Article Link: http://exchangepress.com/article/creating-a-coordinated-service-plan/5016710/
Passed in 1990, the Americans with Disabilities Act requires all children to be eligible for child care services, despite their special needs.The term special needs refers to circumstances that cause a child’s development �" or health status �" to vary significantly from average or typical. Children with special needs are children first, and someone with a disability second. Regardless of a child’s unique circumstances, he or she has the same basic needs as all other children. All children want to be loved, accepted, and respected. Each requires a secure, stimulating environment that encourages ongoing development, whatever that development may be.
Range of special needs
Following are categories of special needs you may encounter that require special planning:
• health conditions (asthma, diabetes,
prenatal drug-exposure, food allergies)
• hearing or visual impairment
• physical, motor, or mental impairment
• learning disabilities
• behavior or emotional disorder, and
• gifted/talented.
In every category, new information emerges regularly �" as well as new challenges. It requires you to know how to stay informed. For instance, when a parent told me her child was diagnosed with “oppositional defiant disorder,” my staff and I were reading books and searching out web sites for understandable information for guidance and teaching strategies.
Partnering with parents
Parents of children with special needs are ...