What is a physical disability?
A physical disability is any condition that permanently prevents normal body movement and/or control. There are many different types of physical disabilities. Some of the main ones include:
Muscular dystrophiesWhen a child has muscular dystrophy, this means that the muscle fibres in the body gradually weaken over time. Children can have different types of muscular dystrophy. The most common type is Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy which occurs only in boys. All types of muscular dystrophy are genetic even though other family members may not have the condition.
Acquired brain and spinal injuriesPhysical disabilities may result from permanent injuries to the brain, spinal cord or limbs that prevent proper movement in parts of the body.
Spina bifidaSometimes, a baby's spinal cord (the nerves that run down the spine) do not develop normally during pregnancy. When this happens, the child can have a physical disability called spina bifida. The type and amount of disability caused by spina bifida will depend upon the level of the abnormality of the spinal cord. Children with spina bifida may have:
- partial or full paralysis of the legs
- difficulties with bowel and bladder control.
They may also have:
- hydrocephalus (high pressure on the brain because of fluid not being drained away as normal)
- bone and joint deformities (they may not grow normally)
- curvature (bending) of the spine.
Cerebral palsy
Cerebral palsy is caused by damage to the parts of the brain which control movement during the early stages of development. In most cases, this damage occurs during pregnancy. However, damage can sometimes occur during birth and from brain injuries in early infancy (such as lack of oxygen from near drowning, meningitis, head injury or being shaken).
Children with cerebral palsy may have difficulties with:
- posture (the ability to put the body in a chosen position and keep it there)
- movement of body parts or the whole body
- muscle weakness or tightness
- involuntary muscle movements (spasms)
- balance and coordination
- talking and eating.
Children can have different types of cerebral palsy:
- hemiplegia (involves muscle movements and weakness on one side of the body)
- diplegia (involves muscle movements and weakness in the lower part of the body)
- quadriplegia (involves muscle movements and weakness in both arms and both legs)
- ataxia (involves problems with balance and coordination).
Multiple disabilitiesSome children with physical disabilities will have other disabilities, such as intellectual, visual or hearing impairments. They may also have communication difficulties or other medical conditions such as epilepsy or asthma. When a child has several different types of disability, professionals talk about multiple disabilities rather than listing separate conditions.
BEHAVIORAL PROBLEMS
As you can imagine, behavior problems in children can range from the obvious of...
hitting
pushing
yelling
fighting with peers
difficulty changing from one activity to another
sleeping problems
excessive energy levels
being unable to sit still and focus
refusal to partake in normal childhood experiences or play
picky eaters
frequent tantrums
extreme sensitivities and excessive fearsLearn more about child anger issues and strategies for coping with them.
To more unique or typically "autistic-type" behaviors such as...
grinding teeth
rocking back and forth
lunging
head banging, scratching or biting self
spinning or mouthing objects
constant humming or making noises
finger flicking
jumping or shaking extremities
spinning self
or excessive smelling and sniffing
What is intellectual disability?
- Intellectual disability means that a child learns more slowly than other children of the same age and has difficulties learning the range of skills that will be needed to live and work in the community. These include communication, self-care, social and personal safety skills.
- Children with an intellectual disability will have limitations in thinking skills, including the ability to reason (working things out) and remember.
- They will have difficulties with attention and organising information.
- Children with an intellectual disability have trouble seeing how things or how events relate to each other. For example, they may find it difficult to understand that forks, knives and spoons all belong to a bigger category called cutlery.
- In order to learn effectively, children with an intellectual disability will need certain types of structure and support.
Professionals usually talk about intellectual developmental delay, rather than intellectual disability, when a child is very young. Sometimes a child's learning will be slow for a while due to a serious illness, a change in family circumstances or a temporary hearing loss. But these children may later catch up on learning and then continue to develop as other children of the same age.
However, if a significant learning delay continues as the child gets older and this delay affects a number of areas of the child's development, professionals will begin to speak of an intellectual disability. This means that they expect the child to continue to learn at a slower rate than other children of the same age into adulthood. It is good practice for professionals to formally assess the child before diagnosing an intellectual disability.
Causes of intellectual disability
It is not always possible to explain why a person has an intellectual disability. However, some of the causes of intellectual disability include:
- an illness experienced by the mother during pregnancy, such as rubella
- exposure to alcohol during pregnancy
- problems that occur during pregnancy or during birth
- childhood illnesses that have lasting effects on development, such as meningitis
- some types of infection
- an injury to the brain or head
- lack of oxygen during birth or as a result of an accident (near drowning or suffocation).
- genetic conditions, such as Down syndrome, Fragile X syndrome, Prader-Willi syndrome, Williams syndrome and Angelman syndrome.
It can also be part of some developmental disabilities, such as autism and pervasive developmental disorder.
In addition, there is a higher rate of intellectual disability associated with some medical conditions, such as epilepsy.
Signs of intellectual disability
- Children with an intellectual disability need more structure and support to develop basic skills, such as understanging, talking and dressing.
- Many parents notice that their children take longer to remember familiar people or show an interest in the things around them.
- Children develop at different rates and in different ways. They usually develop simple skills before they learn more complex skills. For this reason, an intellectual disability might not be obvious until a child gets older.
- Health professionals use developmental assessments to check a child's progress in relation to what is expected for each age level. These assessments will show problems in different developmental areas. Certain types of developmental problems are signs of developmental delay or intellectual disability.
COMMON PRESCHOOL PROBLEMS
