Christianity refers to children as a heritage. Islam guarantees the rights of a child. Buddhism calls for parents to bless children instead of worrying about them. Hindus believe that children are a God given gift. Even in the secular world the importance placed on a child has and will always be of the highest priority. The Declaration of the Rights of the Child is an international document promoting child rights, drafted by Eglantyne Jebb and adopted by the League of Nations in 1924, and adopted in an extended form by the United Nations in 1959.
Yet, we as the older generation more often than not fail to understand our children. We forget that we were once them and our expectations of these little ones are sometimes beyond what we could achieve ourselves. We do not give them the life of a child and instead see them as pawns in a rat-race for survival, and at any cost expect them to succeed where we have often failed. Children nowadays know only of books and technology, cramped up in their rooms, heads buried in the latest device with no access to actual child’s play. We are letting them grow up a generation of introverts.
All children are special in their own way and require a great deal of understanding from an adult in order to flourish and reach their true potential. But all of this has to be done at the individual pace of each child and not at the whim and fancy of the adults surrounding him or her. Nilu Perera has been championing the cause of letting children be themselves for many years. Nilu has always loved children, but her deep desire to love all children unconditionally first stemmed while she was a volunteer at the Art & Craft Unit at the Chithra Lane School for Special Children.
Nilu first started off her education in her chosen field with a Diploma in Child Psychology from the American College of Higher Education. She then went on to obtain a Diploma in Special Needs Education from the Ladies’ College Department of Vocational Studies. She also went on to obtain an MSc in Applied Psychology from the Coventry University in the UK. But perhaps her greatest achievement is “At My Pace”, a safe haven for children with special needs.
Located within Nilu’s own home, “At My Pace” focuses on integrating children with special needs in to society. Fourteen young teachers with a special gift of working with children and loving them unconditionally assist Nilu in her cause. The centre is open to children with all kinds of special needs whether it is physical disabilities, learning difficulties or psychological issues, and currently works with about 50 children inclusive of those who require remedial help while studying in regular schools.
Nilu explains that her school is essentially divided in to two sections where the morning hours (between 9-12) are spent with children who have special needs. A typical day involves general conversation to increase memory, fine motor skills activities, and activities to enhance concentration and attention, academic activities for reading, writing and numbers, music, arts and crafts, outdoor activities and snack time. The schedule also includes taking the kids out on field trips periodically to let them experience society and build their social skills. However, the main focus is on letting each child comprehend and perform at his or her own pace. “There is no pressure to perform or keep up with the pace of other children. What we do is support each child to learn and become independent”, she says.
During the afternoon hours, children who are students at regular schools but require extra help make their way to the centre. Teachers work on areas such as improving concentration and reducing exam-related stress and anxiety. “What we do is not extra tuition. Sometimes children are identified and cornered in schools and even by their own families as slow learners without even looking in to the root cause of the problem. The issue sometimes is that these children are so stressed out with the pressure to perform and all they need is a guiding hand and a little bit of help to make learning fun again”, Nilu explains.
Having also worked at special needs units at Room to Bloom and Alethea International School as a special needs teacher, and a consultant at Ninewells Hospital and the Colombo South Teaching Hospital, Nilu is deeply concerned about the way in which the education system in Sri Lanka still does not pay enough attention on the proper education and integration of special needs children in to the system. Another one of her greatest worries is how some parents with special needs children or children with learning difficulties are still apprehensive about accepting that their child may need help. “Sometimes the biggest barrier in getting the right education to these children is their own parents and families. Although the social stigma surrounding special needs children is much better than what it used to be a few decades ago, parents are still reluctant to accept the facts simply for the fear of what society would say. My prayer daily is that we all get over this and give all children the love that they need.”
As a single parent, Nilu has also passed on her deep love for children to her daughter. She also works tirelessly to inculcate the same values in her teachers at “At My Pace” and teachers she trains at special workshops conducted for primary school teachers. “It is imperative that children who need assistance are identified early on and remedial help is given to them in the proper manner. This is why especially primary teachers in schools need to be trained and equipped to work with a child with special needs within their own classroom instead of cornering the child”.
“Every child is special and with love and compassion anything is possible”, says Nilu who has and continues to reach out to children who otherwise would wither away unnoticed and unloved.
At My Pace Information
Address: 146/15 Havelock Road, Colombo 5
Contact Number: +94755304050
Email: nilu888perera@gmail.com
Website: http://www.atmypace.org/