Children with Special Needs at Church

Do you know children with special needs at church? Do you teach them, or wonder how you would if you were asked? I just read a beautiful article in the Ensign - a magazine produced by my Church - which gives tips on teaching children with cognitive disabilities. Written by a mother of a child with autism who teaches children with cognitive disabilities at church, this article is written for other teachers (or potential teachers) which I think applies to all of us! I'll share some of my favorite points, but I highly encourage you to read it yourself :).

• Meet with the child and his parents, preferably in their home where the child feels most comfortable, to get better acquainted with him. Ask what he likes, how he communicates and what motivates him.

source

• Learn about the her disability. Use resources available on the church website and talk with her family
• In most cases, he should be in a class with his peers - this encourages friendships, an important part of feeling included and wanted. 
• Introduce her to her class. Share things that she likes to do as well as appropriately explain her disability so the other students can feel comfortable with her.
• Consider meeting with his school teacher for tips. The teacher may even want to come to Sunday school to give examples.
• Consider having a co-teacher, or an aid (preferably not her parent!) who will help her learn and stay on task.
• Teach with rich examples and learning experiences which interest several senses. ie: visual, auditory, and tactile.

source

• Provide personalized support during irregular meetings or presentations. 
• Have him sit in the front pew where he can walk up to the stage and participate in the presentation yet also slip out of the room unobtrusively if necessary.
• In a talent show, consider going first so that her family can leave early if she gets agitated.
• Even if he doesn't have any speaking parts, simply being a part of the group is beneficial.

I hadn't even thought of several of these ideas! Evidently, each child is different and will require different adaptions, but this is a great start. 

Reading this article reminded me how much I love working with children who have cognitive disabilities!

College for students with disabilities

In this ever advancing world, bachelors degrees are replacing high school diplomas as the minimum job requirement. This generally means that if you plan to have a decent job - one with a salary that can support you (and your family) - you need to go to college. "Your mom goes to college." (It just felt like a good time to say that...)

So what does this mean for people with disabilities?

Background: The law requires that, if eligible, people with disabilities receive special education services until age 21 - though that does not include college (I'm unsure whether by going to college they automatically unqualify or if they are still entitled to other services). College is a whole new world. "Child Find" is no longer in effect. Meaning that the state, university, or any organization is not required to "identify, locate, and evaluate" people with disabilities. Thus, students need to take initiative if they want accessibility and adaptions from teachers or the university itself.

Issue: I'm not here to argue whether students with disabilities (specifically intellectual disabiliites) should go to college - I would strongly advocate for them to receive support in completing a college degree if they desire. In fact, I'm not going to argue at all (sorry Doug and Brian). I just found this really cool program and I want to share it with you.

What I think: I think this program is awesome: REACH Realizing Educational and Career Hopes is located at the College of Charleston, South Carolina. It is a 4-year post-secondary program designed for people with intellectual disabilities. The College of Charleston provides tutors, mentors, and a supported internship during the junior and/or senior years. I am excited about this program because I hope it will give these people the skill set they need to get a job, retain it, and to do the job well. It is common knowledge that having a job provides independence, a sense of accomplishment and self-worth, and personal development; what more could you want?

Reed Hahne

Reed Hahne is a student at Utah Valley University. He also has Down syndrome. One of my professors, Tina Dyches, talked about him in a speech she gave at BYU. She played a video of Reed and this what he said:

I am a young man who goes to school at Utah Valley State College, where I have a 4.0 grade point [average]. I have to work extra hard in college to earn good grades. I told my mom that there are two things about college that I don’t like: homework and tests.



I also am a young man with Down syndrome. That is one of my characteristics. It is a part of who I am, but it is not all of who I am. All of us are distinct individuals. Some of you are tall or short. Some of you have blue eyes and blond hair; others of you have black hair and brown eyes. Some of us have to study hard to get good grades, while others have to work really hard to be good swimmers and runners. Everyone is gifted in some way.


I just finished performing in the musical Ragtime. I love school and I love performing. I want the same things that all of you want in life. I want to be happy. I want to have opportunities to get a good education and a good job. I want people to listen to me and respect me for my abilities and knowledge. I have many characteristics. I am fun to be around—I love people and making new friends. I’m good-looking. I’m a leader and a self-advocate. I love learning new things, trying new foods, and going to new places. Some other gifts that people with Down syndrome have are [things such as] we have lots of love to share, we are loyal and affectionate, [and] we help all of you to slow down and learn lessons about what is really important in life.


I know that I have Down syndrome because it is part of God’s plan for me and for the earth at this time. I have been told by the Lord that I was sent here at this time to perform special work that only I could do. I have been told that I will have influence upon people that no one else could possibly have and that the Lord has a great work for me to do. I know part of my mission on earth is to be a teacher for other people with disabilities.


It is really hard for me when people look at me and see only the Down syndrome. Sometimes people talk to my parents, asking them questions about me when they should talk to me. I have opinions. Sometimes people call each other “retards.” This is so very disrespectful in so many ways. If a person has a disability, it doesn’t mean that they can’t learn; it just means that they may learn a different way and that some things might take them longer to learn. I think people get in the habit of calling names and then use disrespectful words without realizing their meanings.


Nauvoo was my second mission. My first mission was at the institute of religion in Orem. Then I went to Nauvoo. While I was there I was called to be an ordinance worker in the Nauvoo Temple. I learned all of the temple ordinances. This really surprised many visitors to Nauvoo. I also performed, and I learned all of the scripts for the historic sites. It surprised people that I could do all of this. When we are given a chance, people with disabilities can do so many things.


It is important to look at each other and see our strengths and know that each of us is a child of God. He loves us, [and] He has given us potential and opportunities to grow on this earth.


I have a testimony of Joseph Smith, the Book of Mormon, and President Hinckley. I read the scriptures every day. Thank you. In the name of Jesus Christ, amen.

Read or listen to the speech here.  I also encourage you to read this article from UVU which talks more about his academic story: Student Success Story. From his words, it is evident that Reed has self-confidence and that he works hard and succeeds at school despite his personal challenges. He inspires me to work hard to believe in people, and to see people for who they truly are.

Therapy

This is awesome. I wish opportunities like this were available for all people, not just those with special needs! (oh wait, they are...still, it's super cool) I think that activities like these: painting, sculpting, interacting with animals, etc, do a lot for a person's self esteem. 

Source

I'm definitely not the expert on the impact that an animal can have on a person's health (please step in if you are) but I believe that it is beyond beneficial. I know of several families who got a dog primarily to help their son with autism cope. One mother specifically said that her son does not stutter when he talks to their dog, but he does when he talks to people. Animals simply don't judge people and I think that if you feel misjudged or misunderstood a lot, animals can be a relief from person-person interaction.

Source

P.S. I learned that it's called Animal Assisted Therapy. Here's a cool website about it.

Maybe I was wrong.

Ipads and Autism - Still, I maintain my previous opinion. I would like to see some real research done on this issue.

People with Disabilities in the Media - I thought that people were being portrayed incorrectly. Fortunately, this is changing. (Kudos to Brian for being right :).)

People with disabilities in media

So last night we turned on the TV and saw that Speed 2: Cruise Control was on. So we decided to give it a go. First of all, just looking at the cover tells you it's a crappy movie. Secondly, IMDB gives it 3.4 out of 10 stars haha. We got through maybe 45 minutes of it, then Doug couldn't handle it anymore. 

Anyway, one of the secondary characters is a young girl (about 10) who is deaf. (Just so you know: Deaf people don't see their deafness as a disability but rather as a culture which has its own, fully developed and independent language: ASL. Still, under the law, deafness is considered a disability.) I was hoping that Drew's character would either be a normal person or whose abilities were crucial to the movie. Doug even said, "I bet her deafness is going to help her somehow." Alas, we expected too much. She ended up being the girl who was stranded due to her deafness and whose rescue almost spoiled the mission. Great.

On the other hand (almost), in the first 15 minutes of Percy Jackson & the Olympians  3 characters with different disabilities were introduced. I was really impressed. They were main characters who had "flaws" but were portrayed in a positive light AND their strengths were emphasized. As it turns out, their "disabilities" were actually super-human powers. So the movie didn't actually accomplish what I'd hoped in that regard. I bet I'm one of few people who actually look and hope for these things in movies... idk, maybe I'm wrong.

My point is, I wish that people with disabilities were portrayed in movies, books, magazines, etc. as people who contribute. I don't think it helps their cause to only see them as people who need "us." Even in the church's magazine, the Ensign, most articles about people with disabilities discuss how people serve and help those with disabilities. How we learn charity from them. Yes, those are important things to discuss and to recognize, but imagine my joy when I read this article ("One Heart and One Mind", Ensign, Dec. 2010, 36–40). (You should read the physical article, here's a PDF, then you can see the pictures :) .) It shares three stories demonstrating how "meaningful service can be received or extended by members with disabilities." Or extended. Thank you! I was so happy to read about ward members who were inspired to let their peers (who had disabilities) serve and uplift others. Please, in your own communities, have confidence (in all senses of the word) in people with disabilities. Allow them to benefit from the blessings of giving service and love too.

Eliminating childhood diseases? or playing God?

As an educator of students with severe disabilities, I found this article interesting: Gene test finds disease risk in parents; A new test for genetic mutations in parents might help prevent conception of babies with deadly inherited diseases.

Background: Craig and Charlotte Benson have daughter, Christiane, with Batten disease. Craig is the CEO of Rules-Based Medicine Inc., he founded a charity (www.beyondbatten.org) to fund research to develop a test that could detect diseases like Batten disease prior to conception. As stated on the website, the foundation's goal is: "to make the test a standard of care for all young men and women as part of their routine health screening, and to ensure that it is available to anyone who wants it without the barrier of cost."

Issue: The idea is, "If both parents turn out to be carriers, they can use lab techniques to conceive and test embryos, choose adoption or other methods to avoid having an affected child." Their vision is to eliminate "dangerous" childhood diseases--a worthy ideal. But, in doing so, are we "playing God?"

(Picture) John (11) and Bridie (9) Philpott are diagnosed with Batten disease.

What I think: I think attempting to eliminate childhood diseases and disabilities will be as effective as we have been at eradicating poverty. However, some say that educating children with these diseases is just as ineffective and since I emphatically disagree, it would be hypocritical to use that argument. It is more their tone that I take issue with. My impressions after reading that article are that children with severe disabilities are undesirable (i.e. "prevent conception;" "affected child") . The front page of Benson's charity website explains that Batten disease "takes away the childhood, and then takes away the child." I concede that these children will never be "normal" children, and that no one would wish a disease or disability upon their own children, but that does not mean that we should regret that they were born. Granted, I do not have any children so I can't entirely empathize.
Personally, I love working with children with disabilities. They have their own personalities and they have a perpetual innocent view of life. Of course, like any child, they can be difficult, but overcoming that is particularly rewarding. I also think it is much easier to remember the eternal potential that these children have because their limitations on this earth are so obvious. I recognize that this can be an extremely sensitive issue and that each couple's decision is between them and the Lord. I am grateful that Heavenly Father is in control. I also am grateful for this technology that opens up options for people making this decision. I hope this technology brings us closer to God, who gives life.

Watch Christiane's story: