Five-Day Workshop On Applied Behaviour Analysis Ends In Koforidua

Forty Heads of Special Schools and Units for Intellectual Disability in Ghana, on Friday ended a five-day workshop on Applied Behaviour Analysis (ABA) in Koforidua. The ABA is the application of principles and tactics to investigate and modify inappropriate behaviours in Special Needs Children. The workshop, which was organised by the Ghana Education Service, aimed at equipping the participants with the requisite knowledge and skills necessary to prepare Individualized Educational Programme (IEP) to facilitate the effective and efficient teaching of the Special Needs Children. It also aimed to enable Special Needs Teachers to write a Behaviour Modification Support Plan for their students. Topics treated included Development of ABA into Evidence Based practice for treatment of individuals with Intellectual Disability (ID), the ABA�s of Behaviour, ABA Principles and Tactics for Increasing and Decreasing Behaviour. The others were Data Collection and Analysis, Writing of Behaviour Objectives and Development of Individualized Educational Programme (IEP�s), Functional Behaviour Assessment/Analysis, Methods and Report Writing and Linking Assessment to Interventions-Writing of Behaviour/ Support Plan. Ms Benedicta Naana Biney, Director General of the GES, who closed the workshop, said it was the first of its kind in the country. She indicated that quality education could not be achieved if capacity workshops are not organised for teachers to equip them with the needed skills. Ms Biney advised the trainers to ensure that the time spent at workshop was not wasted by impacting the knowledge acquired to others who did not have the opportunity to attend. She urged them to work hard to promote Inclusive Education in their areas. Ms Rosemond Ndama Blay, Director, Special Education Division of the GES, urged the trainers to put what they were taught into good use in order to manage well children with Intellectual Disability. She said the GES aimed at ensuring that no child would be denied education as a result of his or her intellectual disability, hence the Inclusive Education. Mr Alfred Nokobi, the Course Prefect, said the workshop was long overdue, since teachers in Special Needs Education needed skills in ABA as a tool to deliver effectively and efficiently in the School system. He stressed the urgent need for a Committee to be put in place by the Special Education Division to draw a Common IEP for Implementation in all Schools for the intellectually disabled in Ghana. Mr Nokobi also called for a Monitoring team to go round all schools to make sure in-service training is carried out for Special Education Division (SPED) teachers