Report: Role of Peers and Community in Development of Children with Exceptionality

Using a Case Study/Research Paper.

Introduction
When it comes to raising awareness and sensitizing people about children with special needs in a country
like India, we still have a long way to go. We have yet to create infrastructure that is disability-friendly as a
matter of course, or to provide integrated school curricula that can accommodate students with special
needs. This frequently leaves their parents fumbling in the dark, unsure of where to begin. The underlying
underpinnings and mutual understanding of people, such as norms, religion, identity, and values, are what
allow peers and communities to exist.
"The aim of human life is to serve, to exhibit compassion, and the will to help others," said Albert
Schweitzer, a French-German theologian. Fundamentally, it is our vital responsibility to allow people to feel
comfort, express care, and assist everyone, special needs or not. Furthermore, a positive attitude within the
community leaves a beneficial and dramatic legacy that will be passed down to future generations.

Role Of Peers
A major accomplishment of the preschool years is the establishment of social bonds with peers. Developing
the skills and knowledge needed to interact positively and successfully with peers can be difficult for some
children with impairments (e.g., developmental delay, autism, mental retardation, emotional/behavioral
disturbance). Early intervention and early childhood programs should priorities the development of peer-
related social competence, according to experts. Practitioners must construct tailored educational plans that
include social competence goals for many young children with disabilities. Specific teaching/intervention
tactics are required to achieve these programmatic and individual goals. Systematic instructional programs
or intervention methods, on the other hand, are required for children with disabilities who are socially
rejected. The majority of young infants gain prosocial skills through observation and participation in social
interactions with socially competent peers. Children with disabilities who are socially rejected may not have
access to such rich and important learning opportunities. Their access to socially competent peers may be
limited due to a) placement in settings with few socially competent peers (e.g., special education classrooms
with only other students with disabilities) or b) a lack of the entry skills required for engaging in even basic
social interaction and play with socially competent peers. Intervention programs aim to build up the social
group environment and/or teach the social skills required to participate in the rich, naturally occurring
learning opportunities that come with social interaction with peers.
Role Of Community
- Warner, K., Laughlin , M., & Hull, K. (n.d.). The role of community in special education: A
relational approach. | Emerald Insight. Retrieved from
https://www.emerald.com/insight/content/doi/10.1108/S0270-40132015000030A008/full/html.
Community is frequently considered as a physical term, involving bringing people together in time and
space. We argue in this chapter that community is better thought of as a mode of thinking, or an orientation.
When instructors see parents as resources, doors open up that can help them accomplish their goals. They
may communicate with parents in a new approach, one that is truly collaborative and based on mutual
assistance. When parents assist teachers in making their jobs simpler, and instructors assist parents in
making their jobs easier, the advantages to students are significant. Family therapists, who have been trained
to observe how people make sense of their worlds, themselves, and their issues, can assist parents and
teachers in making greater sense of a student's behaviours and failures, as well as act as translators of a
student's seemingly illogical conduct. When instructors see that working with parents in a family-centered,
rather than a professional-centered, manner can help them provide a higher-quality service, the spirit of the
2004 IDEA is achieved, and a true special education community emerges.

Reference:
 https://www.researchgate.net/publication/
283592204_The_Role_of_Community_in_Special_Education_A_Relational_Approach
 https://www.researchgate.net/publication/
330097439_Investigation_of_Peer_Relationships_of_Children_with_and_without_Special_Needs_in
_the_Preschool_Period
 https://www.emerald.com/insight/content/doi/10.1108/S0270-40132015000030A008/full/html