Accepting Special Needs Children

Children with special needs may struggle with a variety of issues. For kids with learning disabilities, these issues may center around concentrating for extended periods of time or remaining stationary through long days at school. Children on the autism spectrum, on the other hand, may have difficulty picking up basic social cues such as facial expressions and eye contact. Meanwhile children with chromosomal disorders such as Down Syndrome may suffer from a large number of health problems.

Regardless of what specific special needs a child has, they need the same support and friendship as any other child.  Many of these children and teenagers suffer from low self esteem and want relationships with their peers, even if they are unsure how to initiate them. By teaching your child how to accept and interact with special needs children, you can make a positive difference in your child’s learning community as a whole.

The first step to helping your child accept other children with special needs is to help them look beyond their disabilities. It is important to explain that, although these may seem different, they want and need many of the same things that their peers do.

Realize that your child may initially find interactions with children on the autism spectrum to be extremely frustrating. Children with varying degrees of autism may have difficulty carrying out even a simple conversation, may shy away from human contact, or may resort to repeated behaviors such as screaming or banging on objects. Your child may find this aggravating or even frightening at first.

It is not necessary to explain every detail of every particular condition to your child, but it is useful to have a talk with them. If there is a special needs child in your child’s class, take the time to help them grasp at least a general idea of what that child may need a little extra help. The level of medical information you choose to divulge depends on your individual child and how old they are.

Children with special needs are often ostracized and feel isolated. They may hide their insecurities by lashing out at their peers or behaving in a standoffish manner. Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) children, in particular, may be unsure of the correct way to initiate contact with others in their class due to difficulty comprehending and exhibiting social cues.

Teach your child to reach out and make the first move to members in their class who seem different or who are clearly struggling to make friends. It may not always be easy at first, but these special needs children often thrive once they feel that they have the support and acceptance of the community around them.

References.

1. Mayo Clinic: Diseases and Conditions – Autism Spectrum Disorder. Available from: http://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/autism-spectrum-disorder/basics/definition/con-20021148. Accessed on June 2, 2015.

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