Enhancing Learning Outcomes for Children with Severe or Profound Disability – Pilot Results from Kenya
Our recent study shows that empowering parents to provide holistic caregiving improves learning outcomes for learners. Children with disabilities who receive early interventions are better prepared to enroll in school and with continued support from caregivers. In addition, using innovations such as the Activity Bank for Disabilities, which The Action Foundation developed in conjunction with the Kenya Institute for Curriculum Development (KICD) for use even in low-resource settings, empowers caregivers to impart life-long learning. This benefits children with disabilities, whether in school or out-of-school, and enhances their access to learning opportunities.
The Activity Bank for Disabilities describes in detail activities caregivers could carry out with children with disabilities. The activities are in 7 different domains, namely, activities of daily living, oral sensory activities, auditory sensory activities, proprioceptive activities, visual sensory activities, numeracy and literacy activities.
The study aimed to establish caregiver engagement in enhancing learning outcomes for children with disabilities in Kibera and Kawangware, informal settlements in Nairobi, during the COVID-19 period. We conducted training on the Activity Bank for 163 caregivers of children with disabilities. A total of 8 Community Health Promoters were also trained and equipped to provide additional support to households with children with disabilities and to monitor use of the Activity Bank.
In the study, 96.6% of the caregivers created time to play with their children with disabilities using the Activity Bank and 31.3% of them spent more than 1 hour in activities during their play sessions. The caregivers who did not use the Activity Bank cited unavailability due to work schedules, illiteracy, and inability to communicate with their children. In the study, 68% of caregivers recorded progress in their children with disabilities, including independent feeding and improved motor coordination, increased understanding of the home environment, increased physical activity and ability to perform activities of daily living, improved posture, and enhanced proprioceptive exercises such as squeezing of balls.
The children with disabilities in the study were 53.7% boys and 46.3% girls, and the age distribution was 1 to 15 years. Cerebral Palsy was the most prevalent type of disability, affecting 34% of the surveyed households. Other disabilities among the children included autism, delayed milestone, down syndrome, epilepsy, hemophilia, hearing impairment, visual impairment, hearing impairment, hydrocephalus, intellectual, muscular dystrophy, meningitis, and sickle cell anemia. In addition, 41% of the children with disabilities were not enrolled in school.
While it is clear that Early Childhood Care and Education (ECCE) is critical in preparing children to enter and succeed in their academic pursuits and enhancing their physical, emotional, and social development, this study shows that using the Activity Bank for Disabilities challenges parents of children with disabilities to stimulate them and create a home of learning environment that generates life-long learning and higher enrollment at school.
The Action Foundation presented these findings at the 5th National Early Childhood Development Stakeholders Conference, held in Turkana County, Kenya in July 2023. Peer review comments indicated that these promising results, while they need further investigation, are strong enough to allow for further implementation and replication.
George Otieno, Somesha Program Lead, The Action Foundation
Mr. Otieno is a qualified and experienced Educational Assessment and Resource Centre (EARC) Officer in Kenya. The Action Foundation is a community-driven organization registered in Kenya whose mission is to build inclusive and resilient communities where children, women, and girls with disabilities can thrive.