Enhancing Developmental Resilience in Children with Special Needs through a Strength-Based Paradigm

Abstract

The purpose of this study is to examine special education teachers’ perception of the benefits of implementing a strength-based approach in special schools, and the extent to which the special needs students’ strengths, abilities, and talents are valued and addressed in the current education system. It also investigates how teachers support their students’ strengths, talents, and abilities in the current system. Findings from this study would enable a comparison of the current approach and method of working with a child with special needs in Singapore with a strength-based approach.

The current approach to special education in the local schools is said to be deficit driven. Most special schools in Singapore are focused narrowly on the child’s special education needs (medical model), rather than the development of the child. Many teachers of students with special needs tend to focus on their students’ deficits rather than on their strengths (Clark, 2016). A strength-based approach in special education, on the other hand, focuses on students' positive qualities and contributions instead of the skills and abilities they may not have (Elder, Rood, & Damiani, 2018; Garwood, & Ampuja, 2019).