Special Needs Children The individuality of each child is sometimes more easily understood when working with special needs children. Children with mental and physical handicaps require specialized attention from understanding adults. Your job sites will be better if sensitivity is shown to the uniqueness of each child. If you know that special needs children will attend Under Construction, consider appointing a special adult to care for them. This person should do some homework beforehand. They may ask parents or caretakers about the child or children to find out things such as: • whether they require medication • if they have special equipment, such as a wheelchair • what they can and cannot eat • what they need help doing • what they like to do for themselves • what they enjoy You may need to make sure that the rooms are set up so that a child in a wheelchair can attend job sites with the other children. An adult or even another child can often help when changing job sites by walking alongside the child and offering support with kind words or gently holding hands. Some children may require an adult's assistance to physically move from room to room. Keep in mind the difference between mental and physical handicaps, and that the presence of one does not always signify the presence of the other. Some children in wheelchairs are very quiet, but this may be because their handicap makes them shy. Don't assume the child cannot interact well with other children or answer questions in a group. Learn from a caretaker if the child interacts easily with others and respond readily to group dynamics. You may, however, have a child who is unable to participate in some of the activities. Think about the uniqueness of each special needs child and how you can adapt your teaching plans to include him or her. This may mean enlisting a person who works one-on-one with a special needs child. The main thing to remember is to treat each child as an individual. This often means asking the question, "How would I or (put the child's name in here) want to be treated in this situation?" Meeting each child individually is not only the kind and gracious thing to do, but also will help all children to know that God loves them as they are. This model of love teaches more than we may imagine! Back to the top

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