All children are special, but in the U.S. the term "special children" has two meanings one medical and one legal.
Origin:
The first definition is medically and both the American Psychiatric Association in its Diagnostic and Statistical Manual and International Classification of Diseases in the ninth edition of the World Health Organization, the disease responsible for defining the term used to describe the children who have been diagnosed with a disability both physical, psychological, or mental, whether mild or severe.
The second is a legal definition used by the U.S. government covering all the child that requires additional attention to function optimally in
society, either in their family, school or community. The term was derived from the Adoption and Families Act 1997, better known as ASFA, which was modified to correct the legislation preventing the adoption of children with disabilities placed for adoption and whose language described children as children with additional needs or special. The definition is based on the results of assessments of the behavior, childhood and family history of the child. Usually the assessment to legally define a "special child" is made by a health professional.According to the Center for Control and Prevention (CDC), in country 1 in 5 Americans living with a disability and there are currently 50 million Americans with disabilities.
Scope of the definition:
The combination of medical and legal definition of "special needs" is so broad that it covers not only the children who suffer and have been diagnosed with an illness, either mental retardation, terminal illness, or who are physically handicapped but also includes children who have disorders in their learning process, suffer from food allergies, are asthmatic, have serious psychiatric problems or slight, or simply are dyslexic. The important thing to remember is that in its broadest definition the definition is relevant in order to meet the child and his family not only with the medical treatment they need, but with the services and education they need to function to their full potential, despite what is their special situation. http://www.pbs.org/newshour/indepth_coverage/education/no_child/impact.html
Categories:
Because the definition of "special needs" is so broad and that the United States government's mission is to ensure free education and integration of children with special needs into society, in order to simplify the scope of the definition we will divided into categories, such as special needs related to medical conditions, behavior, development, learning, and mental health, as classified in its definition the World Health Organization (WHO).
Special needs for medical reasons:
It is possible that children with medical problems require more tests than normal, need to stay in hospital for long periods or permanently, requiring expensive equipment and rely on to preserve their health, and also
need lodging, places or sites of learning suitable for people with disabilities so that they can function. Some of the serious medical conditions that affect children include cancer, muscular dystrophy, heart defects, cystic fibrosis and chronic conditions such as asthma and diabetes. Also includes congenital conditions such as cerebral palsy, dwarfism and other conditions such as obesity or food allergies among others.Special needs for the behavior:
Families with children with behavior disorders require specialized strategies that suit their skills. Among the most common diseases that affect children's behavior is Disorder Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder, Sensory Integration dysfunction, Tuorette Syndrome, all conditions that require extra care and specialized for a healthy development children and their families.
Development needs by:
From mental retardation, to diagnoses such as Down syndrome and autism are examples of diseases that prevent children who suffer participate and be integrated into mainstream education. In the United States there are laws such as No Child Left Behind that integrate these children into the education system and also ensure that such children could benefit from the services, therapies, education and integration they need.
Special learning needs:
Learning disabilities are problems that affect the brain's ability to receive, process, analyze and store information. Most children affected by the disorder, usually have difficulty complying with the homework, despite his intellectual capacity. These children require specialized learning strategies to achieve maximum capacity and avoid problems of low self-esteem and behavior problems. Among the most common learning disabilities are: dyslexia and Central auditory disorder or (known by its acronym in English (DPAC) which encompasses several disorders related to the way the brain processes auditory information. Some schools develop called programs or individualized education program (IEP) to define learning strengths and weaknesses of children and working with families to ensure the academic progress of children with estostrastornos.
Psychological needs by:
Illnesses such as depression and anxiety among other diseases are common among children. When depression persists and starts to affect school performance and behavior of the child, it is important that they are able to provide therapy, medication and sometimes hospitalization necessary to recover and resume their daily lives.