How the Special Needs Education Intervention Can Address the Learning Disabilities and Associated Psychosocial Problems in South Sudan, A Case of Jamjang Camps

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DOI: 10.21522/TIJAR.2014.10.04.Art022

Authors : Abraham Ngor Achiek, James Selugo

Abstract:

The study on the Learning disabilities and associated psychosocial problems among children started in October 2022 in South Sudan. The deepening loneliness and vulnerability of the children with the learning disabilities and the associated psychosocial problems among children resulting from the conflict in Sudan, which tore the family union, social fabric in the community structures, and pushed the families into the refugee camps where they have limited access to livelihood that everything to nurture the children is at the appalling stage. The study aimed at ascertaining the presence of learning disabilities and associated psychosocial problems among children in Jamjang Refugee camps. The study used qualitative, quantitative, and ethnographical/anthropological methods to have in-depth comprehension of the facts surrounding the phenomenon. The tools used in the design include questionnaire, interview, and observation. The pilot study conducted in April 2023 ascertained the presence of learning disabilities among refugee children. This consist of dyslexia, dysgraphia, and dyscalculia elucidated as deficiency to write, spell, comprehend, articulate point in written, grammatical errors, poor paragraph organization, spelling errors, and poor arithmetic calculation. The study also confirmed the presence of the associated psychosocial problems which include low self-esteem, discrimination, bullying, stigmatization, neglect, sexual abuse, and rejection. Finally, the finding confirmed the learning disabilities cause the associated psychosocial problems among the children. Whereas the special needs education with the application of multisensory approaches, different recreational games, and Skinner’s Operant conditioning theory, Cognitive Behavioral theory of Bandura are indispensably crucial in reducing the adverse effects of the phenomenon.

Keywords: Auditory, Anxiety, Dyslexia, Dyscalculia, dysgraphia, Depressive disorder, PTSD, visual.

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