WHAT IS DISABILITY?
Disability or impairment can be defined as a condition or function assessed or evaluated to be significantly impaired relative to the usual standard of an individual or group. The term ”disabled child” is used to refer to an individual’s functioning, including physical impairment, sensory impairment, cognitive impairment, intellectual impairment mental illness, and various types of chronic disease.
TYPES OF DISABILITIES:
There are many types of disabilities, such as those that affect a person’s:
- Vision
- Hearing
- Thinking
- Learning
- Movement
- Mental health
- Remembering
- Communicating
- Social relationships
CLASSIFICATIONS OF DISABILITIES
Categories of disability types include various physical and mental disabilities that can hamper or reduce a child’s ability to carry out his day to day activities. That is to say, these impairments can be termed as a disability of the child to do his or her day to day activities. Disability diagnosis can be broken down into several broad sub-categories, which include the 8 main types of disabilities that are mentioned below:
- Motor Disability
- Spinal Cord Dysfunction
- Head Injuries (TBI) – Brain Dysfunction
- Vision Impairment
- Hearing Impairment
- Cognitive or Learning Disabilities
- Psychological Disorders
- Invisible Disabilities
HOW TO KNOW IF YOUR CHILD HAS A DISABILITY?
If you think your child might have a disability, or he is a disabled child, the first thing to start with is to visit your child’s pediatrician or your family doctor. Your child needs a complete assessment and disability diagnosis before being able to obtain services. Your pediatrician or family doctor is the one who can evaluate your child and refer him/her to a specialist for further testing. Once the disability diagnosis is done, a parent can start to research services for their disabled child. One place to begin is with your pediatrician or your family doctor. The age of your disabled child will determine where you should start.
HOW TO HELP A DISABLED CHILD?
If you have an infant or toddler who is diagnosed with an impairment or, you can start by finding services through your child’s pediatrician. One of the first places where treatment/services may begin with is through the Early Intervention Program for your disabled child. This program will assess your child’s needs through evaluations by a team of professionals in areas such as speech, vision, fine, and gross motor skills. You can ask your doctor for more information.
Some services like Occupational therapy, physical therapy, speech and language services, psychological evaluations, music therapy, and vision therapy are provided to the disabled child to increase his productivity. Vocational and educational services are also available for individuals with disabilities at the government level.
