Chapter One

Introduction

1.1    Background of the Study

The process of providing education to children with learning disabilities is considered one of the most prominent challenges the human community is encountering. This started as a result of the negative attitudes that prevailed against the communities during the 50s and the 60s of the past century calling for separating learners with special needs from their regular peers and assigning them to special classes. So many empirical studies were conducted to assess the effectiveness of the separation and it really worked with the international community agreeing that more than 10% of school age children in every community suffer from at least one disability (Rocklin, 1994).

Furthermore, the special education estimates that disability, reaches 15% in developing countries (Conrin, 1994).

Special education includes a group of education alternatives that can be provided for learners with special needs, according to the kind of difficulty of the learner and the votality of the special classes. Nayak, 2008 examined the attitude of both parents and teachers towards children with learning disabilities and found that teachers look forward to teaching these children and are ready to face the challenges. It also states that parents discuss the problems and this helps to take effective measures to bring the children to mainstream.            

1.2    Learning Disability

Learning disability is a classification including several areas of functioning in which a person has difficulty learning in a typical manner, usually caused by an unknown factor or factors. While learning disability and learning disorder are often used interchangeably, the two differ.

Learning disability refers to significant learning problems in an academic area. These problems, however, are not enough to warrant an official diagnosis. learning disorder, on the other hand, is an official clinical diagnosis, whereby the individual meets certain criteria, as determined by a professional (psychologist, predicatrician, etc). The difference is in degree, frequency, and intensity of reported symptoms and problems, and thus the two should not be confused. When the term “learning disabilities” is used, it describes a group of disorders characterized by inadequate development of specific academic language and speech skills.

The specific causes of learning disabilities are not clearly understood, however, these disorders are presumably related to central nervous system dysfunction or from genetics to nutrition to pre-birth and early childhood injury.

Although all learning disabilities are different, students with learning disabilities report some common problems, including slow and inefficient reading, slow essay-writing, with problems in organisation and the mechanics of writing and frequent errors in math calculation.    

1.2   Statement of the Problem

Attitudes of parents and teachers towards children with learning disabilities is a challenge to every society, especially in Nigeria. A lot of debates, seminars and conferences have been held to discuss this issue but the problem is far from being solved. Rather, it seems to be going worse everyday particularly among teachers in primary secondary schools. This research work is basically to investigate on the attitude of parents and teachers towards children with learning disabilities in some selected schools in Ogun State.

1.3   Purpose of the Study

The purpose of the study is to examine the various kinds of learning disabilities suffered by school children. To enlighten parents and teachers on how to test and notice, associate and educate the learning disabled. And to minimize isolation or discrimination between other children and to minimize negative stereotype on special need children.

1.4    Research Questions

(i)         How would you describe parents attitude towards children with learning disabilities?

(ii)        What are teachers attitude towards children with learning disabilities?

(iii)       Are children with learning disabilities ready to learn?

(iv)       What support do government, teachers and parents provide for children with learning disabilities?  

1.5    Significance of the Study

The research work is specially designed to examine the attitudes of parents, and teachers towards children with learning disabilities in some selected special schools in Ogun State.

(a)          It will call the attention of parents’ attitudes towards their children will learning disabilities.

(b)          It will call the attention of teachers’ attitudes towards children with learning disabilities.

(c)          It will call the attention of government attitudes towards children with learning disabilities.

(d)          To know the level of education of the children with learning disabilities.  

1.6    Scope of the Study

This study will focus attention on the factors responsible for the attitude of both parents and teachers towards children with learning disabilities. It will lay emphasis in the need of special training and supportive service for teachers in Nigeria.

1.7    Definition of Terms

Disability: An illness, injury or condition that makes it difficult for someone to do the things that other people do.

Learning: The activity of obtaining knowledge. Knowledge obtained by study.

Attitude: The act of a person towards something either positively or negatively. The way you think about somebody. Confident, sometimes aggressive behaviour that shows you do not care about other people’s opinions and that you want to do things in an individual way.

Parent: A person’s father or mother.

Teacher: A person whose job is teaching especially in a school.

IMPACT: Having a strong effect.

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