“Special Magic” in the Cordilleras ... huh? … voodoo? … what’s this all about … a new cult? Relax folks … no worries. On the contrary, it’s a noble initiative of the Rotary Club of Makati aimed at enhancing the educational experience of learners with special needs.

Over the weekend, members of RC Makati and the Rotary Club of Baguio Summer Capital led by president Keith Harrison and president-elect Raio Bautista, respectively, together with the Balai Tulun-An Development Center, paid homage to 228 selfless and dedicated public school teachers in the Cordilleras, and from Apayao who trekked by foot for over 10 hours, who attended a teaching seminar on how to support Children with Special Needs.

The two-day seminar was conducted by Nino Ricky Tumadiang, program director of Balai Tulun-An, a seasoned SPED educator with 24 years of experience supporting Special Children. Balai Tulun-An is an intervention center for learners with Special Needs.

Unless one has a child with certain unique qualities about them, perhaps the greater majority among us are not familiar with Children with Special Needs. Even for those who may have a friend or a relative who have children with Special Needs, beyond seeing on the surface how unusual they act and behave, perhaps we never dwell on the nuances of what it means not just for the child but more so for the teachers and parents who provide support, guidance and love so the child with Special Needs can function, survive, and for so many even thrive to live extraordinary lives.

Some notable examples of highly achieving autistic individuals unbelievably include scientist Albert Einstein, rapper Eminem, Apple founder Steve Jobs, Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg, environmentalist Greta Thunberg, and many other famous personalities who have had a significant impact our lives — us most ordinary individuals.

But perhaps the most famous, or should I say, infamous of all currently is Elon Musk, the richest man in the world who has apparent sway over the most powerful man in the world, Donald Trump. During the weekend, we also had the special treat of watching a most extraordinary and beautiful young lady, 21-year-old Peggy Geiser, who has autism and who performed Broadway and popular songs spectacularly to the delight of the Rotarians and the teachers.

For our info, in sum, Children with Special Needs are kids who require active and constant additional support and resources in order to thrive and achieve their full potential due to physical, emotional, behavioral or cognitive impairments. These unique conditions include a host of disorders such as autism spectrum disorder, down syndrome, cerebral palsy, attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, sensory processing disorder and other learning disabilities.

These disabilities, of course, affect various aspects of their lives, including communication, social interaction, mobility and academic performance without even considering the tremendous impact on their parents socially, mentally and financially.

Autism Spectrum Disorder, in particular, is said to be the most common. The US CDC (Centers for Disease Control) has estimated that one of every 36 children are born with ASD. Interestingly, the prevalence has been rising quite steadily and dramatically over the past few decades. From one in 150 children in 1992, this has as of 2020 risen to one out of 36.

Furthermore, ethnically, prevalence is highest at 33.4 percent for Asian or Pacific Islander 8-year-old children compared to Hispanics at 31.6 percent and Blacks at 29.3 percent. The lowest is among whites at 24.3 percent. This was apparently not the case prior to 2016 when whites were reported to be the highest. And why is this so? It is theorized that it is the awareness, identification and access to services that made a difference. ASD is not curable but an early diagnosis can help the children go on to lead fulfilling lives with support and therapies such as Behavioral Therapy, Speech and Language Therapy, Occupational Therapy and Educational Support.

Unless one has a child with certain unique qualities about them, perhaps the greater majority among us are not familiar with Children with Special Needs.

Intensive education is a critical aspect of supporting children with Special Needs. In the Philippines, needless to say, we are terribly short of resources. For the 120 million people in our country, there are only 133 practicing psychologists, 516 psychiatric nurses and 548 psychiatrists. No wonder we are in the tragicomedic situation we are in, particularly during elections, where we have so many dysfunctional political personalities and wannabes aspiring to manage the fate of our country.

We at RCM are trying our level best to do our very small part in helping solve our nation’s ills. The mission to provide support for Children with Special Needs is but a pebble in the sand.

Until next week… OBF!

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