Discussion – Chapter Fourteen
“Physical disabilities” is a term used to refer to impairments that interfere with a person’s mobility, coordination, communication, learning, or personal adjustment. This chapter discusses a representative sample of disabling physical conditions, including cerebral palsy, spina bifida, spinal cord injuries, and muscular dystrophy. Health disabilities are conditions resulting in “limited strength, vitality, or alertness,” which are “due to chronic or acute health problems.”
Use the question below to guide your discussion:
How do the physical characteristics of a disability influence the social, emotional, or educational needs of children with disabilities?
Submission Instructions:
The Discussion Forum is a wonderful way to build a sense of community, discuss key concepts, and learn from others. You are required to post a response and a reply to one peer each week.
- Post your initial response by Wednesday at 23:59 CST.
- Post a minimum of one follow-up response by Sunday at 23:59 CST.
To receive full credit, your responses must demonstrate an understanding of key concepts; further the discussion by providing original and relevant insight; include a rationale, evidence, or example that supports your response/opinion; and, be free of significant mechanical errors. Your peer responses should provide specific, constructive, and supportive feedback to extend classmates’ thinking and offer additional resources, opinion, and/or experiences.
Your initial post should be 300-350 words. Peer reply posts should be 150-200 words each. Conform to APA guidelines as you write your responses. In-text citations, as well as reference page citations, must be included for any professional journal articles, textbook quotes, video references, etc., used in your response.
*Grading rubric is listed. Click on show rubric.
Reference
TEXTBOOK:
Hardman, M. L., Egan, M. W., & Drew, C. J. (2014). Human exceptionality: School,
community, and family. (12th ed.) Cengage Learning
Response 1
The Individuals with Disabilities Act (IDEA) uses the term orthopedic impairment to describe students with physical disabilities and the term other health impaired to describe students with health disorders (Hardman et. al). A student with a physical impairment may have difficulty with managing the distance between different learning activities, with carrying materials, note taking, practical’s and may take longer to ask or answer questions. The impact of physical disability on learning will vary but for most students the issues of most significance relate to physical access, manipulation of equipment (e.g. in a laboratory), access to computers, participation in field trips and the time and energy expended in moving around the school. Many students with physical impairments may need a Personal Emergency Evacuation Plan in case of an emergency (this is something I had not thought of). People with disabilities are also more likely to face social isolation, which carries its own health risks, including increased risk of death. When a person’s disability includes a mobility impairment, one issue that can arise is increased physical and social isolation.
Students may have frequent or unexpected absences from class owing to hospitalization or changes in their rehabilitation or treatment procedure. Earlier periods of hospitalization may have meant gaps in schooling.
Much research has demonstrated that students with learning disabilities experience emotional distress related to their difficulties. Students with disabilities tend to have higher levels of emotional concerns, such as depression, loneliness, and low self-esteem, than do their peers without disabilities.
There is cause for optimism for people with health disorders. There is on-going research and development efforts in many fields that are producing new person-specific medications, gene therapies, assistive devices, new surgical procedures and many more inventions that heighten an individual’s capacity to function more fully and to mitigate some of the effects of the health disorders (Harman et. al).
References:
ADCET. Australian Disability Clearinghouse on Education and Training.
Hardman, M., Egan, M., Drew, C. (2017). Human Exceptionality: School, Community, and Family.
Response2
YesterdayAug 8 at 5:52pm
Hi Deborah,
I enjoyed reading your post. You have some wonderful ideas to share. Some students with physical disabilities have unique needs in terms of physical space or they may have difficulty using chairs and tables in the classroom. There are some students that may require specialized transportation. These students experience challenges with daily living activities or may require extra time to complete task.
The educational, social, and emotional needs of children with disabilities are very important. Children with physical disabilities often have difficulties that go far beyond those in reading, writing, math, memory, or organization. When they experience constant struggle and failure along with physical limitations, students may develop negative self-esteem, even when others offer support and encouragement. Low self-esteem and a lack of confidence only serve to further interfere with learning and academic success and can reinforce a cycle of failure. For many, strong feelings of frustration, sadness or anger can lead to psychological difficulties such as anxiety and depression. It so important that these students have behavior management to help with those issues if they experience them. Having wrap around services will guide the success of children with physical impairments.(LD’s @ School, 2019).
(LD’s @ School, 2019). Social-Emotional Development and LD’s. Retrieved August 8, 2022. http://www.ldatschool.ca/learn-about-lds/social-emotional-development-ds/