M. Darrell Parker, M.O.T., O.T.R.
Introduction:
A Parent And Teacher’s Guide To The Special Needs Child will provide parents and teachers with information regarding their child’s development and disability, as well as offer practical solutions to common problems faced by special needs children and those who care for them. Information contained in this guide will help parents avoid common pit-falls and provide them with knowledge of available support systems and services. This information will help parents become the strongest possible advocates for their child. This guide will also offer parents and teachers hope and inspiration in what can often be a challenging and difficult process of teaching and raising children.
Disabilities vary widely in terms of causes, types, and severity. One thing that all special needs kids have in common is that they each have qualities that set them apart from what most people consider “typical” kids. Unfortunately, there continues to be a lot of misunderstanding and prejudice regarding special needs children. However, as we educate ourselves and others, many of the fears and myths about these children will fade away. In the following short chapters, we will explore normal development and its implications for special needs children, functional deficits, behavior problems and solutions, various diagnoses, available resources, and practical solutions to everyday functional problems faced by special needs children. As we seek to bless our children, we will find our own lives blessed beyond measure.
CHAPTER 2
NORMAL DEVELOPMENT AND ITS IMPLICATIONS FOR SPECIAL NEEDS CHILDREN
Development of typical children varies, and development of children with disabilities varies even more. There are several different areas of development, and each one can be looked at individually. There are many theories about how children develop and many labels for the stages of development that they go through. Many theorists have weighed in on the subject from Freud to Erickson and many in-between. However, we will focus on observable, measurable stages of development.
Most children with disabilities exhibit developmental delays of one kind or another. Understanding what developmental skills a child should have by a certain age will help in setting appropriate goals. And, it will also help to identify potential problem areas. Physical and occupational therapists can offer a lot of assistance in this area. A therapist can give your child a developmental evaluation to help determine areas of significant deficit. The therapist can also offer helpful suggestions to parents and teachers about how to best go about helping their child progress developmentally. Ask the therapists for home and classroom programs so that everyone is working together to help the child meet developmental milestones.
Each milestone of development is important, because one skill builds on another skill until the crescendo culminates in a fully developed individual. Unfortunately, some special needs children will never reach every developmental milestone, but every effort should be made to assist these children in reaching their full potential.
All areas of development are integrated and contribute to each other. For example, when a child is finally able to physically manipulate and stack blocks, he has also developed perceptual and cognitive skills needed to successfully complete the task. The same skills required to complete this developmental “milestone” will assist the child in a whole host of other daily functional activities. We should keep this holistic idea of development in mind whenever we are trying to achieve a developmental goal. In this way, we can set up an environment that will appeal to a child’s strengths while helping to strengthen his/her weaknesses.
Example: Joan is a little girl who is tactily defensive (certain textures make her very uncomfortable). Sand and other grainy textures are part of the problem. Because of this aversion to certain textures, she is avoiding sandy areas of the playground and is unable to access playground equipment that can help her develop strength and coordination skills. Despite this problem, Joan is very social and likes to play with toys.
Joan was effectively desensitized to her tactile aversion by having other children and toys, that she liked to play with, in a sandbox. Joan was told that she was allowed to play with them but that the toys must stay in the sandbox. The first two days she sat by the sandbox reaching into it, playing with the toys, but without touching the sand. The next two days she begins playing with the sand using containers to scoop and dump it. The next day Joan plays with the sand directly but is still sitting outside the sandbox. Two days after that she gets into the sandbox and plays with her friends. This is a process of desensitization that has allowed Joan to more freely explore her environment. She can now progress with her development without having to worry about that particular stumbling block.
Occupational therapists can play a helpful role in identifying problems and assisting children in overcoming various hypersensitivities that may be barriers to development.
Even though the various areas of development are interconnected, it is often easier to identify developmental deficits by breaking development down into specific observable areas.
The following are areas of normal development that can help parents and teachers identify developmental deficits and provide a guide for setting appropriate developmental goals. The following lists are not meant to be
comprehensive but do offer a snapshot into typical development.
AREAS OF DEVELOPMENT 1,2,3
GROSS MOTOR:
The normally developing child should be able to:
2 Months: Lift head in prone (face down) position.
3 Months: Raise up on forearms in prone position.
4 Months: Raise on hands and wrists in prone position; he/she can roll over from face down to face up.
5 Months: Roll over from face up to face down.
