When they're young, kids with MD don't look any different from other kids. Later on, they may need wheelchairs or leg braces to get around. It's hard to imagine what it might feel like if you had trouble getting up from a chair, playing sports, or even walking. The weakness that kids with MD feel in their muscles isn't the same kind of weakness you feel after you run really far and feel like you can't go another step. If you don't have MD, your muscle weakness from exercise will go away after a short time. But for kids with MD, muscle weakness is always there - when they wake up and when they go to sleep. MD can also affect a person's brain, which can cause learning problems, but most kids with MD can go to school in a regular classroom with other kids.
Words like normal, fulfilled, and productive should be used carefully so the sentence does not imply that those affected by MD aren't normal, fulfilled, or productive.
Parents of a child with MD attending school want him/her to have the same opportunities and choices as his peers. As physical abilities are last, it becomes more and more difficult for the child to perform some activites and a greater need for assistance will surface. There also may be learning deficiencies or speech impediments that require specialized programs. Many parents do not know of the help that is available for their children or are unsure of how to obtain services.
A child with MD may only need assistance with phusical activities or the child may require accommodations and modifications that help him complete regular assignments or standardized tests. Sometimes speech and language skills and developmental skills will also be difficult.
Considering the child's current level of ability, annual goals can be written outlining what the child is expected to learn and acheive throughout the year. These goals must be designed to meet the child's needs resulting from his/her disability, enabling him to be invloved in and make progress in the general education curriculum. Updates of progress should be provided to you periodically through the school year at least as often as reports are given to non-disabled peers of their progress.
Cut equal amounts of red and blue paper into small pieces- enough for everyone in the class to have one. Place the papers in a box so each person will have the opportunity to draw a piece. Make sure the bos is covered so no one can see which color they pick. After everyone in the class has chosen, ask the students who chose the red pieces to take seats in the back of the room while the students with blue pieces sit in the front. Once everyone is seated, assign an unfavorable task like vocabulary or math problems. All the while have the blue group do something like color, paint, or play games. After a sufficient amount of time, have the groups switch what they're doing. Be sure to have both groups experience an equal amount of time doing both kinds of tasks. Later, have the students discuss, possibly in an essay or open discussion, how they felt when the were in the fun group and vice versa, both about themselves and each other.
The Discovery Game helps children realize that they share similar traits and characteristics with other children with whom they may not be so familiar. The leader of this activity will need to produce a list of characteristics that will be discovered during the game. Students gather and record who they have similarities with. For example, the leader could shout out:
Negative Adjectives and Phrases to Avoid:
Positive Adjectives and Phrases to Use:
Red and Blue
Diversity
After each instruction, ask the students to talk about each characteristic with the others in the group. If some students do not fit into a group, have them gather and discuss how it feels to not be part of that group. Also have each student write down who has similar or disimilar interests. Most likely, each student will have something in common with everyone in the class.
©Craig Carpenter October 2006
Plymouth State University