Elizabeth Grice finds a remarkable tool available to severely disabled children
How mind games can help the disabled
It looks like a child's ride-on train, the sort of thing seen trundling through adventure playgrounds, but when seven-year-old Sonny Bluck takes the driver's seat, he's pulling carriages where severely disabled children like himself learn about cause and effect by setting off a pandemonium of special effects.
They can activate a flock of birds, make a clown's balloon nose swell up and fly off, light up a fibre-optic curtain, control a water fountain or play music.
Most of the children at Chailey Heritage School, East Sussex, have a complex range of problems that come under the umbrella of cerebral palsy. They cannot walk, talk, speak or feed themselves, but if they have some cognitive ability and can press a switch, one of Chailey's electronic rehabilitation engineers, Martin Langner, ensures that they enjoy adventures like any able-bodied child, perfecting their switch control as they go.
He designed the electronically guided child-sized locomotive to accommodate the children's wheelchair seats, equipping each carriage with wireless controls that can be shared between driver and passengers, and the train has been such a success that he is building a bigger one for older children.
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How mind games can help the disabled
12 Dec 2006
Among his other inventions is a network of electronic track routes along which even children with minimal hand movement can drive their powered wheelchairs throughout the school complex, choosing which way to go at junctions.
For the school's more advanced drivers, who have graduated from the track system, he has devised SCAD (Sensor Collision Avoidance Device), which stops them bumping into things. An electronic eye under the wheelchair's footrest detects objects that might be a problem and warns the driver if he is going headlong into a wall or is about to misjudge a doorway.
"Control over their personal mobility not only bolsters children's self-esteem but frees them from the constraints imposed by their wheelchairs," says Langner. "Blending technology into their daily lives takes away some of the burden of disability."
The state of Michigan allows qualifying families to become foster families for children who are physically disabled. In order to qualify to care for these children, individuals and families must have homes that fit the requirements necessary to accommodate the child's disability and the ability to care for the child's needs. If your family qualifies to become a foster family for a physically handicapped child you will be provided additional pay for the additional care the child requires.
Instructions
- 1
Contact the Michigan Department of Human Services in your area and schedule an appointment to discuss the potential of your family becoming a foster home for a physically handicapped child.
- 2
Complete a licensing application and present it to your caseworker for review. Notify the case worker that you are interested in caring for a physically handicapped child.
- 3
Complete a background check for each adult in the household. Adults are considered to be any person in the house that is 18 years of age or older.
- 4
Complete an environmental inspection. Your social worker will inform you if your home requires an environmental inspection and who may perform the inspection.
- 5
Provide three references to your caseworker. These references will be verified by the Department of Human Services prior to your approval and licensing for foster care.
- 6
Complete an on-site home visit with your caseworker. The caseworker will inspect your home to make sure it is safe for a physically handicapped child.
- 7
Attend foster-parent training. This training is designed to prepare you and your family for a foster child. Your social worker will provide you with the training times and locations for your area. Once you have completed all training, medical and background checks you will be licensed as a foster parent and allowed to provide care for physically handicapped children.
Sign language is only one method of teaching literacy to a physically disabled child.
Literacy for a child with special needs can be a difficult but rewarding process. Once the child establishes a routine that allows him to understand the different types of information before him, there is no limit to the exploration they can perform in the world of literature. From learning the ABCs to advanced reading, patience, perseverance and determination are the key factors in teaching any child, especially those with physical disabilities.
Sign language can be taught to children with hearing disabilities such as partial or total deafness or children who are unable to speak. Even limited use of their hands and arms can help them express themselves. The ABCs can be taught first, while simple words can be taught afterward to maximize their vocabulary. As they progress, it will get easier for them to express their thoughts through sign language and they will face less frustration in communicating. Sign language can be used by anyone to communicate, so if the class is mixed with children of different physical disabilities, many of the children can be taught and can communicate with one another. The only limit is children with visual impairment. However, the signs can be pressed into their hands to express words as an alternative.
These types of cards can be used by any child regardless of disability. Children with hearing impairments or bodily restrictions can see the cards and learn the ABCs and words through sight. Children with sight impediments can feel the cards if they are Braille. There are many activities that can be performed with these cards such as memory games, matching and making up stories together. The cards can be brightly colored and clear, while being tailored to the specific disability they are meant to assist.
In non-disabled literacy techniques, reading books with a child is an invaluable method of teaching words and their meaning. A child with hearing difficulties can view a book with captions on a DVD. The story can be told through images and words, so the child can view it multiple times to gain the full effect. Children with vision difficulties can hear an audio version of the same story on a CD. These children will hear the words expressed on the CD and over time will be able to utilize their new vocabulary.
A play or skit can appeal to any physically disabled child. The movement, props, scenery and facial expressions can attract all those who can see them. While the voices, sound effects and noises can affect those who can hear them. Many children with physical disabilities can both hear and see, but they have difficulty moving. This type of performance can allow them to interact with the actors and possibly act themselves. A simple story promotes literacy and the children will remember the experience.
