Curative education is an extension of normal education for children with special needs. Unless the teacher has a good knowledge of education and the nature of the growing child it is not possible to educate children who need special care for their growth and development. Many children who do not respond to the usual educational methods respond to curative education. Curative education does not simplify or slow down the ordinary lesson. Nor is it repetitive of the same activity a number of times. The lessons are presented in such a manner that it has the forces of healing and this is known as Curative Education.

The subject matter is not as important in this healing education as the child to whom it is given. The curative teacher does not stuff knowledge into the child but tries to make good what has gone wrong in the development of the child. The teacher using the child’s will actively to attempt to overcome the difficulties of the child. This is an ideal situation, striving towards this is itself taking us – child and teacher – on the curative path.

The very first step towards this healing process for the child begins when the child sees that the teacher approaches all human beings with devotion and recognizes the child under his/her care also as a human child. The art of making the child understand that the child is also human is part and parcel of curative education.

The child must first develop the will to learn and only then academic performances will make sense. To be able to read and not absorb the content of what is read is a wasted effort. Here the curative teacher is given freedom to be able to work with each child as an individual and also in a group. The teacher must be creative and observant. No set ways or methods are prescribed which makes life interesting for the teacher and the children. Unless the teacher understands what is required of himself / herself and is able to transform the knowledge, the healing aspect will not be strong enough to work on the child.

Rudolf Steiner’s Waldorf curriculum is followed by the curative teacher. This curriculum is child oriented and is based on the developmental needs of the child. The children are arranged in the class as per their chronological age. This helps in the healing as each class has child development as their main focus. This again does not imply that the lessons are slowed down for the special children to understand. It is the task of the teacher to digest what is in the curriculum and then give it to the children the way each one requires it.

The attitude of the teacher is another aspect which needs to be respected. The teacher brings warmth of his/her personality to meet the child. For this warmth to steam from the teacher there must be love for each child. Out of this love grows interest, compassion and Not Pity. From interest and compassion the enthusiastic desire to heal mixes with the warmth of the teacher and the healing occurs.

One of the qualities of curative education is its spiritual aspect. The understanding that there is life after death is part and parcel of this education. The teacher understands that the child is not born by chance, the thread that flows through life continues after death. Each child who is born has a destiny to fulfill in spite of the affliction. To help each child fulfill its destiny is the special task of the curative teacher.

Music is a wonderful method to approach and help children with special needs, and classical music has proven to be a very effective method. The rhythm, harmony and melody are the healing qualities that can be used in curative work.
The nervous system is strengthened through melody.
Breathing system strengthened through harmony.
Will forces is strengthened through rhythm.

Fear and self control are two important areas that special children need to learn to face. To help children face fear, regularity and rhythm helps. The effort that the child puts in helps with self control.

The curative education comes to completion when the child finishes schooling around 17 years (in our country we finish +2 at this age). After schooling the special youngster continues with curative education. This now is transformed to social therapy respecting their age and growth that takes place irrespective of the challenges faced by each child. Interaction with society now takes importance and this is done therapeutically. To respect the youngster and ensure that each one is capable of doing some task is important. The task needs to be selected with care and learning to be done step by step until the concept is understood by the youngster. The end product is important and needs to be something useful, as this is what gives the youngsters self respect.

When life as a whole is viewed, what is taught and not taught at different periods of life has a reflection on later years. What happens to a child between birth and 7 years is reflected at 42 years and 63 years. Hence curative education plays an important role helping the teacher to view life as a whole when working with special children and this continues when they grow older.

This is just a taste of what all curative education and social therapy can contain. It must be remembered that in this introduction is only to stimulate our appetite to learn more and what this passage contains is not the full content of curative education and social therapy.