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Perceptions of Children with Disabilities 2014

INTRODUCTION

A child is a special individual that has the right to fully engage in family, cultural, and

social life. A child also has the right to be given treatment, education and care respective of

his or her physical, mental, or social “handicap”. However, not all children with disability get

to exercise these rights completely due to the influence of how their friends, classmates, and

family think about them and their situation. Society nowadays may be better informed yet

many still have misconceptions or even negative notions of children with disability.

Disability, as defined under the World Health Organization's International Classification

of Functioning, Disability and Health (ICF) , is a term that encompasses “impairments, activity

limitations and participation restrictions”. The WHO also defined disability as an interplay of

the individual's health condition along with personal and environmental factors.

According to the 2010 National Statistics Office Census of Population and Housing, 16

out of 1000 Filipinos have disability. The census also showed that disability was highest

among individuals from 5 to 19 years old while 1 out of 5 persons with disability (PWD) was

between the ages 0-14 years.3 This shows that care and treatment for those children should

be improved all the more. This age range is also crucial in a child's psychosocial

development. The first five stages in Erik Erikson's Theory of Psychosocial Development

showed that the crises that children must resolve will strongly contribute to how well they

establish their identity (Cross, 2001). If the crises for each stage are not resolved, children

might develop maladaptive behaviors such as impulsivity and obsession. Teachers and family

members are just some adult figures that can help children gear towards the positive

Swaney Ann C. Dee 2003-02685


disposition of each stage of psychosocial development. With their help, children will be able to

establish an identity that is emotionally and socially well-rounded and flexible.

For children with disability, however, finding guidance from other people may not be so

easy. Although disability awareness programs are being implemented in schools and

communities, some studies show that these programs only improve the participants'

knowledge, attitude and acceptance of disability in the short term, if there is any positive

influence at all (Ison, et.al, 2010). Interaction with other children in school, the neighborhood,

and other clubs may also affect the self-perception of children with disability (Chan, 2012).

This paper aims to find out the attitudes of children towards their disabilities along with their

interactions with others when they are at home, in school, or in other groups.

REVIEW OF RELATED LITERATURE

Children view events and situations in a different light than adults do. They are still in

the process of going through the adjustments and adaptive behaviors that they will need

when they transition to adulthood. There are also expectations from children as they go

through the stages of life. In Sigmund Freud's Psychosexual Stages of Development, children

6 years old onwards are supposed to develop social and communication skills, self-

confidence. For Erik Erikson's Psychosocial Development Theory, children aged 6-18 are

becoming more aware of themselves as individuals and they are figuring out their identities

and their role in society (Harmon & Jones, 2005). Their personal development depends on

the outcomes of the crises. For children with disability, however, moving to the positive side of

the spectrum and learning adaptive behaviors might require more effort compared to other



children without disability. Erikson's Psychosocial Stage of Industry vs. Inferiority poses that if

children do not develop the attitude of recognizing their achievements or achieving success,

they may fear failure and feel inferior to others (Huck, Kemp & Carter, 2010). With these

stages in mind, families and other support groups of children with disabilities strive to help

them have a more positive concept of themselves.

Interaction with other people affect children's concepts of themselves. Children not only

interact with the people around them but also with the people's perceptions of them and their

disability. People, in general, are continually affected by what they see and how others act

toward us (Phemister & Crewe, 2004). Unfortunately, information dissemination and

knowledge about different types of disabilities are not thoroughly reinforced. For example, in a

study done by Nowicki (2007) regarding the beliefs of children on learning and physical

disabilities, children aged 5-10 years old expressed their belief that learning difficulties are

temporary and can be controlled or even 'solved' over time if only the children with learning

difficulties put in more effort in their subjects.

On the other hand, some studies show that children with disabilities do not feel that

they are “different” until a certain age. Ruble (1983) reported that social comparison only

develops in children between the ages 7 and 9. By then, these children would have started

going to school and interacting with other children, parents, teachers, and other school staff.

People who have not been given enough relevant information regarding disabilities, or who

may have different perceptions on disabilities because of factors like culture, may view

children with disabilities in a different light. The children may start comparing themselves with

their peers and may notice differences between them and their peers. They may be more



aware of the different “labels” and stereotypes that are connected with their disabilities. Some

studies showed that being aware of the negative labels and stereotypes associated with their

disabilities significantly affects the children's experiences and performance in school

(Polychroni, Koukoura & Anagnostou, 2006).

How they identify with the people around them, how they overcome possible stigma and

negative labels, and how they handle their disabilities all play a role on whether they see

themselves in a positive or a negative light.

METHODOLOGY

A semi-structured interview was done via phone on three children with disabilities.

Their diagnoses are as follows (pseudonyms are given to protect their privacy):

Jules is a 13-year-old boy diagnosed with atypical autism. He goes to a special

education school.

Daisy is an 8-year-old girl diagnosed with atypical autism and is being observed for

developmental delays. She attends a special education school.

Joan is an 8-year-old girl diagnosed with dyslexia is being observed for attention

deficit hyperactivity disorder. She goes to a mainstream school with an inclusive

setting.

Jules and Daisy had to be guided by their parents in answering some of the questions. For

questions where they gave vague answers, the parents sometimes explained or elaborated

the children's answers. Some questions also had to be repeated by their parents in order to

get their attention. Joan, however, did not need her parents' help in understanding and



answering any of the questions.

Ten questions were asked in order to assess the following topics:

perception of self (including skills, strengths, and weaknesses)

interactions and roles in school

interactions and roles at home

future aspirations

DATA AND ANALYSIS

Perception of self

The children were asked to describe themselves in any way they want. All of them

mentioned their name, their ages, and the schools they attend. However, none of them

mentioned their diagnoses. When asked about the things they are good at, they mentioned

different skills and activities like solving word problems, playing basketball, singing and such.

Daisy said that she was good at “talking” and her mother said that she usually likes to make

her own stories using the covers of her storybooks. Joan even mentioned that she likes to

sing and that she wanted to do it in front of other people. However, when asked about their

weaknesses, Joan mentioned that she did not like to read.

“Daddy likes to read. He always [likes] to read with me...I don't want. I want to listen.”

This may indicate her frustration on making out the words because of her diagnoses.

This can be supported by different studies indicating that children with dyslexia are less

motivated and less enthusiastic when it comes to reading activities as compared with their

peers (Paterson, McKenzie & Lindsay, 2012). This implies that children with dyslexia do not

give high preference to reading, both for leisure and for practicality.



Interactions and roles in school

Since Jules and Daisy are both attending special education schools, their teachers

know how to handle their needs and behaviors. As they have been trained specifically to

teach children, they know how to deal with tantrums, special needs and accommodations for

the children in their classes. Their classmates are also children who have special needs so

they did not mention any negative feedback regarding their interactions with each other.

When asked about their friends, they both mentioned that their bestfriends are in their

respective classes.

Jules: My bestfriend is Paul (because) I like him. We play basketball together.

Interviewer: Is Paul also in your class?

Jules: Yes...in (my) class.

This might be a factor on how they perceive themselves based on their peers' attitudes

towards them. Some studies show that how children with disabilities perceive themselves

may be a reflection of how they see themselves in comparison with others (Paterson,

McKenzie & Lindsay, 2012). In this case, because Jules and Daisy are among children with

disabilities, they may not feel inferior or different compared to their peers in their classrooms.

Interactions and roles at home

None of the respondents had any negative feelings on their roles at home. All of them

have older siblings and they reported good relationships with their siblings. Jules even talked

about playing with his older sister jokingly.

“I don't like playing basketball with 'Ate'. She is not good...no...I'm better.”



Joan even talked about their dinner rituals. She said that she reminds the family to pray

before having meals. Daisy, however, did not really mention any special activities with her

siblings. Her parents mentioned that she is very shy and tends to keep to herself even when

she is at home. They did say that most of the time, she likes looking at mirrors when she is at

home.

Interviewer: Daisy, do you play with your Ate when you don't have school?

Daisy: Mirror! Mirror!

Interviewer: Daisy, do you like looking in the mirror?

Daisy: Yes!

Interviewer: What do you see in the mirror?

Daisy: Myself!

Future aspirations

None of them mentioned negative outlooks on their future aspirations. All of them

stated that they want to have jobs in the future and Daisy even said that she wanted to have a

job like her mother.

“I want to be like mommy...a scientist! I want to (be like) mommy.”

Children tend to idolize those who are usually around them and who give them positive

feedback. Daisy and Jules' parents are very supportive and knowledgeable when it comes to

their needs and so it is not surprising to hear one of them state that he or she wants to be just

like their parents. Joan also said that she wanted to be like her father who is a singer. Her

father mentioned that he usually sings to Joan before she goes to bed.



CONCLUSION

The respondents all live in school and home settings where they are not given negative

labels. They are also in the age range where they are not yet aware, or not yet fully aware, of

the stigma or negative labels given by other people to those who have disabilities. Because

they all live in loving anad caring environments, their perceptions on themselves are all

positive and they do not see themselves as “lacking” or “different” as compared to other

people who do not have disabilities. This supports some studies that show how many

children with disabilities function in their environments without feeling isolated or different than

others and that they can fulfill their roles in school and at home without much difficulties

(Serdity & Burgman, 2012). This also supports other studies that their environments and the

people around them greatly affect how they perceive themselves and how well they cope with

their disabilities (Selikowitz, 2012).


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