Early intervention and
Early intervention andIn the past children with disabilities were most often neglected, abused, and even killed. Today, however, society has become more understanding and involved in the lives, as well as the education of people with disabilities. In 1975, PL 94-142, otherwise known as The Education for All Handicapped Children Act, was the first step to providing adequate education for disabled students. Since then, many laws have been passed to increase the quality of education provided for children with different types of impairments. But, before any specialized education can be implemented, the child with special needs must be identified and the type of disability determined.
The first of three areas discussed is autism. Autism, according to Hallahan and Kauffman (1997), is " a disorder characterized by extreme withdrawal, self-stimulation, cognitive deficits, language disorders, and onset before the age of thirty months." Although the cause of autism is not completely understood, it is known that it has something to do with a neurological or biochemical dysfunction. Contrary to what was originally thought, autism is not a form of mental retardation. It manifests itself in varying degrees of severity, from profound to mild. Dr. Temple Grandin is an assistant professor at Colorado State University who was diagnosed as autistic at a young age, yet with proper help, she continued through school and earned a Ph.D.
Autism is usually diagnosed in the first three years of life. Early indication of autism may be seen in one or more ways. First, there is a lack of response to other people. This can be as simple as not acknowledging a mothers touch, or extreme distress at the touch of another. There are problems in speech and communication, such as echolalia, the parroting of words and phrases, or unintelligible speech. Often, the child will maintain a prolonged fixation on an object or a certain behavior.
As is the case with some disabilities, autistic tendencies become apparent at an early age. Since autism is usually discovered in the first three years of life, it is a condition that may become apparent at home, and may be discovered by the parents. There are programs available for preschool age autistic children in some elementary schools that offer speech therapy and stimulus for the child to prepare for learning life skills later on.
When discussing physical impairments, there are too many to try and list individually. Certain physical disabilities are more easily recognized at birth, or shortly after because they are more readily apparent and noticeable. Some diseases do not manifest themselves until school age, of which muscular dystrophy is a good example. Clumsiness, walking with a strange gait and repetitive falling down, trouble rising to a standing position, and difficulty climbing stairs are signs of muscle deterioration and tendon contraction (Phipps, 1998). Many times, secondary disabilities accompany a primary disability. In some cases of spina bifida, scoliosis, or lateral curvature of the spine is evident. Most neurological type disabilities often cause problems with speech and writing...
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