A child's condition
Here are some possible general questions about disabilities:
- What is autism?
- What is dyslexia?
- How can I explain to my children what epilepsy is?
- What happens when you have a seizure?
- How can I tell my family members and friends?
Where to find out more:
Go to Websites with health and disability information and search for the condition or disability you want information about.
For a more comprehensive coverage, consult Books about Disabilities.
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A child's diagnosis
Here are some possible questions about a child's diagnosis:
- Why doesn't this child learn as quickly as the other children? Could there be something wrong?
- Does this child have epilepsy?
- Could this child have a hearing impairment?
- Could this child have ADHD?
- Does this child really have the diagnosis she's been given?
Where to find out more:
Only a paediatrician can diagnose a child. You cannot do it yourself. However, you can read more about conditions by consulting Websites with health and disability information.
If you are already very familiar with the disability, and you have very specific questions, then go to: Professional Research Literature
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What might help a child with a disability
Here are some possible questions about treatments and other interventions:
Treatments and other interventions include medications, operations, therapies or equipment. Intervention questions are about whether an intervention works, how it works, whether to stop it, or whether some other intervention would be better:
- Will this child be better if she has this operation?
- Will this new piece of equipment help this child?
- What are the alternative therapies? How do I find out about them?
- Should this child continue to take epilepsy medication?
- Is it better to have a baclofen pump or to take it orally?
- Is this seating system any better than one that I can buy one off the shelf?
- How can I help my child talk?
- How can I help my child walk?
- What sorts of questions should I ask the surgeon?
- What sorts of things should I ask the orthotist? What should I take with me?
Where to find out more:
Consult a healthcare professional about treatments. Don't be afraid to ask plenty of questions when considering a treatment or intervention for your child. Click on this link to see some suggested questions to ask the child's healthcare professional.
Find out more about treatments or interventions by consulting: Websites with health and disability information. Remember that many interventions have side-effects. So, when you consider different interventions, make sure you consider both the adverse effects of interventions as well as their beneficial effects.
If you are already familiar with an intervention, and you have specific questions about it, then go to: Professional Research Literature
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What might harm a child with a disability
Before starting a treatment or intervention, it is important to ask questions about its dangers, its unpleasant side-effects or the adverse reactions that some people experience. Here are some of the questions about possible harmful effects of treatments and interventions:
- Is botox safe? What about the bad publicity?
- What are the risks to my child if I agree to this operation?
- Will this child experience side-effects if he takes this medication?
- If this child uses an AAC device, will it stop her from developing speech?
- If this child gets an insert, will he get lazy and stop holding himself up?
- If this child uses a keyboard, will it stop her learning to write properly?
The healthcare professional who provides the treatment or intervention should be able to answer questions about its adverse effects. Don't be afraid to ask plenty of questions when considering a treatment or intervention for your child. Click on this link to see some suggested questions to ask the child's healthcare professional.
Find out more by consulting: Websites with health and disability information.
If you are already familiar with an intervention, and you have specific questions about its adverse effects, then go to: Professional Research Literature.
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What caused a child to have a disability
Here are some possible questions about the cause (aetiology) of a child's condition:
- What caused my child's disability? What is the likelihood that my next child will have a disability?
- Is the cause genetic?
- What causes ADHD?
Where to find out more:
Websites with health and disability information
The causes of some conditions are obvious. Other conditions may have complex causes, and the family and healthcare professional need to consider the child's individual history to work out which causes were the most likely.
If you are already very familiar with the disability literature, and you have a specific question about aetiology, then go to: Professional Research Literature
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Schooling for a child with a disability
There are two kinds of questions about schooling for children with disabilities:
- Questions about selecting an appropriate school
- Questions about working with the child's school
Questions about selecting an appropriate school
These include:
- What types of schools are provided for children with disabilities?
- Should this child be in Education Support or mainstream?
- Can my child go to my local school?
Before enrolment, make an appointment to visit a number of schools and ask for a tour. Get a sense of the school spirit and the capacity for the school to include your child. Click on this link to see some suggested questions to ask the child's school.
You can find out more about schools by visiting: Websites about Schooling
You can also find out about the experiences of other parents with schools by visiting: Support Networks
Questions about working with your child's school
Once your child is enrolled in a school, you may have questions about how to work with the school to meet the child's needs in the best way possible. These include:
- How do I get a teacher's assistant to help my child at school?
- I want my child to be able to spend time with normal kids and do social activities with them. What would be best?
Any concerns about a child's schooling should be discussed with the child's teacher and/or the principal of the child's current school.
You can find out more by visiting: Websites about Schooling
You can also get ideas from other parents by visiting: Support Networks or by getting involved in parents groups at your child's school.
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Services and Supports in Western Australia
Questions about what services and supports are available locally include:
- Where can I do riding for the disabled?
- Where can we get a swimming lesson for a child with a severe disability?
- How do I access the toy library?
- How do I get private services?
- What entitlements can I get from the Government?
- How do I find out about carer's allowance?
- If I'm going to the country, how do I get services? Where can I stay when I come to Perth?
- Where else can I get funding?
- What are the post-school options? Is my child eligible for post-school options?
- What is an LAC? Who is my LAC?
- How do I register with DSC?
Go to: Websites of Western Australian services
You can also ask these questions of healthcare professionals and other families of children with disabilities. To make contact with other families, go to: Support Networks.
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The future: Options for adults with disabilities
Planning for the future is an important part of living with a disability. To plan for the future, you may need to find answers to questions like these:
- What does the future hold for this child?
- What is the natural course of development for a child with this diagnosis?
- Will my child be able to hold down a job when he leaves school?
- How long will this child be able to keep walking?
- Will my child be able to live independently when she leaves school?
If you are planning the transition from school life to adult live, consult the Department of Education and Training's Transition Planning website. Best Practice Guidelines for transitioning to adult life for youth with disabilities are also available.
To read the stories of people who have grown up with CP, visit You be the difference.
Questions about the natural course of disabilities can be found on: Websites with health and disability information
Questions about post-school options and services can be answered by consulting: Websites of Western Australian services
You can also seek the advice of professionals and other families, either in person or by consulting: Support Networks
Specific questions about the development of children with disabilities can be answered from the professional literature, in particular, longitudinal studies that track children with disabilities as they are growing up: Professional Research Literature
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