Comments on: Odd Picks and Handicapping Explained

By: JoJo

JoJo — Tue, 15 Dec 2009 12:04:59 +0000

arrange for a time where your son and your niece can meet together. Tell him that your niece is just like any other kid. But her brain works differently and it is harder for her to learn. Tell him never to make fun of people with disabilities because they are made that way by Him and everyone is special.
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By: Driver

Driver — Tue, 15 Dec 2009 12:02:59 +0000

You don’t say how old your son is so I don’t know how much he would understand. I had this conversation with my son when he started first grade and his school is a regional special education center. I just told him that when babies are getting formed inside their mothers, that sometimes something goes wrong and doesn’t come out just right. It could be something visible, like a malformed hand, or a kid in a wheelchair, or the kid could look perfectly normal but something in the brain didn’t develop quite right.

That explanation made perfect sense to my son, and I was sure to say it in a way that made it sound like everyone turns out different and even though they have a handicap, they still have their own unique skills and abilities and should be respected.
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By: FoxyCoxy

FoxyCoxy — Tue, 15 Dec 2009 12:00:59 +0000

How old is your son anyway? That should determine how you should tell him.

I’m going to go ahead and agree with Nana M on this one. Depending on the age of the child, use simple words and explanations. Definitely explain to him that people who look different or have mental disabilities have the same feelings we have, even if they can’t communicate the same way we do. Depending on your niece’s disorder, there may be an explanation to why she was born that way: some do, some don’t. when he gets a little older and can understand, then you can explain to him why she is that way if there is a known reason. I applaud you for wanting to educate your son that, "A person’s a person no matter how small."

Rosie: Helpful, but way too long with the table of contents.
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Cousin has autism; Dr. Seuss

By: ladedamom

ladedamom — Tue, 15 Dec 2009 11:58:59 +0000

My son is 2 1/2 and not long ago we saw a child in a wheelchair in a store. He started to stare and he asked me "mommy what’s that?". When I noticed what he was looking at I told him where he could hear and without making a big issue of it "that’s a little boy". When he asked me again "what’s that" I told him "That’s a little boy that has to use a special chair to help him get around." He just nodded and that was that. He isn’t old enough to understand why some people may need special things like wheelchairs or why some kids are different due to autism or downs but for now that answer satisfied him.

If he `were older I’d probably help him find out about what he saw to help him understand better and to help answer his questions. It’s important to let kids know it’s OK to ask questions, but they shouldn’t stare or make people that are different physically from them feel badly. Kids that are raised around family members with special needs usually turn out to be more compassionate and understanding of those needs when they encounter them other places and more accepting of the differences than kids who never encounter it in their family. Help them learn about the autism or downs or special situation and help them find ways they can relate to their relative when they are together.
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By: jessygirl

jessygirl — Tue, 15 Dec 2009 11:56:59 +0000

God makes everyone different, and gives them different jobs. Your niece's job is to help people be more kind and accepting.
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By: Bella

Bella — Tue, 15 Dec 2009 11:54:59 +0000

Tell her everyone is different and some people need more help than others because of birth defects, handicaps, challenges (however you prefer). The more knowledge she has, the less likely she'll be to pick on someone like that.
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By: nana m

nana m — Tue, 15 Dec 2009 11:52:59 +0000

I would try to explain to him that her body did not have enough time and enough air and nutrients when she was growing in her moms tummy so that's why things are different.not to put blame on the mom but I think a small child might understand in those words.I would tell him she still has feeling and can still cry ,smile, be happy, have fun, be bored, get sad,just like he can.I would let them spend as much time together as possible so he will bond with her and when around others he will think of her and will treat them the same and understand them. good luck and we need more parents who think in advance about these things that we need to teach our kids because they are not going to learn it just out of the blue.
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By: rosie

rosie — Tue, 15 Dec 2009 11:50:59 +0000

The main purpose of this study is to seek ways to understand mentally handicapped children as they are as unique individuals. The two dominant perspectives on special education, the traditional and the social perspectives, fall short of seeing mentally handicapped children "as they are" since they focus on either their differences from non-handicapped children or the commonality between handicapped and non-handicapped children. Thus the fundamental question of the research becomes how to see sameness and difference in order to understand the experience of mentally handicapped children in their lifeworlds.

Lifeworlds of mentally handicapped children are explored in the form of "stories" based on my own experiences with these children, mainly because the form of story allows us to tell about particular events, particular experiences, and particular individuals in concrete situations. This epistemological concreteness of story is methodologically appropriate for the study, since as pedagogical research the study seeks to understand each child as a unique individual in his or her particular situation. The phenomenon of difference and the experience of each child are explored in the various stories through the topics "finger play," "eating," "smiling," "self-talk," "seeing and listening," and "don’t touch me." An effort is also made throughout the stories to see sameness through difference so as not to over-emphasize either sameness or difference.

In the endeavor of understanding experiences of mentally handicapped children by means of stories, it is suggested that intersubjectivity is a particularly meaningful dimension of children’s experience. That is, experience becomes meaningful by being lived in a shared context. Intersubjectivity also suggests the reciprocal nature of understanding. These themes of contextuality of meaning and mutuality of understanding make all the more significant and responsible our place as teachers and parents in the lifeworlds of children.

As to sameness and difference, it is proposed that what is needed is an understanding of the dialictic between individual difference and collective difference in order to understand mentally handicapped children as they are and to help them become themselves, to help them form their own identity.

Table of Contents

Chapter 1 Formulating the Study Questions

Introduction; Ted 1

Appropriateness of an Utterance 3

Rhea 5

Deviancy of Behavior 10

Particularity of Individuals and Particularity of Being

Mentally Handicapped 12

Fred 13

Sameness and Difference 15

The Research Questions 16

Chapter 2 Review of Perspectives on Special Education

(1) The Traditional Perspective on Special Education 18

(a) The Term "Traditional Perspective" 18

(b) Questions Concerning the Traditional Perspective 20

(2) The Social Perspective on Special Education 27

(a) Overview 27

(b) Questions Concerning the Social Perspective 31

(3) Summary

(a) Need for Alternative Approach 35

(b) Possibility 37

Chapter 3 Methodology 42

(1) Acknowledging the Active Involvement of a Researcher 43

(2) Research Implication of the Pedagogical Stance 50

(3) Story as a Form of Researching 52

Chapter 4 Lifeworlds of Mentally Handicapped Children; Stories

"Finger Play" 58

"Eating" 74

"Smiling" 90

"Self Talk" 107

"Seeing and Listening" 123

"Don’t Touch Me" 137

Chapter 5 Reflections

(1) Sameness and Difference 156

Dialectic of Sameness and Difference 158

Beyond Collective Difference 164

Difference, Self, and Identity 166

(2) Reflections

Contextuality of Meaning 169

Continuous Nature of Hermeneutic and Pedagogical Inquiry 171

Notes 178

References 181
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By: theresad

theresad — Tue, 15 Dec 2009 11:48:59 +0000

he wont understand any of that tell him to be nice to everyone and that everyone is different in some way or another and that it is okay to be different good luck and i hope this helped you out
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By: ricegirl

ricegirl — Tue, 15 Dec 2009 06:46:14 +0000

How would you explain to your child why a mentally handicap child is the way they are?
I am looking for ways to help my son understand why my niece (age 12) is only as mentally developed as a 3 year old. I want to him to understand that some kids aren’t like him like kids with down syndrome. I want to make sure he is not a bully and picks on others as he grows up. I prefer him to understand and protect and play with them like everyone else.