What is Special Needs?

Special Needs is an umbrella term for the varied diagnosis of children’s illnesses or disabilities that are prevalent in modern society. These can vary from mild learning problems to profound mental retardation and terminal illnesses; however due to misconceptions and misunderstanding, most people do not realize that even children with food allergies, panic attacks and psychiatric problems come under the broad definition of Special Needs. While many see the ‘branding’ of Special Needs as a detriment, the term is used to get the child the relevant services they need and assist them and their family in improving the child’s life and reducing stress from the parent.

Defining Special Needs is often difficult – most commonly Special Needs children are defined by what they cannot do – perhaps the child cannot eat a certain food type, or has difficulty reading – the designation is often a cross that the parent has to bear, even though that is not the intention of it – conversely some parents see it as a positive and challenging designation that will help their child improve and succeed where none thought it possible.

The hardest thing to understand as someone on the outside is that every situation is different, and there is no method to help all of the people all of the time; in fact there’s no guarantee that any given method will work the same for similar children; it’s this that makes it very difficult for the parents, and perhaps even more difficult for the children – despite the label of ‘Special Needs’ and the perception that many people have of these children, these children are far more aware of their personal situations, and this not only frustrates them, but also upsets them when they see the reaction of so-called ‘normal’ people.

I am not an expert on Special Needs children, in fact I am like most ‘normal’ people that do not understand how to interact with special needs children, at least those who have severe symptoms. However my wife works with special-needs children and to see her passion and love for the children is an amazing thing and it’s inspired me to research and write this article.

The one thing my wife has taught me is that special needs children have the same passions, love, fear as the rest of us, but due to their conditions they often cannot express these things – with a little bit of understanding and love, it is possible to get close to these children and realize they are often just like you and I, and in more ways than one possess something intangible that elevates them above us all!

I’ve glimpsed just a little bit of the joy that these children give freely and it truly is awe inspiring. Would I in the same circumstances be able to be as optimistic and joyful? I sincerely doubt it.

While my fear chains me, I realize it is unjustified and very unfair on these children – they did not choose to be the way they are – they do not deserve my fear, and do not understand it. It’s therefore up to me to challenge myself to learn more and get to know these human beings.

To try and categorize Special Needs children is often very difficult, but there are some distinctions that can be made:

Medical Issues:

There are many Special Needs children that have serious health conditions. Children may suffer from cancer, chronic asthma, muscular dystrophy, diabetes, cerebral palsy and dwarfism. These conditions are often very severe and require the child to undergo constant testing, often resulting in operations or invasive treatment leading not only to stress for the children but also for the parents who feel helpless. Even conditions such as allergies or obesity lead to high levels of stress and really can challenge a family.

For some reason society seems to shun children with obvious disabilities like this; surprisingly many adults make derogatory comments when parents take their Special Needs children into society – this is shocking and more importantly ignorant. If these people took the time to get to know these children, they’d learn that the term Special should actually be used to describe their courage, humor and alacrity to live their lives to the fullest – we all could learn a lesson from these amazing children.

Behavior Issues:

For most parents Special Needs children with behavioral issues is the hardest to understand. These condition include ADHD and Tourrette Syndrome. Identifying the problem and developing the right methods to tackle the deficiencies is very difficult as it varies from child to child. The perception of society is that the parents are to blame; in fact the parents are essentially victims as if these conditions go untreated, they can lead to dysfunction in the family and the child is likely to have problems in school. As the ‘special need’ is not an obvious tangible one, the parent often have to be very flexible.

Behavior issues is one of the hardest Special Needs to treat, but there is a lot of work being done to assist parents.

Developmental Issues:

Issues where children struggling with issues such as autism, down’s syndrome and mental retardation are very difficult for parents to handle. These issues are often devastating and quite often children are removed from the mainstream; this means that the parents often have to push to get the services that their children require and deserve. It’s really sad that society does sideline these children – we’re removing barriers of race, sex etc, but we still treat the innocent so poorly.

Learning Issues:

Often children with learning issues are perceived as being ‘stupid’ – in most cases this is simply false and again down to ignorance of society. Issues like dyslexia and Auditory Processing disorder can lead to difficulties in class despite the fact that a child may be very bright. This becomes one of the most frustrating things for the child and parent – the parent has to be constantly working with their child to ensure they get the learning they need.

Mental Health Issues:

In today’s society there are more and more young children developing mental issues. These can be anxiety, depression and often the problems associated with these such as ‘cutting’ or even attempted suicide can catch the parent unawares. It’s one of the hardest things to spot, and often there are no warning signs but it can be devastating for the child and parent.

Find the right medical or social help for the child is very difficult especially as most children with these problems will not want the help or medication that is offered – it’s a fine balance between doing what the child wants and doing what is right for the child.

While every special needs child is unique there are some things that are important and link all Special Needs children together.

School and community – it’s very important for the community and school to embrace these children and to seek ways to assist them. While many people will argue that more money is spent on special-needs per child than on ‘normal’ children, there are many reasons why this should not present a barrier for these children.

• Firstly and perhaps most importantly, these children did not choose to be ‘Special Needs’ so they should not be punished and should get the help they need to flourish – this is what society is all about.
• Secondly, the less ignorant that people are about special-needs children, the more likely we can integrate them into normal classes and allow their peers to help them – this is something that isn’t done enough, and it’s not because the peers don’t want to help, but mostly because the parents don’t want their children to help.
• Finally, the more we work with children with special needs, the more we will understand what works and what doesn’t work – simply removing a problem does not get rid of it; by working with special-needs children we can learn from them – and help future generations of special-needs children prosper.

Care – sadly one of the facts of life for many special-needs children is that they will often have a lifetime of treatment, surgery and disability – often they will have short lives. It is therefore essential that we ensure that the care is there for these children and that we make the facilities available to allow these children to live as good a life as they can. “But for the Grace of God go I”

Acceptance – one of the biggest downfalls of our ‘educated’ society is that special-needs children are not fully accepted into society. We need to embrace these children and share in their courage and joy; they know how to live, and we all can learn more about life from their outlooks and insights.

Treat Special Needs children as you would any other children - there are no simple solutions or miracles that are going to abolish special-needs children – but we all can play a part in redefining the term and making it one of beauty and not of abhorrence. Each child who is categorized as special-needs is a SPECIAL person; they are just like you and me – they have desires, feeling, needs and dreams – they may be different than ours, but that doesn’t matter – they are, at the end of the day, still Human Beings.

Don't be ignorant - when you see special-needs children go and talk to them, show them that you are not ignorant and you understand that they do have a great place in society. Don’t move away from someone with cerebral palsy, go and treat them as an adult – some of these children are very intelligent, but sadly are locked into their body (Just look at Stephen Hawkins) – give them the same respect you would any other child.

Don't forget special needs children - it's easy for us all to simply let others deal with the problems of special needs children - however if we all do that, then the system will fail. Push your schools to get involved in teaching other children about special needs; get parents groups involved and let them see the benefits of including special need children in their children's lives.

Love - when it comes down to it, we're all looking for validation and love. Show love to special needs children and help other people learn that there is more to life than placing artificial barrier up to protect ourselves. Love can truly heal.

Throughout my life I’ve heard people say that their ‘special needs’ child will never achieve anything, but they are wrong – you’d be surprised how many special needs children grow up to be very influential in today’s society:

Stephen Hawking – renowned scientist with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis.

Kim Peek – inspiration for movie Rain Man – amazing photographical memory – had an amazing ability to recall facts and figures. Kim had severe mental and physical disabilities and is classed as a savant.

Christopher Joseph "Chris" Burke – Golden Globe award nominee - has down’s syndrome.

John Lennon - amazing singer song writer – had Learning Disability

Andrew Dornenberg - an award-winning chef - has dyslexia.

Terry Bradshaw - a former NFL quarterback - has ADHD

Charles Schwab - founder, chair, and CEO of the Charles Schwab Corporation - has dyslexia

The following all had learning disabilities:

Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart , Jimi Hendrix , Thomas Jefferson ,Socrates ,Robert Frost ,Virginia Woolf ,Christopher Columbus ,John F. Kennedy ,Abraham Lincoln ,Galileo ,Elvis Presley ,Leonardo Da Vinci ,Babe Ruth ,Walt Disney ,,Henry Ford ,Albert Einstein ,Benjamin Franklin ,Orville Wright ,Dwight D. Eisenhower ,Edgar Allan Poe