Types of Physical
Handicaps, Causes, Characteristics and Interventions
By Anthony M. Wanjohi
A physical handicap is a
physical or mental disability making participation in certain of the usual
activities of daily living more difficult according to Noel (2010). There are
many types of physical handicaps that people can acquire. They come in all
shades, shapes and sizes. Some examples of handicaps can result from a
disability such as blindness, deafness or injuries that can lead to paralysis
or amputations. Noel (2010) tells us that some physical handicaps are not
always a hindrance to someone's everyday lifestyle. This paper analyses this
aspect of humanity in six sections. First is a brief discussion on physical
handicaps. Second are the causes and characteristics of common physical
disabilities. Third is the educational intervention towards physical handicaps
while fourth comes a section discussing methods of prevention of these
disabilities. Lastly, the paper draws a conclusion that after all, disability
is not inability.
People who have a
handicap can still have a normal life. They may not be able to do what they
would like to do much less do regular activities like others. However, they are
capable of being happy and productive. Many face discrimination or get treated
as second class citizens or worse seen as a "poor soul." As a result,
there were reportedly over 19,000 charges filed in 2008 claiming discrimination
from disabled workers. People often mistake being disabled as handicapped and
vice versa. Although both refer to someone being at a disadvantage, they are
not the same. Noel (2010) is clear in his definition that a disability is the
limitations of a function due to injury or illness such as being paralyzed or
blind. Examples of someone with a handicap are not having the speed to make a
track relay squad or the size and power to make a football team. A person
suffering from a physical handicap that severely impairs someone's judgment and
ability can become a hazard to themselves as well as others.
2.0 Various types of physical handicaps,
their causes and characteristics
This section presents
various types of physical handicaps, their causes and characteristics.
2.1 Causes and
characteristics
Skeletal
impairments
This
include joint movement limitations (either mechanical or due to
pain), small limbs, missing limbs, or abnormal trunk size. Some major causes of
these impairments can be explained as follows.
Arthritis
Arthritis is defined as
pain in joints, usually reducing range of motion and causing weakness. Rheumatoid
arthritis is a chronic syndrome. Osteoarthritis is a degenerative joint
disease. The incidence of all forms of arthritis is now estimated at 900,000
new cases per year10.
Cerebral
Palsy (CP)
Cerebral palsy is
defined as damage to the motor areas of the brain prior to brain maturity (most
cases of CP occur before, during or shortly following birth). CP is a type of
injury, not a disease (although it can be caused by a disease), and does not
get worse over time; it is also not "curable." Some causes of cerebral
palsy are high temperature, lack of oxygen, and injury to the head. The most
common types are: (1) spastic, where the individual moves stiffly and with
difficulty, (2) ataxic, characterized by a disturbed sense of balance and depth
perception, and (3) athetoid, characterized by
involuntary, uncontrolled motion. Most cases are combinations of the three
types.
Spinal
Cord Injury
Spinal cord injury can
result in paralysis or paresis (weakening). The extent of paralysis/paresis and
the parts of the body affected are determined by how high or low on the spine
the damage occurs and the type of damage to the cord. Quadriplegia involves all
four limbs and is caused by injury to the cervical (upper) region of the spine;
paraplegia involves only the lower extremities and occurs where injury was
below the level of the first thoracic vertebra (mid lower back). Car accidents
are the most frequent cause (38%), followed by falls and jumps (16%) and
gunshot wounds (13%)12 as recorded by Connor, F.
(1988).
Head
Injury (cerebral trauma)
The term "head
injury" is used to describe a wide array of injuries, including
concussion, brain stem injury, closed head injury, cerebral hemorrhage,
depressed skull fracture, foreign object (e.g., bullet), anoxia, and
post-operative infections. Like spinal cord injuries, head injury and also
stroke often results in paralysis and paresis, but there can be a variety of
other effects as well.
Stroke
(cerebral vascular accident - CVA)
The three main
causes of stroke are: thrombosis (blood clot in a blood vessel blocks blood
flow past that point), hemorrhage (resulting in bleeding into the brain tissue;
associated with high blood pressure or rupture of an aneurysm), and embolism (a
large clot breaks off and blocks an artery). The response of brain tissue to
injury is similar whether the injury results from direct trauma (as above) or
from stroke. In either case, function in the area of the brain affected either
stops altogether or is impaired.
Loss
of Limbs or Digits (Amputation or Congenital)
This may be due to
trauma (e.g., explosions, mangling in a machine, severance, burns) or surgery
(due to cancer, peripheral arterial disease, diabetes). Usually prosthetics are
worn, although these do not result in full return of function.
Parkinson's Disease
This is a progressive
disease of older adults characterized by muscle rigidity, slowness of
movements, and a unique type of tremor. There is no actual paralysis. The usual
age of onset is 50 to 70, and the disease is relatively common - 187 cases per
100,00015 as sourced from Connor (1988).
Multiple
Sclerosis (MS)
Multiple sclerosis is
defined as a progressive disease of the central nervous system characterized by
the destruction of the insulating material covering nerve fibers. The problems
these individuals experience include poor muscle control, weakness and fatigue,
difficulty walking, talking, seeing, sensing or grasping objects, and
intolerance of heat. Onset is between the ages of 10 and 40.
ALS
(Lou Gehrig's Disease)
ALS (Amyotrophic Lateral
Sclerosis) is a fatal degenerative disease of the central nervous system
characterized by slowly progressive paralysis of the voluntary muscles. The
major symptom is progressive muscle weakness involving the limbs, trunk,
breathing muscles, throat and tongue, leading to partial paralysis and severe
speech difficulties. This is not a rare disease (5 cases per 100,000). It
strikes mostly those between age 30 and 60, and men three times as often as
women. Duration from onset to death is about 1 to 10 years (average 4 years).
Muscular
Dystrophy (MD)
Muscular dystrophy is a
group of hereditary diseases causing progressive muscular weakness, loss of
muscular control, contractions and difficulty in walking, breathing, reaching,
and use of hands involving strength.
Education for physically
impaired is special depending on the disability in question. Some students have
no restrictions on what they can do and learn, while others are extremely
limited in their activities and require intensive medical and educational help
says Fraser (1983). A physical problem can hamper a student's mobility,
coordination, stamina, communication, or learning abilities to such an extent
that educational objectives are difficult to accomplish and special education
intervention is required. For example, children with cerebral palsy typically
have deficits in gross and fine motor development as well as speech and
communication problems. Some children have extremely debilitating physical
conditions that result in low intellectual functioning, serious limitations in
activities, and multiple primary handicaps. Others function in the average or
gifted range intellectually and participate full time in regular classes.
According to Reynolds
and Clark (1983), examiners must have a broad base of skills in order to
measure adequately the functional and cognitive abilities of students who are
physically disabled or health impaired. In addition to the areas traditionally
evaluated in the assessment of children with mild handicaps, measures should be
included in the areas of gross motor, fine motor, and daily living skills;
perception; recreation and leisure skills; augmentative communication; and
sensory input. Competent diagnosticians recognize their personal limitations
and seek help from therapists, educators, physicians, nurses, social workers,
and others to gather appropriate data. (Reynolds and Clark, 1983) tells us that
developing a comprehensive pre-assessment plan ensures that the information
necessary for establishing programs and setting priorities for intervention
will be available when needed.
One of the main
considerations is the use of the team approach in developing and carrying out a
child's educational program. The team generally includes the parents, teachers,
medical professionals, and health-related professionals such as a physical
therapist. Parents are critical members of the team and should be involved in
all educational decisions. Sirvis (1988)
noted that the team should design a program that meets the needs of the student
in five basic goal areas: "(a) physical independence, including mastery of
daily living skills; (b) self-awareness and social maturation; (c)
communication; (d) academic growth; and (e) life skills training" (p.
400). Interdisciplinary services such as occupational and physical therapy and
speech and language therapy are of prime importance for youngsters who have
physical disabilities.
Another important
educational consideration is placement. Educational services are provided in a
variety of settings including regular classrooms, resource rooms, special
classes, and other, more restrictive settings including hospital and homebound
programs. Approximately 8% of students with orthopedic impairments and 18% of
students with health impairments are served in home and hospital environments
(Tenth Annual Report to Congress, 1988). Since educational services may include
extensive medical and health-related support, arrangements often need to be
made to provide these services in diverse educational settings. The need for support
services is often a vital consideration in fitting a program to an individual
student. Most common among the related services are transportation, physical
therapy, occupational therapy, diagnostic services, school health services,
counseling, and school social work services (Tenth Annual Report to Congress,
1988).
It is often necessary to
modify and adapt the school environment to make it accessible, safe, and less
restrictive. Accessibility guidelines are readily available, and when these
guidelines are followed the environment becomes easier for the child to manage
independently. It is important that modifications be no more restrictive than
absolutely necessary so that the student's school experiences can be as normal
as possible. Many authorities stress the importance of avoiding overprotection
of students with physical or health impairments. It is also important to permit
students with disabilities to take risks just as their able-bodied cohorts do.
Recent advances in
technology have helped to make life more nearly normal for students with
physical disabilities. For example, students with cerebral palsy can use
computer terminals to aid in communication. Through technology, even a person
with the most severe handicaps can have greater control over communication and
daily living skills.
Modifying the
environment may mean providing special adaptive equipment such as specially
designed desks, positioning devices, wedges, or standing tables. Adaptations
also may include establishing procedures for dealing with medical emergencies
when students have serious medical problems.
Though seemingly
impossible, physical disabilities can be prevented. Many physical disabilities
do not have cure. Also, scientist do not
know causes for many physical disabilities. But, there are some things that can
be done to prevent some physical disabilities. Here are some ways that people
can try to prevent having physical disabilities. Prenatal care is when women
visit doctor and lives healthy when they are expecting a baby. It is very
important that women who are going to have a baby visit a doctor. Doctor can
figure out if the women and the baby are healthy. The can also prescribe
vitamins and medicine to keep a baby healthy. Another thing that doctor
can do is inform people about their genetics. For example he can study family
history to find out if a baby is at risk of inheriting some disorders. Prenatal
care can lower risks of baby being born with disorders. Thomas (2008) says that
healthy lifestyle includes nutrition and exercise, as well as staying away from
alcohol and drugs. Alcohol and drugs can cause disorders for baby. So they
should not be used when a person is pregnant. Also, smoke from cigarettes may
make babies very little ad born to early. Premature babies are more likely to
have a disability because their organs are not completely developed.
According to Meyer
(2008), vaccination is another very important prevention. It prevents diseases
for happening. Using vaccination means that diseases may not spread around in
schools or community. Some disabilities may be prevented by simple shot or a
pill. For example, Polio has been eradicated in the entire Western world. this is because al children are required to get a Polio
vaccine .Because most of the people are vaccinated the polio virus cannot
spread.
Accidents are a major
cause of physical disabilities. We cannot always stop accidents from happening.
But we can try. Many accidents happen on the roads. People have to make sure
that they are wearing seat belts and that babies are in their car seats. In
many poor countries people may not be able to afford this safety equipment, so
it is important to make people aware and raise equipment or money to buy
equipment in these countries. Also, roads in some countries are dangerous
because they are old or not constructed well or not made for the cars. This is
very expensive to fix, but could prevent many accidents. In addition to car
accidents, there are many other accidents that people, especially kids, can get
in For example riding a bike without helmets may be dangerous. Therefore,
always wearing safety equipment that is made for the activity can help prevent
accidents that cause physical disabilities.
To conclude, we have
observed that physical disability is part of humanity. No one is its victim out
of choice. Therefore, we can not use it as a basis of discrimination to those
that suffer from it. Instead, we should make effort on how we can empower those
few that are disadvantaged, as we all deserve a life. Indeed, disability is not
inability.
Connor, F., Scandary, J., and Tulloch, D. (1988). Education of Physically Handicapped and Health
Impaired Individuals: A commitment to future. DPH Journal, 10, 5-24.
Fraser, B. & Hensinger, R. (1983) Managing Physical Handicaps. A Practical Guide for Parents, Care Providers, and Educators. Baltimore: Paul H. Brookes.
Meyer,D.(2008). Chronic
Disease Prevention.Centers for Disease
Control and Prevention. Retrieved 12th October 2010 from http://www.cdc.gov/nccdphp/.
Noel,P.(2010). Physical handicap.Social Life Journal Retrieved from.Retrieved 12th
October 2010 from http://www.ehow.com/about_5220260_definition-physical-handicap.html.
Reynolds, C. R., and
Clark, J. H. (1983). Assessment and Programming for Young Children with
Low Incidence Handicaps. New York: Plenum.
Sirvis, B. (1988). Exceptional children and
Couth: An introduction (3rd ed.).Denver:
Love Publishing.
Thomas, W. (2008). Physical Disability. Parenting and Child Health. Children,Youth and Women's Health. Retrieved
12th October 2010 from http://www.cyh.com/HealthTopics/HealthTopicDetails.aspx?p=114&
Wanjohi, A.M. (2010). Types
of Physical Handicaps, Causes, Characteristics and Interventions.KENPRO Publications. Available
online at http://www.kenpro.org/papers/types-of-physical-handicaps-causes-characteristics-and-interventions.htm
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