Summary: Article on Physical and Health Impairments

The article I read is called, "Unique Educational Needs of Learners with Physical and other Health Impairments.  It was written in 1991 witch made me think maybe the information is outdated still I continued reading to see if there has been some things that remain the same and what has changed.

The first few pages describe what is considered to be physical and health impairments and provide examples just like our chapter we read for our assignment this week.  Some conditions in the article that were not mentioned in the book were AIDS, multiple sclerosis, ataxia, and spasticity, and athetosis. It could be because they are not as prevalent as the others mentioned in the book or maybe these conditions since then have been named something else or have been marked as part of a condition of another preexisting condition.

There twenty educational needs that need to be considered for learners with physical and health impairments. 
1. Academic Needs. As educators we need to be informed what are the capabilities of our students, what they know to do and what they can't.  A technique suggested here is using the principles of behavior modification which is a sequence of steps that begins with what he/she knows already and ending with an ultimate goal of what he/she needs to learn.
2. The need for a specialized curriculum.  This curriculum should help improve mobility skills, enhance self-concept in the areas of self-worth, self-esteem, and self image, improve any academic deficiencies, improve socialization skills improve adaptive behavior, promote safety and emergency skills, improve self-care skills in order to develop independent living skills, improve health maintenance skills, develop skills that will prepare them for career opportunities and the world of work and to provide opportunities for successful goal completion.
3. Physical Needs of the Physical and Health Impaired: proper exercise, proper hygiene, proper rest and relaxation, provide time to take medicine, and proper maintenance of adaptive devices and amputations.  Time for them may be accommodated for the time they need to rest especially after a type of physical activity.
4. The need for self-help skills where they feel like they can contribute something to the world.
5. The need for adaptive devices such as prosthesis, orthosis, adaptive devices (special boards, computers and electronic synthesized speech output devices.)
6.  The need for psychological support.  As teachers we need to be aware that because of their impairment students may feel angry, depressed, withdrawn, frustrated and/or sensitive. The better they feel about themselves, the better they will become in meting their educational goals. A prevalent feeling we need to be aware of is the "unresolved feelings of dependency and inadequate ways of dealing with necessary dependence"(Kendall, 1991). As these students become adolescent we need to be able to also provide a sense of : privacy, participation (let him/her make decisions for himelf/herself), confidence, knowledge, and support.
7. The need for mobility. Teachers need to be aware "of the impact that the lack of mobility and movement have on the student and his interaction with peers" (Kendall, 1991).
8. The need of transportation.  This is important to keep in mind when planning fieldtrips. School buses, but also specialized lift-buses, taxis, and in extreme case an ambulance to no cost to the parents.
9. The need for physical education and recreation. Keep in mind limitations when planning a unit. All that is needed is to adjust in the rules, procedures or modifications of the equipment.
10. The need for prevocational and vocational preparation.   Teachers are to provide learning opportunities where students get real world experience so they can make realistic work choices.
11. The needs of transitional skills from school to the community.  We need to help them adjust to the society they live in and know is an essential part of his/her community.
The Needs of the School System in Educating Learners with Physical and Health Impairments
12. The need for trained educational personnel. Teachers need to be aware of being part of the interdisciplinary team that create individualized educational programs for the children, supervise their health conditions and be open minded and easily available to adapt the curriculum to meet students' needs.
13. The need for early identification and early intervention which in some cases can correct physical disabilities with early medical treatment or reduce the severity of disability.
14. The need for related services such as occupational, physical ans speech therapist and school nurses who should be included in the IEP process.
15. The need for flexible scheduling.  The school needs to be aware of the attendance of  a learner with a physical and health impairment may not have perfect attendance due to medical follow ups, therapy sessions or rest periods.  School must be flexible to accommodate when necessary
16. The need for program standards and modifications.  Classroom number size should be considered to keep it a minimum.  Adaptive devices should be provide.  Size of the classroom should be considered.  Paraprofessionals may be employed to serve the program to assist either the teacher, a nurse, an occupational therapist, a physical therapist, and/or a speech and language teacher.
 A chart is provided on page 39 of the article to show how drastic the modifications should be depending on severity of impairment.
17.  The need for a continuum of special education services and settings in the least restrictive environment. If a student only has a physical impairment that does not cause a barrier to his/her learning should be in the in a general education setting therefore teachers need to be aware of certain health conditions.
18. The need for facility modifications. School must be able to reduce architectural barriers.
19. The need for medical supervision by the school personnel.  Teachers learn what to do in emergency scenarios: CPR, first aid needs, epilepsy episode,
20. The need for parent support and training. It is not just the learner with the disability who goes through emotional distress.  There must be  a support provided for the parents. Parents should be informed and taught how to monitor his/her child.

Overall, even though the article was written a while ago, it provides so much helpful information that still can be applied.  Is there anything else that should be added or changed for the modern times we live in?

I must say, as I read the article I thought of the school I work for and how it really does meet these 20 recommendations.  When students have hearing aides, the therapist comes to talk to us about the devise we'll be using in the class room and suggests classroom modifications we can do ourselves, when we had a student last year who had been in a car accident, he was provided with occupational therapist to work on his walking and his hands' mobility. Every year for the last five year we've children with diabetes, we always have a talk with the nurse and provides us suggestions on what signs to do if our students have low sugar levels and need to see her.  During the IEP's I've been to, the OT, PT, resource teacher and even sometimes even the physiologist are invited to the meeting to work on a student's individual educational plan.  I must give kudos to the district I work for, it really does meet these suggestions.    Although we can always have more devices and increase of teacher support, I can't complain.  But not complaining does not mean I want to get more informed and know what more can I do to help/assist my colleagues and students to make a learning/teaching experience the best one yet.

Kendall, R.M. (1991.) Unique educational needs of learner with physical and other health 
      impairments. Pages 1-53. retrieved from http://files.eric.ed.gov/fulltext/ED342186.pdf.