SPECIAL CHILDREN
Every child is special in his or her own way.They are all gifts of God.Special needs is a term under which children with different disabilities come under.They may be having Mild Learning Disability,Mental Retardation,Developmental Delays or serious Pschycatric problems.If explained in lay man terms it is something the child is not capable of doing.Some of the disability that these children have are Autism,Dislexia,Attention Deficiency Hyperactivity Disorder and Asperger Syndrome.
Raising and working with a child with special needs can be a challenging and a rewarding experience.
Dyslexia
It is a difficulty in learning to read,speak or write.It is a learning disability that alters the way the brain processes written material.The effect of the disorder vary from person to person.The key problem such a person faces are
1.Weak recognition of numbers ,letters and words.
2.Difficulty in remembering numbers and letters in sequence.
3.Poor spelling.
This results in severe loss of self esteem.The only to cope and help the child is by early diagnosis and teaching them coping skills.
A child who is Dyslexic does not have poor intelligence nor is it a disease.Proper understanding and appropriate education help them to learn to read and write and develop their special abilities.
Autism
This causes impairment in 3 main areas .Social skills,communication skills and in their repetitive and restricted behaviour.It is known as a spectrum disorder because the severity of symptoms vary from mild learning and social disability to a severe impairment with multiple problems.It is the third most common developmental disorder,more common than the Down Syndrome.A child with high functioning Autism may have a normal IQ ,attend a normal school but will have difficulty in expressing himself and will not know how to mix with others.Children with Autism have the potential of building up their skills and they can be helped if they receive early focused intervention.Children with Autism can lead relatively independent lives.
ATTENTION DEFICIENCY HYPERACTIVITY DISORDER
It is a pschycatric disorder that affects 3 to 5 percent of children in pre school and early school years.These children have problem at home and also at school.This disorder continue as they grow into adults.As adults they find themselves extremely disorganized.Getting ready for the days task,staying on in a job and being productive are some of the activities that seem impossible to such individuals.There are 2 aspects of the same disorder.ADD and ADHD.ADD is Attention Deficiency Disorder while ADHD is ADD with hyperactivity.With early intervention these children can lead normal lives.
ASPERGES SYNDROME
This is characterized by severe impairment in social interaction,repetitive pattern of behaviour ,interest and activities.This is a neurological disorder characterized by a lack of social relationship,poor concentration and a restricted range of interest but with normal intelligence and adequate language skills.They have difficulty in understanding the subtleties used in conversation such as irony and humour.
Each child is unique and the treatment needs to be custom made for each child.Sharing ,learning and caring can help the child and the family to come to terms with the condition and accept it.
I being the mother of a special child myself have a few words of advise to others like me sailing in the same boat.Whatever anybody say about the upbringing of your child the phrase “MOTHERS KNOW BEST” holds good.Nobody knows the child as well as the mother does.Every mother wants the best for her child.So all you mothers out there keep your chin up and hope for the best.God has deemed that we play a more powerful role in our childs life.He has given us this difficult part because he believes we are capable of solving it .