THE PAST YEARS have seen an exponential increase in the number of enrollees in the Special Education (SpEd) course, both in the graduate and undergraduate programs, at the state-run University of the Philippines (UP).So much so that the university is considering imposing a quota on the number of students applying in the decade-old SpEd master’s degree program, says Dr. Erlinda Camara, UP SpEd area coordinator. “We have seen an influx of enrollees. We not only have educators but also doctors, therapists and parents of children with autism,” Camara says. UP’s Special Education program reaches out to children with development delays, such as autism, cerebral palsy and attention deficit disorders, those with traditional visual impairment, as well as juvenile delinquents. The increase in enrollees isn’t solely because of a great demand -- with astronomical salaries -- for SpEd teachers in the United States. Growing awareness Camara, one of the pioneering experts in the field, credits the enrollment phenomenon to a nobler reason: With more and more special children born, there is a growing awareness and acceptance of autism and other similar deficiencies in the country. “It is a challenge … but it is also an achievement to be able to help these children with difficulties to learn,” Camara says. Another expert says that while SpEd as a field is still in its infant stages, the Philippines has already developed a good cadre of caregivers and teachers. “We are not behind in ideas, implementation and programs,” says Ma. Therese Macapagal, executive director of Cupertino Center for Special Children at La Vista subdivision in Quezon City. Programs adopted from West Programs have been adopted from those developed mainly in the United States, Britain and Australia. Macapagal says the Philippine programs are more advanced than those in Japan, although the Japanese have better facilities. But Macapagal, who is also a senior professor at Miriam College Graduate School, laments that many SpEd graduates go to the United States each year, citing figures ranging from 50 to 90 percent, because of high salaries. The state university, which began offering SpEd as a course in the 1950s and became a degree program in 1966, is focusing on “building an indigenous academic base for autism.” Camara has coauthored with fellow UP professor, Dr. Edilberto Dizon, a book titled “Teaching Filipino Children with Autism,” which is being used by the Department of Education (DepEd), as well as parents of children with autism. The UP SpEd area also produces teaching materials. Studies on coping The studies and researches of UP’s SpEd graduate students on Filipino children with autism and their families are also invaluable in understanding this disorder and developing coping mechanisms. The studies range from how Filipino single parents -- mostly wives of overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) -- with autistic children cope with difficulties to the importance of having a transition program for young adults with Down Syndrome. But it is UP SpEd’s mobile training program, in partnership with the DepEd and the private sector, that Camara considers a most effective way of promoting special education. “We are not letting this go even though we are loaded in our regular teaching work in UP,” she says. Sourcing of participants and funding for the training program are undertaken by the private Philippine Foundation for the Rehabilitation of Disabled Persons Inc. (PFRD). This week, teachers in Marikina City will participate in UP SpEd’s mobile training program, the 28th to be undertaken since it began in 1994. Commitment The mobile training program has been to Davao, Cotabato, Pangasinan, Benguet and Cagayan, among other places. “Our participants are SpEd teachers who attend for updating, as well as regular teachers who find themselves handling autistic children,” Camara says. The weeklong session covers various topics -- from identifying autism to preparing a curriculum to teaching adapted Physical Education. Ultimately, Camara says, it is people with tremendous commitment and dedication who become effective SpEd teachers. “It is extremely difficult to teach children with autism. You must have the expertise, the commitment, and the kind of personality that would enable you to deal with the challenge,” she says.
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