How Disability Affects Children's Behavior
Predicting how a child with a disability will react is difficult. A variety of factors plays into the way the child develops, including the nature of her disability, the parents, the support systems the child has access to and her inherent personality. However, understanding that a challenge like this will affect behavior and being prepared for it is an essential part of parenting.
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Play
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The ability to play is a critical skill for children to develop. At play, a child improves motor functions, builds social skills and develops cognitive reasoning. A disability affects the way that a child plays, so it is important to adapt activities to account for any sensory, cognitive or mobility related disabilities. Without play, a child's behavior could be affected in other problematic ways.
Intellectual Disability
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Intellectual disability affects a child's behavior in ways that might be more apparent than with some other types of disabilities. Sometimes, the disability itself will be the reason for certain behaviors, such as with autism. In other cases, when the development of a child is slowed due to a disability, his behavior could stall at a stage expected of a younger child. For example, a child with a developmental disability might exhibit at age 4 or 5 the type of impulsiveness or temper that would be typically expected in a 2-year-old.
Sadness
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Sadness, depression or a lack of self-esteem can happen to children with any type of disability. For children with a physical disability, this can be due to embarrassment or frustration with a situation. For children with learning disabilities, the difficulty experienced in learning or in communication can lead to generally low states of emotion. At times, this creates withdrawn, frustrated or sullen behavior.
Social Skills
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Social skills develop differently in children who have disabilities that make it difficult for them to communicate. This could include physical, mental or behavioral issues that make hearing or speaking difficult. Social skills that don't develop along typical lines can lead to behavior issues, such as inattentiveness or isolation. Some children might have difficulty making friends or getting along with others. Concentration can be difficult, and these children often have difficulty with more complex social situations unless they receive support and care to help them learn how to navigate social situations.
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