There is a tendency for people to assume that a child with poor attention span and an inability to focus has attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). It’s easy to see why people may automatically jump to this conclusion.

The holidays may be a very rough, chaotic time for children with special needs. There are a lot of non-routine activities happening all around them all at once, with familiar and unfamiliar friends and families showing up. For many children with special needs, this can be excess stimuli.

When you first find out that your child is diagnosed with special needs, a series of roller coaster emotions and worries can be expected. Panic might set in. How will I cope with this? Am I prepared to support my child’s development?

Each of us have different handwriting styles. Some are neat while others are sloppy and misaligned, yet still remain legible. It is when the handwriting is illegible that you must take special note. Children who have trouble expressing themselves in writing may have a condition known as ‘Dysgraphia’. The term comes from the Greek words dys, which means “impaired”, and graphia, meaning “writing letter by hand”.

If you are unsure about how your child’s speech and language is developing because they may appear to be unresponsive to vocal cues, or seem to be taking longer than their peers to speak in full sentences, the natural reaction may be to think the child might have speech and language delay. This may not always be the case.

Here are some things you need to know

In most instances, children develop along a progressive schedule with generally predictable milestones.

0-5 months:

• Responds to sources of sound or voices
• Makes cooing noises or displays sounds associated with emotions like laughter.

6-11 months:

• Uses gestures
• Attempts to repeat words of adults
• starts babbling

12-17 months:

• Is able to follow simple directions
• Attempts to imitate full words
• Starts to understand and answer basic questions non-verbally

18-23 months:

• Has a vocabulary of up to a dozen words
• Can ask for common things by name
• Can pronounce vowels properly and starts using other sounds

2-3 years:

• Understands and uses “you,” “I,” “me,” and other pronouns
• Starts forming multiple words into a phrase or short sentence
• Has ability to verbally reply to simply questions

3-4 years:

• Speak at a level that strangers should be able to understand
• Can express their feelings and thoughts
• Able to repeat and convey whole sentences

Contact us to see how you can develop an understanding of the different types of exceptional children, their needs, and the different special needs programmes and specialties that are available to you, for them.

CAE’s 12-months Advanced Diploma in Special Education course trains educators and parents in the identification, diagnosis and treatment of these needs and the basic principles and practices of effective teaching and learning. The programme is highly practice-oriented to ensure that what you learn in class can be applied to children with special needs under your charge.

CAE’s Diploma in Learning Disorders Management & Child Psychology programme is designed specifically to train potential teachers, parents and caregivers to identify, detect and support children with special needs, such as Autism, Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD), Dyspraxia, and Dyslexia.

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