Early Intervention and Detection of Medical, Emotional, and Physical Disorders and Disabilities
In 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 a
2. It provides support to families and helps prevent the child from developing additional problems or disabilities. 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. Early intervention for learning disabilities is very problematic. What may be mistaken as a learning disability could very well be developmental delay in a child. Also, SLD does not become apparent until a child begins work in academics. The discovery of a child with a disability can have devastating consequences to a family. The mother and father of a child often turn to the teacher of the child for help and guidance. It is important to be supportive to the family to help them in a difficult time. It is easy to see that early intervention is more difficult in some cases than others. Ideally, teachers should be able to notice the child that is behaving differently, and to watch for signs of a disability. However, the reality is that some times teachers have more students than is optimal, and students are not given the help they need. As educators, it is our responsibility to see to it every student is given the chance to reach his or her full potential. According to Bricker (1986), there are three arguments for early intervention: Hallahan, D. & Kauffman, J. (1997). Exception
Some common words found in the essay are:
PhD Autism, Contrary SLD, According Bricker, Hallahan Kauffman, Children Act, , Colorado University, Temple Grandin, Special Education, kauffman 1997, Bacon Phipps, hallahan kauffman 1997, special education, hallahan kauffman, signs disability, learning disability, form mental, sld apparent, bricker 1986, phipps 1998, child disability, form mental retardation,
Approximate Word count = 1109
Approximate Pages = 4 (250 words per page double spaced)
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