Two children having the same disability

Heather Mercer is native to Northwest Ohio (go Walleye!) and graduated from Loma Linda University with two doctorate degrees (psychology and public health). She is currently a professor at Owens Community College, as well as a fact-checker for Verywell Health. She has gained experience in a variety of settings, ranging from corporate wellness and preventive medicine, to mental health, chronic disease, and end-of-life care. Multiple Disabilities Versus Multiple Diagnoses It's important to note that there is a difference between "multiple disabilities" and "multiple diagnoses." That's because a child may have multiple diagnoses as a result of having been seen by multiple practitioners—but not fall into the "multiple disabilities" category. For example, a child with high functioning autism spectrum disorder might have collected additional diagnoses such as social anxiety, sensory dysfunction, and social communication disorder before finally being diagnosed with autism. But the additional diagnoses describe symptoms which are encompassed in autism spectrum disorder. It's also important to note that, to qualify for the "multiple disabilities" category, the student's disorders must be so significant that their educational needs could not be met in programs that are designed to address one of the disabilities alone. Thus, a child with a specific learning disability and cerebral palsy might well qualify, as would a child with cognitive challenges and a sensory impairment such as v...

Adapted from , by Pamela Brillante. Copyright © 2017 by the National Association for the Education of Young Children. When you open your classroom door this new school year, you’ll be welcoming preschoolers with a variety of experiences, strengths, and challenges. For some children, this will be their first time in a classroom, and they may struggle to follow routines and grasp concepts. Others will arrive having a lot of experience with books and language, and some may be dual language learners. A few children in your new class might have disabilities or developmental delays that impact their learning, social skills, or behavior. You may be wondering, How do I support children with disabilities or developmental delays when I don’t have any training to do that? All children learn best in a developmentally appropriate program that offers them the supports they need to participate successfully alongside their classmates. Many children with disabilities benefit from simple accommodations and modifications, while other children may need more specialized, individualized supports provided by special education professionals. These professionals will work with you, the children, and their families to help the children learn and thrive. To be an effective teacher, remember that regardless of individual needs, children are first and foremost children—and best practices for young children are best practices for all young children. Here are some ideas to help you set the stage for a g...

Fifteen per cent of the world’s population – at least one billion people – have some form of disability, whether present at birth or acquired later in life. Nearly 240 million of them are children. The Children and adolescents with disabilities are a highly diverse group with wide-ranging life experiences. They live in every community, and are born with or acquire distinct impairments that, in relation to their surroundings, lead to functional difficulties – like seeing, walking, communicating, caring for oneself or making friends. But the extent to which children with disabilities are able to function, participate in society and lead fulfilling lives depends on the extent to which they are accommodated and included. No matter their story, every child has Discrimination against children with disabilities Yet, children with disabilities are among the most marginalized people in every society. A range of barriers limits their ability to function in daily life, access social services (like education and health care) and engage in their communities. These include: • Physical barriers – for example, buildings, transportation, toilets and playgrounds that cannot be accessed by wheelchair users • Communication and information barriers – such as textbooks unavailable in Braille, or public health announcements delivered without sign language interpretation • Attitudinal barriers – like stereotyping, low expectations, pity, condescension, harassment and bullying Each of these is roo...

It was my first year teaching, and I was getting my classroom ready for school when my new principal dropped off my name tag. “Please wear this every day,” he said. “And good luck this year!” I looked down at the tag he had placed on my desk. It read Special Education Teacher, with my name below. I gasped. “Oh, no, no, no! I cannot wear this!” I picked up the name tag and ran after him. I explained that I needed a new one, that “special education” needed to change because it’s a loaded, vague term that can do more harm than good. He didn’t understand. I never did wear my name tag that year. It never got changed either. Why the term “special education” falls short—and what to say instead Kids have been taught that it’s not a good thing to be in “special education,” that they’re somehow less than, inferior to their peers. “Special” has come to mean “not good enough” for many of them, and they’re not alone; the negative connotation of the word “special” has been growing for years. A disability is a mismatch between a person and their environment. It isn’t exactly clear when “special needs” or “special education” became popular. It may have been as far back as the 1960s when the Special Olympics began. Or it may have happened when the term “handicapped” started getting eliminated from legal language with changes to laws such as Language used to describe people with disabilities has continued to evolve this century, too. In October of 2010, President Obama signed legislation re...

Heather Mercer is native to Northwest Ohio (go Walleye!) and graduated from Loma Linda University with two doctorate degrees (psychology and public health). She is currently a professor at Owens Community College, as well as a fact-checker for Verywell Health. She has gained experience in a variety of settings, ranging from corporate wellness and preventive medicine, to mental health, chronic disease, and end-of-life care. Multiple Disabilities Versus Multiple Diagnoses It's important to note that there is a difference between "multiple disabilities" and "multiple diagnoses." That's because a child may have multiple diagnoses as a result of having been seen by multiple practitioners—but not fall into the "multiple disabilities" category. For example, a child with high functioning autism spectrum disorder might have collected additional diagnoses such as social anxiety, sensory dysfunction, and social communication disorder before finally being diagnosed with autism. But the additional diagnoses describe symptoms which are encompassed in autism spectrum disorder. It's also important to note that, to qualify for the "multiple disabilities" category, the student's disorders must be so significant that their educational needs could not be met in programs that are designed to address one of the disabilities alone. Thus, a child with a specific learning disability and cerebral palsy might well qualify, as would a child with cognitive challenges and a sensory impairment such as v...

It was my first year teaching, and I was getting my classroom ready for school when my new principal dropped off my name tag. “Please wear this every day,” he said. “And good luck this year!” I looked down at the tag he had placed on my desk. It read Special Education Teacher, with my name below. I gasped. “Oh, no, no, no! I cannot wear this!” I picked up the name tag and ran after him. I explained that I needed a new one, that “special education” needed to change because it’s a loaded, vague term that can do more harm than good. He didn’t understand. I never did wear my name tag that year. It never got changed either. Why the term “special education” falls short—and what to say instead Kids have been taught that it’s not a good thing to be in “special education,” that they’re somehow less than, inferior to their peers. “Special” has come to mean “not good enough” for many of them, and they’re not alone; the negative connotation of the word “special” has been growing for years. A disability is a mismatch between a person and their environment. It isn’t exactly clear when “special needs” or “special education” became popular. It may have been as far back as the 1960s when the Special Olympics began. Or it may have happened when the term “handicapped” started getting eliminated from legal language with changes to laws such as Language used to describe people with disabilities has continued to evolve this century, too. In October of 2010, President Obama signed legislation re...

Fifteen per cent of the world’s population – at least one billion people – have some form of disability, whether present at birth or acquired later in life. Nearly 240 million of them are children. The Children and adolescents with disabilities are a highly diverse group with wide-ranging life experiences. They live in every community, and are born with or acquire distinct impairments that, in relation to their surroundings, lead to functional difficulties – like seeing, walking, communicating, caring for oneself or making friends. But the extent to which children with disabilities are able to function, participate in society and lead fulfilling lives depends on the extent to which they are accommodated and included. No matter their story, every child has Discrimination against children with disabilities Yet, children with disabilities are among the most marginalized people in every society. A range of barriers limits their ability to function in daily life, access social services (like education and health care) and engage in their communities. These include: • Physical barriers – for example, buildings, transportation, toilets and playgrounds that cannot be accessed by wheelchair users • Communication and information barriers – such as textbooks unavailable in Braille, or public health announcements delivered without sign language interpretation • Attitudinal barriers – like stereotyping, low expectations, pity, condescension, harassment and bullying Each of these is roo...

Adapted from , by Pamela Brillante. Copyright © 2017 by the National Association for the Education of Young Children. When you open your classroom door this new school year, you’ll be welcoming preschoolers with a variety of experiences, strengths, and challenges. For some children, this will be their first time in a classroom, and they may struggle to follow routines and grasp concepts. Others will arrive having a lot of experience with books and language, and some may be dual language learners. A few children in your new class might have disabilities or developmental delays that impact their learning, social skills, or behavior. You may be wondering, How do I support children with disabilities or developmental delays when I don’t have any training to do that? All children learn best in a developmentally appropriate program that offers them the supports they need to participate successfully alongside their classmates. Many children with disabilities benefit from simple accommodations and modifications, while other children may need more specialized, individualized supports provided by special education professionals. These professionals will work with you, the children, and their families to help the children learn and thrive. To be an effective teacher, remember that regardless of individual needs, children are first and foremost children—and best practices for young children are best practices for all young children. Here are some ideas to help you set the stage for a g...