Women's Ministries Programs

Resource Material

Recognizing Children with

Disabilities Resources

By

Warna Reynders

Eastern Territory

Children and Disabilities

The federal government reports that there are 6.8 million children and youth with disabilities. Other sources estimate that one in twenty children have a disability. These are children who are part of our lives by birth or ministry. Some have special needs that

may or may not be identified. These needs affect their lives at home, school, church, play and their futures. Many of these children are at risk of failing in school and worse yet, life. Children with disabilities grow up to be adults with disabilities. In general, learning and other disabilities are not cured nor do they go away. They remain with the individual throughout life, but may be less obvious to others as the individual develops coping

strategies.

As disabilities are here to stay, we need to be better prepared to recognize and assist the children in our lives with these problems. The information that follows is for the sole purpose of raising awareness and is by no means intended to be all–inclusive.

Common Learning Disabilities

*Dyslexia—a language–based disability in which a child/adult has trouble understanding words, sentences or paragraphs.

*Dyscalculia—a mathematical disability in which a child/adult has a very difficult time solving arithmetic problems and grasping math concepts.

*Dysgraphia—writing disability in which a child/adult finds it hard to form letters correctly or write within a defined space.

*Auditory and Visual Processing Disabilities—a sensory disability in which an individual has difficulty understanding language despite normal hearing and vision.

*Other areas of disability include: mental illness, medical illness, physical (seeing, hearing, walking, talking), mental and behavioral retardation.

Early Warning Signs of a Possible Disability

Learning Difficulties

*Poor ability completing paper tasks.

*Reversed words and/or letters in reading and writing (e.g. b/d).

* Inverts letters (e.g. m/w).

*Transposes words(e.g. felt/left).

*Substitutes words (e.g house/home).

*Transposes number sequences (e.g. 316/631).

*Confuses arithmetic signs (e.g. +/–).

*Difficulty copying accurately from another paper or blackboard.

*Slowness in finishing work.

*Easily confused by instructions—trouble following directions.

*Trouble following a routine.

*Difficulty putting things in order.

*Recalls facts at a slower speed.

*Slow to learn new skills.

Thinking Difficulties

*Difficulty discerning size, shape, color.

*Difficulty with time concepts.

*Fuzzy idea of body image.

*Poor ability organizing thoughts, things, time, priorities or tasks.

* Difficulty with problem solving or non–concrete reasoning.

*Often obsessing on one subject or idea.

*Poor short or long term memory.

*Delays in development (e.g. speaking, hearing, walking).

*Difficulty saying some words or finding the right word to say.

*Trouble learning numbers, alphabet, days of the week.

Physical Signs

*General awkwardness.

*Prone to accidents, seemingly unaware of surroundings.

*Poor eye–hand coordination.

*Hyperactive.

*Very restless.

*Difficulty concentrating.

*Easily distracted.

*Lack of hand preference or mixed use of hands for tasks.

*Unstable pencil grip.

Behavior and Social Signs

*Impulsive, acts before thinking.

*Easily frustrated, low tolerance.

*Poor relationships with peers, maybe has younger friends or no friends.

*Gets overly excited in a group activity.

*Poor common sense/judgment.

*Out of place, not choosy about, or too much display of affection.

*Behavior out of place for situation.

*Fails to see cost of actions.

*Easily influenced by peers, overly trusting, easily fooled.

*Mood swings and over reactions.

*Does not handle change of any kind well.

*Hard time making decisions.

Things to Remember

1. No child will have all these symptoms.

2. Everyone has two or three of these signs to some degree.

3. The number of signs seen in a child is not an indication of how mild or severe the disability.

4. Consider how persistent the behaviors are.