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‘Sports can aid learning among intellectually-challenged pupils’

By Eno-Abasi Sunday
15 October 2015   |   4:54 am
For some strange reasons, most households relegate their intellectually challenged members to the inner chambers of their homes after school hours. Expectedly, this development worsens the conditions of these children, who most times end up being totally maladjusted, in comparison with their other colleagues, whose cases are better handled. However, for parents of special needs…
Chidubem flanked by parents

Chidubem flanked by parents

For some strange reasons, most households relegate their intellectually challenged members to the inner chambers of their homes after school hours.

Expectedly, this development worsens the conditions of these children, who most times end up being totally maladjusted, in comparison with their other colleagues, whose cases are better handled.

However, for parents of special needs kids, who are gradually turning their intellectually challenged children into recluses, an advise has come to them from one who has succeeded in managing her situation impeccably.
Only recently, the Nigerian contingent to the World Special Olympics Games, held in United States, brought back 71 medals, comprising of 36 gold, 26 silver and nine bronze. Chidubem Emuwa, a cyclist and pupil of Greensprings School, Lekki, Lagos, got one of the gold medals in his. 

For Chidubem’s mother, Angela, a array of opportunities for special needs teens to excel abound, but only if schools and their parents take the pains to explore their innate abilities, including through sports, in order to discover their areas of strength.
“It gives me a feeling of immense joy and pride to have my son competing in the Special Olympics for the second time,” said Mrs. Emuwa, who added that even exposing him to sports was “all about being able to maximise whatever potential he has. 

She continued, “Sports has helped him discover new abilities in himself. I’ve always believed that children should be exposed to as many opportunities as possible in order to discover their strengths and areas of interest. This is very important, especially when a child has intellectual challenges/learning difficulties.

“For me as a parent, I can say that sports has helped Chidubem to socialise more. He still has challenges in this area, but participation in sports is definitely a way to improve the situation. 

“I am inspired to continue to support him in sports because it can only help him overcome his challenges even more. I believe in the saying, ‘a healthy mind in a healthy body’. In the western world, the phrase is widely used in sporting and educational contexts to express the theory that physical exercise is an important or essential part of mental and psychological wellbeing. Also I don’t want to miss out on any opportunity to show his potential – it’s also a bid to discover where his strengths lie,” she added.

In stressing the role schools that schools that are well-equipped to attend to the needs of special children play in harnessing their potentials, she said, “Chidubem has been in Greensprings School since he was 18 months old. His older siblings, Obi and Cheta started schooling there even before he was born. It was therefore natural that Chidubem would attend the same school. The school has always supported children from challenging backgrounds, intellectual, behavioural etc. Mrs Lai Koiki, director of the school has always believed that children should be given a chance to maximise their potential no matter their circumstances. Implementation is sometimes a challenge, but there is no doubt that Greensprings is putting in a great deal of effort in this regard.

“In fact, I got to know about the Special Olympics through Greensprings. The school was very much involved with SONigeria at the time and three of its students qualified for the basketball team for Athens 2011.” 

Giving an insight into his son’s typical schedule, which has aided him to realise his potentials, she said, “I’ve always been extremely proud of Chidubem because he works twice as hard to achieve the kind results he gets because his brain processes information slower than his other ‘neurotypical’ children. On a typical school day, he’s reading and learning from 8am to 8pm. After school, his home tutor is waiting for him and he does another four hours minimum with him. His French teacher also comes thrice a week.

Mrs. Emuwa continued, “Experience and observing other children abroad, and seeing the progress made with consistent input from parents and teachers, who believe in them has taught me not to limit my expectations for Chidubem. We know we are coming from – a total loss of speech and memory of things previously learnt by 18 months. And we know where we are now to the glory of God.

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