Let’s make some special friends.

Teaching Your Child About Peers with Special Needs

There is a good chance that your child will meet someone with a disability. Learn how to encourage your child to be a friend. The term \"special needs\" can be applied to a wide range of disabilities; some are obvious, such as a child with a physical impairment who uses a wheelchair. Other disabilities may be less apparent, for example learning disabilities, epilepsy or autistic spectrum disorders.

There is a good chance that your child, at some point in their educational or social life, will meet someone with a disability. You should encourage your child to learn about and be a friend to all their peers, regardless of their abilities and differences.

It is important for non special needs children to understand the emotions of other children with special needs. Raising your kids in a disability-positive environment may be challenging, but it will help your kids become more aware, compassionate, and helpful adults.

Moreover, many schools have Individualised Education Programs (IEP) available for students that can increase special needs awareness among students.

The Importance of Disability Awareness

•It makes easier for the people with disabilities and the society to develop empathy for one another.

•Disability awareness helps in subsiding the stereotypical mindset of the society, hence providing vast opportunities for everyone to get involved in creating a positive, inclusive society for all.

•It signifies in educating the society regarding disability and how we as an individual can bring about the necessary changes.

• We often see discrimination towards the people with disabilities and that can lead to the undesirable outcomes for communities as a whole. Therefore, for a better future, we must try to minimise the discriminating culture and promote disability awareness through platforms for each and every individual, so that the foundations of empathy originates and helps in breaking social barriers.

•Researchers have found that disability awareness programs at schools have led young children to gain empathy and have positive attitudes.

•Another great aspect of disability awareness at school is that the classrooms are more inclusive and diverse which allows a student to learn more from his/her peers.

How to teach child about their disabled peers

•Start by teaching your children about the different disabilities their peers may have. You can also discuss ways to communicate appropriately with people with disabilities.

•Let your children be curious. Provide a safe place to ask questions and allow open conversations. Never be angry with your child for being curious or asking quesions.. Make sure they get the right information and that they do not feel embarrassed about asking questions.

•Children may be nervous around a special needs person for the first time. Encourage your child to befriend with them just as you would a child without disabilities. Teach your children to always find common ground with other children, such as shared likes, favorite things, and other commonalities.

•Remind your child that children with disabilities want the same things they do: to feel included, valued and respected. Encourage your child to smile and say hello, and invite the child to a birthday party or playdate. Ask the other parent how you can facilitate a successful play date.

•Make an extra effort like learn simple sign language, for example, to communicate better with a child with hearing impairments. Remind your child that being different is not a matter of being better or worse.

•Are your children seeing bullying of any special needs children? Encourage your child to tell a teacher about it. 

Prepare for Tough Questions

Your child may have some tough questions about someone’s disability. Don’t be afraid to say, “I don’t know,” if you don’t have the answer. Or, try saying, “I’ll have to think about that and get back to you,” if you need some time to gather your thoughts before giving an answer.

Here are a few tough questions you might hear:

Why was he born like that? You could give a science-based answer by saying, “When he was growing in his mother’s belly, his foot just didn’t grow.” Or, you might give a spiritual answer that reflects your beliefs.

Is she going to live to be a grown up? If your child asks a tough question about someone’s lifespan, you may want to focus on what’s being done to keep people healthy. Say something like, “I don’t know. But doctors and scientists are working hard to find a cure” and many more. 

A small initiative from your side will be a big step in others life. You never know the teachings you are giving to your child , to how many more children is his passing to. 

So it’s really important to teach your kids this lesson. 

This one is for all my special kids, 

“I would not change you for the entire world, but I would change the world for you.”