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Building Independence in Students with Disabilities
Whenever parents of special needs children are together, the topic of independence comes up. We assume
that our normally developing children will grow up, move away, and be totally independent of us all
too soon. But our children with special needs? We hope that they can one day be independent of us, but
how do we get them ready?
Schools can be a part of this process as well. If the adults in a student's life all focus on helping
students with disabilities develop the character trait of independence now, when they are adults,
they will be in such a habit of doing things themselves that it will be no big deal to them. Developing
character is simply a matter of practicing skills often enough that it becomes a habit, or second nature.
If you want the character trait of truthfulness, you must practice the skill of telling the truth over
and over, so that it is comfortable for you to do so. And, more importantly to this column, if you want
the character trait of independence, you must practice doing things for yourself so often that it becomes
a habit.
For children with significant disabilities, the first step may be assistive technology. Technology can
allow a student with visual impairments independent access to the computer, can help a student with
reading disabilities to access grade level texts, and can allow a student who can't speak the ability
to communicate with others. When we make decisions about assistive technology, the independence it
allows should be an important factor in the decisions making. Sure, someone may be able to read to a
student with visual impairments, but how much better to teach Braille and provide technology to allow
independence.
We can also give students with disabilities chances to take the lead. Our family likes to play charades.
Josh and Caleb like to take the lead in either telling us all whose turn it is or requesting that we
act out something familiar (as opposed to the Genghis Khan scene that the older boys acted out, which
no one knew enough about to guess!) In a school setting, taking the lead can mean moderating a discussion
or brainstorming session or choosing a group to work with, rather than being placed in a group. It
can even be as simple as choosing the topic of a research project.
Having jobs to do is a great way to build independence. Even if a child's physical impairment is
substantial, with a little creativity we can find a job for them to do. Using a power chair, a student
can be responsible for putting her own trash in the trash can. Students who use assistive technology
can be responsible for either setting up their own equipment or telling others how to do it, if they
can't do it themselves. In science classes, each student in a lab group can have a job to do:
collecting materials, giving directions, performing the task and so on. Being expected to do things to
take care of yourself can help a child with disabilities overcome the "oh, you poor, helpless dear"
stereotype that can prevent a perfectly capable person from going to college or holding down a job.
Practicing predictable social situations is also important for independence, especially for children
with Autistic Spectrum Disorder. Often we tend to think of things like going to a store or ordering
in a restaurant, but role-playing how to ask questions in class when you don't understand something
can be very useful as well.
A final area where we can help build skills toward independence is in dealing with emergencies.
This was brought home to me this week, as our middle son, who has Asperger's syndrome, was in the
boy's bathroom when another student wrote a bomb threat on the wall. At the beginning of school we
had walked through what to do if you ever went into the bathroom and saw something that should not be
happening. Though the focus of that conversation was about kids smoking or doing drugs or girls in the
boys room, not bomb threats, our son was able to be calm and deal with this situation, including giving
a statement and seeing the police in his school, in a calm and appropriate way.
All students, even those who can't independently evacuate during an emergency, should still know what
the safety procedures are, so they can remain calm and instruct others, if necessary, about what to
do. Emergency training should be adapted, as necessary, to clearly explain to a child who can't
"stop, drop and roll" what he or she should do in case of a fire, for example. By figuring out
what the modifications are and teaching them to students with disabilities, we not only build
safety skills, we build independent, confident attitudes.
Independence doesn't happen overnight. But the little things we do every day can have a profound
effect on whether our students develop that inner character of independence, or the opposite
character of learned helplessness. If we are intentional about it, we can practice the skills that
will result in students becoming young adults who are ready to face the challenges of adulthood
on their own, because they have learned the character trait of independence.
ABOUT THIS COLUMN
SERCH is excited to bring you a new monthly column that focuses on children with disabilities and the
math/science curriculum. Children are all different; children with disabilities may have learning
differences that require a re-thinking of the usual methods of teaching science and math. But children
with disabilities can grow up to get higher education and hold jobs in science in science and math fields.
This column is dedicated to the proposition that success in science and math is possible, and is dedicated to
making that success possible by helping parents and school staff learn about the many ways to achieve learning
for students with disabilities.
This column is written by Robin Hurd, who is a mother of 4 boys, ages 13, 11 and 8 year old twins. The
combination of disabilities at her house includes non-verbal physical impairments, sensory issues, Autistic
spectrum disorder, Tourettes syndrome, auditory processing disorder, anxiety disorder as well as talented and
gifted. In spite of this list, Robin, David and the boys enjoy life and learning to the fullest! Robin serves
as parent support liaison for the AAC Institute, a non-profit organization supporting people who communicate
using alternatives to speech. She writes a monthly column for parents at the AAC Institute, moderates a
parents' on-line group, and is available for support to individual parents. If you would like to contact
Robin about this column, you may e-mail her at
parents@aacinstitute.org.
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