Challenges and adjustment needs of students with special needs in Ilorin Metropolis, Kwara State

Abstract

Special needs children are the children who for whatever reasons are failing or unable to benefit from regular school and are provided with special  education. The study investigated the challenges and adjustment needs of special need students in Ilorin metropolis. Descriptive survey design was adopted for the study. A total of 322 secondary school teachers participated in the study. The instrument used in gathering data for the study was a questionnaire entitled “Challenges and Adjustment needs of Special Need Students Questionnaire (CASSQ)’’. Percentage was used to present the demographic data while the postulated hypotheses were analyzed using t-test and ANOVA at 0.05 level of significance. The findings revealed that that the challenges of students with special needs include not supported financially, verbally abused and educationally challenged. Also, the  adjustment needs of students with special needs include support for education, encouragement and support from my parents, relatives, the government and other philanthropists within the society and free access to regular treatment when needs arise. There was a significant difference in the challenges of students with special needs in Ilorin metropolis based on age, gender and educational status. There was no significant difference in the adjustment needs of students with special needs in Ilorin metropolis based on age and educational status. There was a significant difference in the adjustment needs of students with sp ecial needs in Ilorin metropolis based on gender. In line with the findings of the study, it was  recommended that the curriculum of education should be design to cater for each learner challenges, teachers and other educators should raise the bar of their academic qualifications and training to equip them with a more diverse learner approach in their services to special needs students.

Keywords: Challenges, Adjustment Needs, Students with Special Needs