Meeting the Needs of Children and Families: Part One

Submitted by: Nafisa Sultana Date of Submission: 12 March 2014

Introduction to the child & family

Name of the child: Delilah Age: 6 Delilah is a child with cerebral palsy (CP) Left side of her body is affected by CP CP has also affected her ability to articulate words She is very bright, outgoing and loves being with other children Delilah lives with both parents She has a sister who is six months old Parents are new to Toronto & looking for services in Toronto area.

Delilah and familys needs

Delilahs needs: Delilah may need a wheel chair/walker to move around May need assistance with daily activities Needs help to express herself Needs others to understand what she is trying to say Parents needs: Parents need a place where they can put Delilah and get help for her disability Need a day care for their six months old baby Need to know where to find subsidy for the child care centers Need help to find jobs Need to find reliable employment agencies Need time alone to de-stress

What is Cerebral Palsy (CP)

Cerebral Palsy is a general term for a group of chronic disorders. Damages the ability to control movement and posture. Appear in the first few years of life and generally do not worsen over time.

The disorders are caused by faulty development of, or damage to, motor areas in the brain
CP is neither genetic nor infectious. Most cases are congenital- may happen before, during or in the early months following birth No known cure but may be prevented through improvement in the care of the newborns

Types of Cerebral Palsy

Source: https://www.google.ca/search?q=picture+of+child+with+cerebral+palsy

How does CP affect?

Cerebral Palsy is not usually diagnosed until a child is about 2-3 years of age. Impairs movement Other difficulties are with thinking, learning, feeling, communication and behavior Approximately 28% have epilepsy, 58% have difficulties with communication, at least 42% have problems with their vision, and 23-56% have learning disabilities More than half of those with CP have no impairment in their thinking or learning.

Meeting the needs in the child care center: A welcoming environment

Source: https://www.google.ca/search?q=picture+of+child+with+cerebral+palsy

The Environment.

The environment of the room needs to welcoming. Display of pictures of children and people with special needs. Other children without disability needs to be acquainted with the special needs of children & people. The room should have enough space and be clutter free for the easy movement with wheel chair or walker. Everything, such as toys, books, etc. should be within the eye level and reach of the child. Everyone in the room and the center should be respectful, empathetic

Meeting the needs cont Teaching strategies

Source: https://www.google.ca/search?q=picture+of+child+with+cerebral+palsy

Teaching strategies.

Since Delilah has difficulty in articulating words, help may be taken from a speech pathologist. ECE may be trained to help Delilah recover from articulating words. ECE must recognize the sounds and words where there is difficulty, so that more emphasis may be given on those. Repeated practice of the words and sounds may be given. Pictures of objects may be shown and encouraged to name the objects. Wait till Delilah completes the attempt to say a word. Other children may also be encouraged to communicate with Delilah like they would do with children without disability. Parents may also be trained to continue the practice at home.

Overview of referred agencies

Name of the agency: Ontario Federation for Cerebral Palsy (OFCP) Non-profit organization No fees for most services Dedicated to support people with CP in Ontario. Located in Toronto area Fully accessible Link to agency: http://york.cioc.ca/record/HMT0237

OFCP Services

Assistive Devices program: provide equipment Planning Services Program: improve quality of life for people with CP Long-Term planning and support program: assist families Activity Funding Program: assist people with CP to take part in different activities Educational and Recreational Services: improve the quality of life through education for people with CP Children and families Program: Supports and responds to requests from families

Referred agencies cont

Name of the agency: Health in Motion Rehabilitation Provides specialized treatments for children with cerebral palsy, developmental delay, acquired brain injury, and pediatric stroke. Their Philosophy: All of their therapists share one concept, one approach, and one goalwhich is to bring a child into independency. The LIFE program covers social, motor, communication and cognitive development. Parents are involved in the treatment process Located in Toronto area Link to agency: http://www.healthinmotionrehab.com
Source: Health in Motion Rehabilitation

Reflection

What I have learnt from this assignment:

- I have learnt about different types of special needs, inclusion, teaching strategies for the child with special needs.

What went well: What were some of the challenges:

- I could find lots of information about Cerebral Palsy through searching internet.

- In the beginning I could not understand how to write the assignment and how to use the note page on the power point slides.

How I overcame those challenges:

- I attended an additional class when my faculty explained the entire assignment step by step. - I went through the assignment presentation hints posted on e-centennial which helped me learn how to do the slides and note pages.

What I might do differently in the future: How this assignment and the course helped me meet the G, C & E outcomes:

- I will start the assignment earlier so that I can get time to do more research on my topic.

- I became aware that as an ECE I have to be accommodative and empathetic towards the children with special needs coming from various diverse backgrounds.

Bibliography:

http://cerebralpalsy.org/about-cerebral-palsy/therapies/speech-andlanguage-therapy/ http://www.mayoclinic.org wikipedia.org/wiki/Cerebral_palsy ConnectAbility.ca https://www.google.ca/search?q=picture+of+child+with+cerebral+palsy Kail, R.V., Zolner,T.(2009). Children: A chronological Approach, Pearson Prentice Hall http://york.cioc.ca/record/HMT0237 http://www.healthinmotionrehab.com/schedule.php

http://www.sde.ct.gov/sde/lib/sde/PDF/DEPS/Early/preschoolSE/B5Spring1 0.pdf
http://www.ableplay.org/library/quotes-about-special-needs-children.html

Thank you
Although the world is full of suffering, it is full also of the overcoming of it. -Helen Keller

Thank you for going through this presentation.