Special Needs Child

Special Needs Child: Case Study
Overview of the Case Study
In this reviewed video (Lupercio, 2017), the narrator is a parent of a child with special needs, and the video aims to present her experience with a special needs child. The special needs child is her daughter. At birth, the child was normal - just like every other child – and the initial signs that the child has some concerning condition was when she was at the age of six months. The initial sign that the mother noted was her eye that was "wiggling very rapidly back and forth." From this stage, the parent was highly worried and took her to the Emergency Room after the wiggling lasted for more than a day, and it didn't go away, even after the child had a good sleep.
The ER recommended an ophthalmologist whose diagnosis was that the nystagmus (constant wiggling of the eye) would go away at some time, and the child would grow normally. However, about a year, the child was not making the growth and development progress that a child at her age should be making, e.g., walking and speech. The delay in walking progressed into the child's second year, at her speech was only made up of simple words like "Ma" and "Pa" (Lupercio, 2017). At the age of two and half years, the mother took the child to a neurologist whose examination showed that her brain was fine, but she was not developing at the rate as expected of her age.
The parent than started on therapy programs, which include both professional and home-based therapies. Physical therapy continued up to when she was three, at the time when she joined preschool. At school, she was receiving physical therapy, speech therapy, occupational therapy, and adapted physical education. A diagnosis at the school showed that, even though she was three years old, she was functioning at t the level of a one and a half year old. At age four, the mother took her for an examination by a neurologist who concluded that it could be cerebral palsy. This condition could have been a result of oxygen flow to the brain being cut at birth or a young age.
The girl started using and is still using a walker at the age of four. Before the walker, the patient would be helped in her walking by having her hand held, but the walker was introduced as a measure to promote her independence. In addition to problems with are gait, she has had a problem with trembling hands and difficulties in controlling her mouth. Other than these challenges, the patient is always in high spirits and very determined to accomplish whatever she sets herself to achieve. As she progressed through her education, the mother and the teacher had to make a decision on which class she is to be placed; mild, moderate, and moderately severe (Lupercio, 2017).
Over the years, the patient has made significant progress. Between the age of 8 to 9 years, she began to visit the restroom, independently, to eat alone, and her speech has also improved. However, her speech bears some significant diversions from the normal, especially pronunciations. In particular, her pronunciation for the sound "th" is "da" (Lupercio, 2017). Despite these challenges, her parents understand her. This is one factor that comes out clear that the patient has a very supportive system around her made up of the parents and her teachers. Her parents understand her speech and can communicate with her despite the pronunciation difficulties.
The supportive nature of her parents is clear through the fact that they have accepted her as she is, and to them, she is normal. They consider her an angel, and she does not in any way inconvenience them, but only challenge them. The parents are willing to let her explore herself. For example, even though she makes a mess when eating, the mother is willing to let her be herself. The willingness to let her explore has to lead to her being enrolled in a special needs Karate class. Moreover, her writing has improved with the size of letters significantly reducing. In the meantime, the parents are reducing therapy sessions four times a week to two times a week.
It is also noteworthy that, even though at the initial states this mother didn't have sufficient support from the patient's father, at the moment, she has support from her husband, the patient's stepfather. This form of support is considered to play a crucial part in caring for the special needs child, because, as the interviewee states, it is difficult to be a mother of a special needs child.
Reflection
The first, and the most important element about this case study is the need to, as a parent, come to terms with the reality of having a special needs child (Weiss et al., 2012). Every parent expects to get a child who, at the very least, fits the expectations of a normal child. In this case, the parent is overwhelmed because of the extra care she has to do for her daughter. Additionally, she also gets overwhelmed when she sees her nieces and nephews doing things on their own. The acceptance of the condition of the special needs child and the description of the same as the "normal" for the parent is the most important element in this case study. Acceptance of a special needs child is considered to be the single most important milestone in the journey of caring for such a child.
Another important thing from this case study is the importance of strong social support (DeHoff et al., 2016). This parent gave birth to the special needs child at a young age, and a strong support system around her made her able to weather the challenges. First, when the child began showing signs of cerebral palsy, some helpful doctors helped to calm her down and give her hope. When the child began schooling, teachers helped provide therapy, and at the moment, this parent's husband is very supportive in caring for the special needs child.
The last important thing is the need to trust in the child to find their way around things and to curve their path in achieving set goals (Garner & Sandow, 2018; McNamara & Blenco, 2018). In the current case study, the parents have entrusted the child with the role of finding her way around things and activities that she wants to do. As a result, the special needs child is taking a special needs karate class, can eat on her own – despite making a mess, and she can now go to the restroom unaided.
This case study has been an eye-opener for me, and therefore when working with parents, I will; 1) advise parents on the need to accept their children and accept that normal is not standard, but just like beauty, within the eyes of the beholder. 2) Advice parents to seek medical attention, primarily, the relevant therapy for children with cerebral palsy. 3) Recommend that parents ensure they have a supportive circle in caring for the special needs children because, regardless of how strong a parent can be, the specialized care needed for these children can be overwhelming. 4) Argue for the importance of allowing the child to explore her/his way around things and not have the parent force a specific way. And 5), advise parents on the need to note even the simplest improvements a special needs child has made and capitalize on them to help promote independence.
References
DeHoff, B. A., Staten, L. K., Rodgers, R. C., & Denne, S. C. (2016). The role of online social support in supporting and educating parents of young children with special health care needs in the United States: a scoping review. Journal of medical Internet research, 18(12), e333.
Garner, P., & Sandow, S. (Eds.). (2018). Advocacy, self-advocacy, and special needs (Vol. 25). Routledge.
Lupercio, B. (2017, Jan. 13). Being A Special Needs Mom | Becca's Bubble Episode 3. YouTube. Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-J_NS5QDKWw&feature=emb_title
McNamara, S., & Blenco, G. (2018). Teaching special needs: Strategies and activities for children in the primary classroom (Vol. 37). Routledge.
Weiss, J. A., Cappadocia, M. C., MacMullin, J. A., Viecili, M., & Lunsky, Y. (2012). The impact of child problem behaviors of children with ASD on parent mental health: The mediating role of acceptance and empowerment. Autism, 16(3), 261-274.