LEARNING DISABILITIES DIAGNOSTIC PROTOCOL A PREREQUISITE FOR BASIC EDUCATION IN CAMEROON; HEAD TEACHERS’ PERSPECTIVE
Abstract
Learning disabilities is one of the hidden disabilities that affect one or more of the processes people use in learning and developing oral language, reading, writing, mathematics, social skills, executive functions, memory, and motor skills. Being a disability that is not readily observable because there are no outward signs, many pupils with this condition are often misunderstood or overlooked. Some instructors and administrators suspect that pupils’ who claim to have learning disabilities are faking it, playing the system, or lack the intelligence needed to succeed. The need for a diagnostic procedure for the identification of these conditions is but a necessity. Being a qualitative study the researcher used the phenomenology design and sampled 10 headteachers as participants in the study. The researcher with the aid of an interview guide conducted interviews with all 10 headteachers from ten government-owned primary schools in the North West and South-West regions of Cameroon. The results showed that seven categories of learning disabilities were these schools as recognized by the teachers and headteachers they include reading, attention, mathematical, spelling, comprehensive, memory and writing problems. Numerous challenges abound as headteachers struggle with the practice of identifying learning disabilities. As such, the ministry of basic education in Cameroon should establish a protocol of assessment wherein the steps of identification are presaged clearly alongside the various professionals to coordinate the process and actually conduct early identification and assessment of children with special needs.
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