Disabled children

Types of disability

There are many children in the UK living with physical and mental disabilities. Some children are born with serious health conditions, while some develop disabilities when they get older. There are many different types of disability; these include:

• Physical disability
• Sensory disability, including blindness and deafness
• Mental health disorders
• Learning disabilities
• Chronic diseases and conditions

What kind of help do disabled children need?

Disabilities affect an individual’s ability to carry out everyday activities, which is why disabled children may require more help and support than other children. Children may need help getting washed and dressed, they may need their meals preparing for them, they may need help getting to school and they may need help with their schoolwork. Children with disabilities such as blindness and deafness and physical disabilities may require special living conditions and equipment, which can help them to live more independently.

Children with learning disabilities may need a different kind of help and support. They may need additional help with their school work and activities such as reading and writing. Children with behavioural problems may struggle to deal with their emotions and this may require parents to spend time talking to the child and helping them to find ways of effectively managing their emotions.

Support at school

Disabled children should be given additional help at school to allow them to fulfil their potential, which often comes from special teachers and keyworkers. There are specialist schools for children with disabilities but many parents choose to send their children to mainstream schools. If you have concerns about your child, you should not hesitate to discuss these with the teachers and if you feel that sufficient measures are not being taken to support your child, you can talk to your local authority. Support at school should cater for all aspects of school life, from helping children in wheelchairs to get around the school to helping children who struggle with academic work to improve their reading, for example.

Sports and leisure

Lots of children love playing sport and getting involved in exercise but this can be difficult for children with disabilities. Schools and community facilities should take steps to promote inclusion and make sport accessible to disabled children. Nowadays, there are many different activities and sports that are geared towards children with disabilities and many communities now have their own disabled teams and clubs. At school activities should be inclusive and children with disabilities should be encouraged to join in and have fun; sport has a range of benefits and it can be a really successful way of integrating disabled children and teaching other children about disabilities and how they affect people.

Support for parents

As well as financial support, which is available from the government, there is also emotional support and advice available from different charities and organisations for parents of disabled children. Caring for a disabled child can be very difficult, especially if they have a condition which requires round the clock care. If you are struggling or you simply want to find out about disabilities or talk to somebody about how you feel and what you are going through you can contact Carers Direct or Parentline Plus. There are also community support groups where you can go to talk to other parents and share your experiences; for details of these services, you can go to the government’s DirectGov website.