Special Education Resources

Fun for Children with Disabilities

By Charlotte E. Thompson, MD

Childhood should be a time to chase butterflies, ride merry-go-rounds, and dream wonderful dreams. If instead a child's days are filled with doctor or hospital, a special attempt needs to be made to find moments of happiness and fun for that youngster. Even just a few minutes a day for laughter, creative fun, or fantasy allow a child's life to be a little richer and a little more enjoyable.

Growing up is not easy for most children, but successfully fighting the emotional battles of a possible distorted self-image resulting from braces, wheelchairs, or a physical disability requires some very special qualities. Children with a chronic illness or physical disability often age before their time. Their eyes lose their sparkle, and each day brings more pain rather than more joy. Although children are usually good about enjoying the moment rather than anticipating problems, if they know that surgeries or painful treatments are ahead, savoring each day and the present moment may be difficult.

If parents, teachers, and caretakers can find ways to introduce art, music, theater, or dance, the days will not seem so long or so hard. Hobbies and pen pals are ways to make friends and enrich painful lives. Stamp or coin collecting can teach children about other people and countries and also enlarge their vistas.

Expensive materials are not necessary for art projects: last year's wallpaper books, comics, scraps of felt, yarn, fabric, buttons, and ribbons can all be used to make collages, pictures, puppets, and costumes.

A dress-up box can be a source of many theatrical productions involving fun and fantasy. Simple art materials can be purchased for little money, and musical instruments can be make or rented. A little effort and energy are needed to find the right avenue of creative expression for each child, but the dividends will be rich indeed.

Family fun is also important because siblings of disabled children so often receive little of their parents' time or attention. A picnic in the park, a trip to the zoo, or just a fun evening at home with the TV turned off can be special. Singing around the piano, popping corn, and making taffy or fudge are old-fashioned fun experienced by few children in today's video-TV-computer world. How different a child's environment could be if families started talking and singing together once again.

A physical or emotional disability can make a child very lonely, so learning how to interact with friends and family is an important step to becoming a secure, independent adult. Fun, magical moments, and laughter can be a part of a disabled youngster's growing years. The sparkle in a child's eyes will repay any effort many times over.

MEET YOUR PAL

Dr. Charlotte E. Thompson uses her 30+ years of experience and specialized training to help determine an accurate diagnosis and coordinate the necessary care for each child at The Center for Handicapped Children and Teenagers.

A graduate of Stanford University School of Medicine and a fellow of the American Academy of Pediatrics, Dr. Thompson received advanced training in the diagnosis and treatment of neuromuscular diseases from the University of London and the University of Southern California. She is also an Assistant Clinical Professor at the University of California at San Diego School of Medicine.

Dr. Thompson is the author of Raising a Handicapped Child: A Helpful Guide for Parents of the Physically Disabled and Raising a Child with a Neuromuscular Disorder: A Guide for Parents, Grandparents, Friends, and Professionals.