Regular schools have a population of children that can be compared to a swarm of bees. The concept of personal attention and the ability to get doubts clarified rarely happens because of the overwhelming number of children with difficult behaviors and the ratio of teacher to students being disproportionate. The category of special needs is a phenomenon that is growing in today’s world. To clarify on what special needs in children mean, we can look at the definition from the diagnostic and statistical manual of mental disorders (DSM) and the international classification of diseases. This manual is a publication by the American Psychiatric association which is used widely across the world as a standard to measure disorders. Special needs refers to individuals who require assistance for disabilities that may be medical, mental, or psychological. Children with special needs require attention and assistance in performing day to day activities. They have the potential to reach heights and achieve self-transcendence when given the right platform. The category of special needs can have one or more of the following disorders/disabilities. ADHD (attention deficit hyperactive disorder), dysfunction of sensory integration, Tourette’s syndrome are all behavioral issues that come under the category of special needs. Developmental disorders such as autism and Down syndrome fall under the category too, as well as learning disorders namely dyslexia, dysgraphia, dyscalculia, and auditory processing disorder. NIOS is a model of learning that enables children with varying disabilities to get educated and complete formal education with ease. The main advantage of NIOS or open school is the flexibility in learning and the amount of spare time available to excel in activities that their inner-being urges them to do. In earlier times, there was stigma associated with the term, ‘special needs’. However, with growth in research and development, the designation of having special needs is proven to be useful as it helps parents, teachers and guardians to correct the condition without further delay. It gives clarity and opens up arenas of learning and the right options of education, thus, helping parents to set appropriate and realistic goals for their children without having the sense of inadequacy. To say that NIOS is the perfect platform of learning for children with special needs is an understatement because there is no better option than this. It provides the perfect opportunity and ample space for growth and children get the required nurturing to become rounded individuals. They no longer have to keep away from being at par with other children but in fact can do a tad better with the flexibility that open schooling provides so explicitly. Disabilities should never hold back an individual from pursuing education and leading a good life. Since it all starts at the foundation which is schooling, the right platform and choice of education is what molds and gives impetus to discovering the niche that each child is created to excel at.
NIOS is the only way to unlock and unleash such potential.
