Student Name: Tshegofatso Keekee

Student ID: 201502025

BNS 418 Reflective Journal

Short Vacation Week – Community Study

DATE: 22/03/23 and 23/03/23

FIELDWORK: I Am Special Education Society

DESCRIPTION OF ACTIVITIES: On the 21/03/23 I received an email from my lecturer

detailing my placement at I Am Special Education Society for the replacement of missed
hours during the community study. I Am Special Education Society is a non-profit making
organisation which provides educational services to children with special needs, in particular,
those with intellectual and multiple disabilities such as Down syndrome, Autism, Cerebral
Palsy, Epilepsy, Spine Bifida, and other developmental delays. On Wednesday, we met with
the coordinator of the society, Mrs Kenosi who welcomed us to the school and introduced us
to the staff, she also shared their organisations’ mission which is to provide educational
services to children with special needs. She mentioned that they focus on different
programmes with the main objective of promoting self-help skills and other life skills
necessary for the betterment of the students with special needs. Soon afterwards we were
notified that it was a sports day at the school and we were asked to help their instructors with
providing motivation and guidance to the students as they engaged in various physical events.
Studies by (Yazdani, 2013) and (Shields, 2016) suggest that physical activity may be a
pivotal factor not only in preventing obesity and health risks associated with weight gain but
also in promoting healthy cognitive, psychosocial, and physical development in children with
special needs.

On Thursday, I was grouped with Mrs Zachariah, who is the special needs educator at the
school, on that day we focused on improving the students fine motor skills, this was done by
ways of colouring books and singing of songs. (Top, 2021) Defined motor skills an action
which involves the movement of muscles in a body, they are divided largely into two groups
gross motor skills which include the larger movement of arms, legs, feet or the entire body
and fine motor skills which are smaller actions such as holding an object with the thumb and
a finger or using the lips and tongue to pronounce words and syllable.

REFLECTION ON SELF: I was very proud to have been given the opportunity to help and
work with students with special needs because it felt good doing a community service and
seeing the immediate outcomes as the students expressed joy about our visit as we helped
them with various activities. The visit was also a boost to my self-confidence as I worked
with various members of the staff and gained confidence as I dealt with the special needs
students.
RECOMMENDATIONS: The first thing I would recommend is spending more time at the
school to learn more about ways of educating special needs students because I may get a
patient with special needs in future and knowledge on which activities to do may be of
benefit. The other thing I would suggest is encouraging visits to similar schools because it
may provide practical experience related to care given to those with special needs.

References
Shields, N. S. (2016). Perceived barriers and facilitators to participation in physical activity
for children with disability: a qualitative study. BMC Pediatrics,
https://doi.org/10.1186/s12887-016-0544-7.

Top, E. (2021). Fine motor skills and attention level of individuals with mild intellectual
disability getting education in inclusive classrooms and special education schools.
International Journal of Developmental Disabilities, DOI:
10.1080/20473869.2021.1953940.

Yazdani, S. Y. (2013). Factors predicting physical activity among children with special
needs. Preventing Chronic Disease, doi: 10.5888/pcd10.120283.