Special Needs Children

Very few children give their parents an “easy ride”. From birth, they seem to know instinctively how to manipulate a parent. In fact, I would go so far as to say that babies and youngsters of humans, and indeed many animals, are the most egotistical creatures on our planet. But with regards to babies and children with special needs, it is often almost a necessity that they demand our every attention.

Negative attitudes in society often cause great distress – both to the special needs person and their families. Some people can be deliberately rude verbally. Others cannot resist staring. Unfortunately, it is almost impossible to change the whole of society. Every family needs to learn to act in a way which makes them “rise above” unfortunate situations with ignorant people.

There are thousands of different types of special needs children – and obviously some disabilities are much more serious and/or worrying than others. But as all parents, and many grandparents, of special needs kids know only too well, these children are particularly precious within the family.

Depending on severity of the handicap, it might well be that the special needs child will still require a parents attentions into adulthood – so the great care and responsibility for an offspring with special needs can be omnipresent for many years beyond the usual range of years of needing to care for a son/daughter.

On an emotive and very sensitive subject, many parents of severely disabled children constantly worry who will be able to support their handicapped offspring when they, the parents, are deceased. To tackle this subject “head on”, whilst the disabled son/daughter is in his/her infancy, gives peace of mind to many parents. In other words, make as many enquiries as possible – to ensure that your child will be well cared for and loved into his/her future adult years.

Special needs children covers a multitude of topics. Physical disabilities include spina bifida, limb deformities and cerebral palsy.

Mental disabilities include downs syndrome, autism, tourette’s disorder and general learning difficulties.

There are also many children suffering from impairments of the senses of hearing and eyesight.

Some children have special needs where the whole scenario is not altogether apparent. Facial disfigurements can be the result of the skull not forming properly and therefore may need several operations to assist correction. Even dwarfism is often much more of a special needs case than a person just having to contend with being short in stature in a world designed for taller people.

Whether it is a physical disability or a mental disability, a baby or child with a handicap, especially a severe handicap, cannot face many moments of the day (and sometimes, also the night) without parental care. This inevitably can lead to a feeling of “being neglected” by the parents - by other siblings in the family. So it is of the utmost importance that the brothers/sisters of the handicapped child also receive some quality time with their parents. This can be far from easy – especially when it has been necessary for parents to have spent much of the night tending to their child with special needs. But it is crucial that other children in the family do not start to resent the child with the special needs – or feel a sense of deprivation by the parents.

Vast majority of children with special needs can be helped enormously. Physical disabilities can become almost “just a bit of a nuisance” once, say, a wheelchair is introduced to a child who is unable to walk. Or, for example, a hearing aid is provided for a child who is a little hard of hearing. Mental disabilities can be enormously improved through parental teaching – and/or receiving a placement with a good special needs school.

Parents of children with special needs always need to try and think positive. Thinking positive not only enriches the life of the child with special needs. It also enriches the lives of the parents and other members of the family.