Urgent Commentaries of GLC

The information shared is based on experience as a mom, sibling, daughter, substitute teacher and tutor of children of special needs.  I feel compelled to express, share and urge all to increase awareness.

Who are we?

Genetics, Heredity and Environment

 Genetics 

We inherit genes or genetic instructions from our parents.  We inherit 23 pairs of chromosomes (46 in all).  Of each pair we inherit one from our mother and one from our fathers.  One pair of chromosomes is contained in 1 human cell.  The gene or heredity instruction is contained in the chromosomes.  The combinations of our parent’s genes make up our distinct genetic code and pre-dispose us to their mental and physical characteristics, such as our size, shape structure, color, sex, and mental and physical abilities. 

Pre - disposed

  You ‘re just like your daddy.  The apples don’t fall from the tree.  A male child may grow up in a single family home.  He may have had none or little association with his father.  He may even dislike his father because he left them and because of the way he treated them.  As he grows up you see that he starts exhibiting behavior just like his father.  He may begin to place blame on others for his mistakes.  He may have trouble writing or reading in school.  He may walk just like him etc.  He may even begin to display the very behavior that he dislikes about his father and not see it.  Wow, the power of genetics…

 Environmental – Social

Social atmosphere:  There have been studies made performed with children who inherited shy personality traits.  Through the encouragement of the child being around more children, it has been founded that the child has become more out going as a result, thus changing some of the shy tendencies.

 Environmental - Medical

 Then there have been cases where a mother can have a close to perfect pregnancy and then for some strange reason may need surgery.  The testing, medications and stress are introducing environmental changes that may alter the natural genetic development of her child during her pregnancy, thus causing a special need.

Environmental - Stress

Wow she’s a strong and stable person.  She has three kids.  She is doing such a good job with them.  At home behind closed doors she may scream and holler.  “I can’t take it anymore”.  She may even tell her children that I am going to take you out of your misery.  She probably told her mate or a friend that the kids were getting to her.  Then she has her new baby.  Wow, she’s not looking as good as she use to.  She doesn’t talk as much anymore.  Her behavior is slightly changing.  One day something tragic has happen to her kids.  The warning signs were there, but no one took them seriously.  She may known and felt that she was slipping away but she couldn't stop it. She may have slipped away into mental illness because her stress level went way above what she could handle or she could of be pre-disposed genetically.

 These are just to name a few examples that most can relate too…

Ain't nothing wrong with my child!

Ain’t nothing wrong with my child!  Special needs are just in your mind.  Was it a way to create an inferiority complex within the races?  He’ll grow out it.  Don’t label my child!  It will give him a negative stigma or reputation. 

 Poem from 

"Uplifting the pain" Collection

I Can’t See

I can’t see

Through your silliness and immaturity

Why you’re always falling and knocking things over

I can’t see

Why you’re unable to get along with others

Why you’re always into something

Why you don’t listen to me  

I Can’t see

Why you can’t talk right

Why you can’t be still

Why you have a problem holding a pen, or

 Why you cant write right

Why you cant read

I cant see why your having problems in school

 I Can’t See

Why they say you have special needs

 I Can’t See

I can’t see your special needs because it hurts to see me…

Copyright 6/2004

 How many times will you let your child get left back?  How many times will you let your child get suspended?  How many times will you let your child get put out of class?  How long will you let your child just fail,  

 because you do not want or will not face or accept the facts that they may required special needs or private services.

  Nothing personal…

Remember:  Genetics, pre-disposed, heredity and environment.

Progress Steps:

Acknowledge, Acceptance, Embracing, Education and saying

I have a child(ren) with special needs!

Just Assist, Assist and Assist with Your Child's Success...

This information that is quoted from this web site and shared with you, is in hopes that you gain more insight into your child’s specials needs…

Concerns

My child has problems in these areas:

Not good at:
reading
spelling
copying out work
Slow at getting started
Confused by instructions
Confuse b and d
Can't recite tables
Can't recite the months
Can't remember digits
Good at art, music,
design, creative activities
Can't find the right words
Confuse words when you're
talking  

http://www.dyslexia-information.com/whatisit.html

 

  www.health.allrefer.com/health/speech-impairment-brain.html

 www.allrefer.com

 

Tufts – New England Medical Center

Department- The Center for children with special needs

In founding the CCSN, the Ligumses and Dr. Rosman were particularly concerned with the well-being of families during the period immediately following diagnosis of a child who is found to have a disability.  The initial stages of diagnosis and development of a treatment plan for children with special needs can be particularly difficult and stressful.  These children are affected by neurologically-based problems that compromise their academic, social and emotional development.  Without appropriate intervention, many begin a cycle of failure, humiliation and low self-esteem that can continue throughout a lifetime.

Too frequently, parents receive conflicting advice from a variety of health and education specialists and feel that the health-care and educational systems often fail them during this critical period.  Families must deal with the complex emotions of confusion, worry and guilt as they struggle to find the most appropriate treatment for their child.  They must also face the uncertainty of the changing landscape of the health care environment and managed care, in addition to changes in the delivery of special education services to their children.

CCSN Home Page

www.nemc.org/ccns/nproseman.htm

Why?

Why can’t my child read!  Why is my child clumsy?  Why can’t my child speak clearly?  Why cant my child write legibly.  Why is my child having a problem doing math?  Why my child can’t sit still and concentrate?  Why is my child so emotional with behavioral problems?

What should I do?

First, openly and honestly ask yourself, is there anyone in my or my child’s father’s family have any of these problems?

 Contact the School. 

Ask for a child study meeting with the

Guidance councilor

And all the teachers and faculty who express concerns for your child

   Listen to them.

Make and take honest wholehearted notes of your concerns from home.

Compare, Ask questions, Seek direction and Know Your Rights.

 Where do I go?

 What type of doctors, medical treatment or therapy do I need?

First see your pediatrician.  Make sure that he is special need sensitive, and knowledgeable.  If not you may need to for seek more pediatrician references.

 If necessary obtain a referral for a specialist that your pediatrician recommends based on the information that you have given him.

Specialists:  Developmental Pediatrician (only 300-350 in the U.S.)

Psychologist

Psychiatrist

Neurologist

Speech Therapist

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Recognitions   l   Positive Impact

Why can’t my child read?                  

D y s l e x i a

(Common, unknown and misunderstood)

 That’s a word that cannot legally be mentioned in most school systems because it’s a medical term and evaluation. 

  Dyslexia: Is It All in Your Mind? describes the physical differences that develop in the brain of the fetus that results in dyslexia. Html version  www.interdys.org

 www.dyslexia-information.com/whatisit.html

Type of Special Need  

D y s l e x i a

School Term :(SLD - Specific Learning Disability) or

Specific Literacy Difficulties SLD/ (Dyslexia)

·  Three times as many males as females affected

·  Three types of dyslexia; motor, visual and auditory

It is likely that there will be marked deficits in their achievements despite being of average or above ability.

SLD causes significant problems with reading writing and spelling, and sometime maths.  Short-term memory, concentration, personal organization and sequencing can also be affected.  In other respects many people with SLD are very creative.

Things to look out for:  problems with phonics, poor short term memory and problems with distinguishing right and left.  The child might seem bright in some ways but with a ‘block’ in others.  The child may have difficulty with carrying out a sequence of three or more instructions.  He/she may write letters and numbers the wrong way round, e.g. 17 for 71, 9 for 6, b for d etc.  He/she may write a word in several ways without recognizing the correct version.  There can be confusion with left and right and he/she may have a poor sense of rhythm.  Learning about time and tense can also cause problems.

In older children he/she may make unexpected errors reading aloud, have difficulty copying and taking notes and spelling.  He/she may have problems planning and writing essays and with mental arithmetic.  It might take him/her a very long time to read a book with understanding.  A lack of self-esteem is often apparent.

Further Information

Dyslexia Checklist (pdf)

Identifying Dyslexia (In Touch June 2003)

Teaching Strategies

www.socsci.ulst.ac.uk/education/scte/sen/types/dyslexia.html

                

Why is my child clumsy?

Type of Special Need 

D y s p r a x i a

School Term :(SLD - Specific Learning Disability) 

• Often known as ‘clumsy child syndrome’
• May be mild to severe
• Can affect speech
• Can cause child to have low self-esteem and later mental problems.

This condition is a lack of development in planning of physical movement and organization.  The affected motor problems result in difficulties in academic learning and also in daily life skills.  This may be seen in delayed crawling, walking etc.  They often have difficulty coping with multi-sensory stimuli and can feel pain from too much sound or visual stimuli.  Children with dyspraxia often appear to be above average verbally and this can lead teachers to believe they are more competent than they actually are.

What to look for:

In school the child will usually have difficulties in handwriting, in physical education, in tying shoelaces etc.  He/she may knock over or drop things easily.  Getting all the items he/she needs out of his schoolbag can require a great deal of effort.  The child can be of high/satisfactory ability in verbal skills but writing/gross motor skills can be very poor.  This child can appear to be lacking in concentration and motivation and ‘lazy’.

Teaching Strategies

www.socsci.ulst.ac.uk/education/scte/sen/types/dyspraxia.html

Related Conditions

There is an overlap between dyspraxia and other developmental problems such as dyslexia.

Dyspraxia and dyslexia overlap and often co-exist in the same person. Dyspraxia is an impairment of the organisation of movement that is often accompanied by problems with language, perception and thought. Dyslexia is primarily a difficulty with learning to read, write and spell and is often accompanied by other other problems such as poor organisational skills. The pattern of difficulties experienced by a person with dyspraxia may vary widely as with dyslexia.

There may also be overlaps with conditions such as ADD (Attention Deficit Disorder), ADHD (Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder), Asperger's Syndrome and Dyscalculia (difficulty with mathematical concepts). Some people with dyspraxia have tactile defensiveness - they are over-sensitive to touch. Others may have articulatory dyspraxia, which causes difficulties with speaking and pronunciation.

 

www.dyspraxiafoundation.org.uk/dyspraxia-information/related.html

 

What Is Developmental Dyspraxia

Developmental Dyspraxia is a neurologically based disorder, a motor planning difficulty present from birth. It is believed to be an immaturity of parts of the motor cortex (area of the brain) that prevents messages from being properly transmitted to the body. 

There are three (3) types of Developmental Dyspraxia. Oral Dyspraxia, Verbal Dyspraxia (DVD), and Motor Dyspraxia. The three variations effect approximately 5% of the population with approximately 70% of those effected being boys.

Oral Dyspraxia causes children not to be able to reproduce mouth movements. When asked to put their tongue up to the top of their mouth a child with oral Dyspraxia may not be able to, even though they do this unconsciously.

Children with Developmental Verbal Dyspraxia have difficulty in making sounds or making sounds into words. For example, a child with DVD might have trouble producing sounds in the beginning, middle or end of words such as 'sh'. When trying to say "shop" it might come out as bop, regardless of how hard they try to produce the sound/word correctly..

Motor Dyspraxia inhibits an individual from moving as planned and organising sensory input. Children with Motor Dyspraxia appear to be clumsy, but don't confuse a clumsy child with a child that has Motor Dyspraxia. While some refer to Motor Dyspraxia as "Clumsy Child Syndrome" they Are Not the same thing.

Dyspraxic children are usually of average or above intelligence. As you can imagine, having Dyspraxia and not being able to get your body to do what you want it to do, when you want it to do it, (i.e. talk properly or throw a ball correctly) can be very frustrating to a child.

Austrialian Dyspraxia Support Group & Resource Centre Inc.

(www.yahoo.com)      www.dyspraxia.com.au/

 This information that is quoted from this web site and shared with you, is in hopes that you gain more insight into your child’s specials needs…   

Why can’t my child speak clearly? Why your child may not qualify for speech services?

Type of Special Need 

D y s a r t h i a

School Term :(SLD - Specific Learning Disability) 

This condition is a weakness of the muscles used for speaking. 

What to look for:

The child might speak in a whisper, have slurred speech or appear to be talking through his nose.  There may also be other physical problems related to their being unable to control their muscle movement. Children with cerebral palsy often have dysarthia.    

Teaching Strategies

People who can help: SENCO/Resource Teacher; Speech/Language Therapist

www.socsci.ulst.ac.uk/education/scte/sen/types/dysarthia.html  

Dysarthia

Dysarthia is a speech disorder that results from weakness and/or in coordination of the nerves and muscles that control speech. Dysarthria can be caused by progressive neurological diseases such as Parkinson's or Lou Gehrig's disease; or by conditions such as stroke or head injuries. 

Symptoms: In dysarthria, the speech mechanisms that control respiration, voice production, resonation and articulation are affected. Many individuals with dysarthric speech patterns also have difficulty swallowing. Dysarthric speech ranges from being slightly distorted to unintelligible. Persons with dysarthia are usually able to understand spoken and written language.

Treatment and Rehabilitation: Speech therapy programs, which teach individuals ways to improve overall speech intelligibility, can be effective. In more severe dysarthria augmentative communication devices, such as picture boards, computers and speech synthesizers, may be helpful.

·         Be a careful, patient listener. Allow extra time for communication.

• Reduce background noise that may compete with the person's speech.
• Consider using augmentative communication devices for the person with severe dysarthria.
• Observe facial expressions, body language, and lip and tongue movements to enhance your understanding capabilities.
• Encourage the person with dysarthria to modify this speech pattern. This can be done by asking him to speak slower, louder and in short sentences.
• Consult a licensed speech-language pathologist. 

Care Giver PA at

 http://caregiverpa.psu.edu/manual/text/s3-16-dysarthia.htm

 

This information that is quoted from this web site and shared with you, is in hopes that you gain more insight into your child’s specials needs…   

Why cant my child write legibly.

Type of Special Need 

D y s g r a p h i a . . . 

School Term :(SLD - Specific Learning Disability) 

• is a processing problem
• causes writing fatigue
• interferes with communication of ideas in writing 

        contributes to poor organization on the line and on the page

Dysgraphia can be seen in. . .

• letter inconsistencies
• mixture of upper/lower case letters or print/cursive letters
• irregular letter sizes and shapes
• unfinished letters
• struggle to use writing as a communications tool

Dysgraphia is defined as a difficulty in automatically remembering and mastering the sequence of muscle motor movements needed in writing letters or numbers. This difficulty is out of harmony with the person's intelligence, regular teaching instruction, and (in most cases) the use of the pencil in non-learning tasks. It is neurologically based and exists in varying degrees, ranging from mild to moderate. It can be diagnosed, and it can be overcome if appropriate remedial strategies are taught well and conscientiously carried out. An adequate remedial program generally works if applied on a daily basis. In many situations, it is relatively easy to plan appropriate compensations to be used as needed.

Dysgraphia is an inefficiency which seldom exists in isolation without other symptoms of learning problems. While it may occasionally exist alone, it is most commonly related to learning problems involved within the sphere of written language. Difficulty in writing is often a major problem for students, especially as they progress into upper elementary and into secondary school.  Rosa Hagan has stated, "Inefficiency in handwriting skills provides a barrier to learning, whereas efficiency in basic handwriting skills provides a tool for learning. Once this tool is established, it can help reinforce many other areas kids are having difficulties with."

Difficulties with writing often leads to major misunderstandings by teachers and parents, and consequently, to many frustrations for the student. This is especially true for the bright, linguistically fast student who encounters a major stumbling block when dealing with written expression due to the lack of smooth, efficient automaticity in letter and word formation. These students struggle to translate their thoughts and knowledge, which then denies their teachers the opportunity to understand what they know.

An astute teacher or parent may suspect dysgraphia in a student by observing writing performances. All too often, however, the student's performance is interpreted as poor motivation, carelessness, laziness, or excessive speed. While these observations may be very real, they are on the surface, and the underlying cause may be a dysgraphic pattern which is not within the student's control. Specific symptoms which may be noted include:

www.dyslexia-ca.org/dysgraphia.htm

  Why is my child having a problem doing math?

D y s c a l c u l i a...

School Term :(SLD - Specific Learning Disability) 

A very specific difficulty in mathematics, often with numeracy, but no accompanying difficulty with literacy. 

What to look for: pupils may have difficulty in remembering and carrying out sequenced instructions, they can confuse telephone numbers.  They might have problems with word sums or in problems following procedures in problem-solving.  They might have difficulty recognizing patterns or they might write numbers the wrong way around.  They sometimes muddle digits and operators and have poor estimation skills.  They may lack confidence and have low self-esteem during maths lessons and may work slower than others.

Teaching Strategies

People who can help: SENCO/Resource Teacher

  www.socsci.ulst.ac.uk/education/scte/sen/types/dyscalculia.html  

Dyscalculia is of a number of different types, each involving a specific type of problem in solving mathematical tasks. It corresponds in mathematics performance to dyslexia in the area of reading. The majority of children and adults with dyscalculia have it in a pure form in which both the ability to read and the ability to understand what is read are unaffected, although about 20–30 % with dyscalculia have a mixed form of it characterized by having difficulties both with reading and with math Their often requiring a long time to carry out even simple arithmetic tasks. They count on their fingers until far into the upper grades. Difficulties of this sort are termed automatization difficulties.

Children and adults with dyscalculia tend nevertheless to be of normal intelligence, but often present an uneven picture in their results on intelligence tests. Their problems reflect, not emotional problems but difficulties in connection with certain specific types of thought processes.

Not only automatization difficulties but also linguistic difficulties may be involved in dyscalculia. The latter can manifest themselves in difficulties in understanding numbers as concepts. Although possibly being of high intelligence, such a child may have only a limited understanding of either numbers as such or numerical symbols. Another form of dyscalculia involves planning difficulties that lead to the child’s failure to carry out computations effectively. Here the child has difficulties in following a clear strategy in solving arithmetic problems, losing track of where he/she is at, sticking to strategies that are dysfunctional and fail to work out, or giving up on strategies that are correct and becoming passive. Dyscalculia may also be based on problems in visual perception that lead to difficulties at tasks involving logical thinking as well as in carrying out computations. This is often encountered in children who have difficulties in learning to read an ordinary clock and understand how the position of the hands is to be interpreted.

Difficulties with mathematics generally are associated with the child’s having general problems in learning, also in areas other than mathematics, learning tending to take longer than is normally the case. A child of this sort is usually best helped by being allowed to work at a slow tempo and also by being given simplified learning material. On intelligence or aptitude tests, such children tend to score on the low side but to have results that are all at about the same level. There is thus a kind of consistency in their level of performance, also on a day-to-day basis. general consensus that these children simply need a bit longer to learn.

(www.yahoo.com)   http://www.dyscalculiainfo.org/ 

Why my child can’t sit still and concentrate?

ADHD (Attention Deficit, Hyperactivity Disorder

ADD (Attention Deficit Disorder)

School Term :(SLD - Specific Learning Disability) 

• Affects children at all stages of education.
• More common in boys.
• Suffers often also suffer from Dyspraxia (problems in motor co-ordination)

What to look out for: 

The child doesn’t seem to be able to control his activities or attention.  He/she has poor concentration, finds it hard to settle down and is always on the go.  He/she is not good at organizing things, finds it hard to take part in anything requiring sustained effort and will not wait for others.  He/she often acts without thinking; has difficulty following instructions or completing tasks. 

Children who have significant problems in concentration and attention, without the over activity are often described as ADD rather than ADHD.

The behavior will occur in more than one situation, e.g. at home and at school.  He/she may also have poor sleep patterns and difficulties interacting socially.  Due to his/her inattention he/she often underachieves and reading difficulties are common, although his/her academic ability can be low, average or high.

Interventions:

Medication can be used in some cases to reduce the number of neurotransmitters in the brain.  The effects of these medicines only last for a few hours and it is likely that at some time during the school day, the medication will need to be administered according to the school policy.

There is also some suggestion that dietary care may help in some cases.  Reducing the number of additives might be useful.

 It is important though to remember that the use of medication alone is not enough to modify the effects of ADHD; there must also be a behavior modification plan.

An Article Explaining Why It Seems They're Not Listening

Case Studies

Teaching Strategies

www.socsci.ulst.ac.uk/education/scte/sen/types/adhd.html

 

Poem from 

"Uplifting the pain" Collection  

What’s wrong with me?

 I’m never wrong

 I get upset easily

I argue if you say something about me

I put people in their place

I got kicked out of school

I’m critical

I’m a pessimist

I keep it real

I like to be in control

So, what’s wrong with me?

Copyright 6/2004  

Why is my child so emotional with behavioral problems?

 Emotionally Disturbed/Behavioural Problems

School Term :(EH Emotional Handicapped)  

The behaviour of children with problems of this kind is likely to vary from situation to situation and from day to day.  One day the child may seem quiet and withdraw and refuse to engage in conversation, answering only with a grunt.  Other days they can seem friendly and sociable.  They may seem unable to control their emotions and are likely to have aggressive outbursts.  They can be very sensitive and because their self-esteem is low cannot 'take a joke'. They are more likely to see it as a criticism.  They may also act as if they expect to be blamed for everything and have a persecution complex.  They often have little regard for the feelings of others and can be bullying or aggressive to others. 

If appropriate strategies to help these pupils are not put in place, they are at risk of suspension or even expulsion (NI) (RoI).

 Case Studies 

Teaching Strategies

People who can help: SENCO/Resource Teacher

www.socsci.ulst.ac.uk/education/scte/sen/types/emotional.html