In most societies and for most of human history, choosing to be childfree was both difficult and
undesirable. To accomplish the goal of remaining childfree, some individuals undergo medical sterilization or
relinquish their children for adoption.

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