The "Empowerment and Rights-Based Approach in Children with Special Needs" event was held online by Üsküdar University Vocational School of Health Services (SHMYO). Organized within the scope of "November 20th World Children's Rights Day," the event comprehensively addressed the daily lives of children with special needs, their communication with parents, and their future.
The moderation of the event was undertaken by Ezgi Tesir, Lecturer and Head of SHMYO Child Protection and Care Services Program, and Müge Çolakoğlu Özer, Lecturer and Head of Child Development Program.
Assist. Prof. Dr. Bilge Aslan Açan from 29 Mayıs University Faculty of Economics and Administrative Sciences (İİBF), Department of Social Work, participated in the event as a guest.
Parents set aside their own characteristics
Emphasizing that parents seeking different communication methods to connect with their children should similarly look for different ways for children with special needs, Assist. Prof. Dr. Bilge Aslan Açan said: “Mothers, too, love their children very much. Even if they are normally quick to anger, they put their own characteristics aside and ask, ‘How can I understand my child, what way should I find to get along with them, what would be good to do?’ They completely try to discover methods that would benefit the child and communicate in that direction. The same should apply to individuals with special needs.”
First, we harm our own child…
Addressing the prejudiced approach of parents towards children with special needs, Assist. Prof. Dr. Bilge Aslan Açan stated: “A child's ability to establish a secure connection is possible not only through their interaction with their mother but also through their interactions with other people. When we, as parents, say, ‘This child is disabled, my child's academic success will decrease,’ we send the child this message: ‘Don't be disabled or different one day, or you'll be excluded.’ The child then looks at the world with anxiety. When we look at it this way, we are primarily harming our own child.”
Uncovering their talents is in our hands
Açan emphasized that the emergence of talents in children with special needs benefits society: “When we offer a potential that will bring out their talents, we benefit the most from it. Asperger's is a type of autism, but when we look at it, their intellectual abilities, verbal language skills, and memories are very strong, so they remember what they read very well. Because their transfer abilities are very strong, they can become excellent academics. Those with dyslexia have very strong right brains; they are very creative people but learn in different ways. They struggle to read what they see on the board, but they have so many diverse talents.”
The event, held via Zoom, concluded after participants' questions were answered.