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Special Needs and Overseas Mission

Explore the various special needs children may have in overseas mission settings, including visual impairments, hearing impairments, physical impairments, learning disabilities, and autism. Consider factors such as health, education, social needs, and finding the right setting for the child. Address cultural views on disability, access to healthcare, and support for the child and their family.

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Special Needs and Overseas Mission

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  1. Special Needs and Overseas Mission

  2. Areas of Special Needs • Visual Impairments • Hearing impairments • Physical impairments: Gross motor skills – using large groups of muscles to sit, stand, walk, run etc. Fine motor skills – using hands and fingers to be able to eat, draw, write etc. • Language – speaking, communicating and understanding what others say. • Cognitive – Thinking skills including learning, understanding, problem solving, reasoning and remembering. • Social – Interacting with others, having relationships with family, friends etc. co-operating, and responding to the feelings of others.

  3. Learning Disabilities • A learning disability is a reduced intellectual ability and difficulty with everyday activities – for example household tasks, socialising or managing money – affects somebody their whole life. • A learning disability occurs when the brain is still developing – before, during or soon after birth. • A learning disability can be classified as Mild, Moderate, Severe or Profound, Multiple Learning Difficulties.

  4. Autism • Most common form of Learning Disability is Autism – known as Autistic Spectrum Disorder – affects 1 in 100 people. Characterised by a difficulty with: • social communication e.g. facial expressions, body language, jokes, sarcasm. Some may not have speech or have fairly limited speech. • social interaction – often find it difficult to understand other people’s emotions and have difficulty expressing their own. • social imagination - e.g. predicting what could happen next and coping in new or unfamiliar situations.

  5. Factors to Consider • Language we use to talk about disabilities • Important to get the right advice (e.g. National Autistic Society, Downs Syndrome Association, specialist paediatrician etc.) • Each case is individual • Huge spectrum within disabilities • How does the disability affect the child? • What impact does it have upon the family?

  6. Health • How are the medical needs of the child different to those of typical children? • Medication/ risks • Therapies • Can these needs be met in the overseas setting? • Can the child access medical professionals at home? • Cost/ insurance implications

  7. Education • How are the child’s educational needs different from those of typical children? (learning profile, expected rates of progress, level of support / intervention needed) • Is there adequate educational provision for the child in the overseas setting? • Mainstream/ Special Schools • Behavioural issues • Internet / network of resources • Cost

  8. Social • What are the child’s social needs/ difficulties? • What situations may cause the child stress? • How can it be ensured that the child’s social needs are met and they don’t become socially isolated (particularly as get older)? • Friends - Language barriers / Transient ex-pat community • Coping with change – ASD.

  9. Right Setting • Ensuring the overseas situation fits with the child in terms of health, educational and social needs. For example: • If have a child with high degree of medical needs have to be somewhere with access to good medical provision. • Ensure educational provision suitable – children with SEN learn best by visual and experiential learning – don’t send a child to a local school that uses more traditional rote learning methods and has no awareness of SEN. • If a child finds lots of social contact stressful don’t be in a setting where you’re likely to have constant visitors to the house and interruption to their routine.

  10. How will the child be received? What are the attitudes in the host culture towards Special Needs? • Ignorance/ hostility • Acceptance/ vulnerability • Witness – we all unique, made in God’s image

  11. The Family • Taking into account the extra pressure on the family having a child with SN - overseas and at home • Being realistic when looking at work and ministry • Behaviour issues / sleep • Developmental support – parents as child’s teacher and therapist too

  12. TEAM Local or expat Inclusive / disparate INTERVENTION OUTWORKING Health Context Access Prevention Health Risks Therapy Medication Social Cultural view on disability Response to Expat with disability Cultural / Social norms Social Friends Activities Community CHILD WITH DISABILITY CHILD WITH DISABILITY CULTURE / SOCIETY – EXPATRIATE AND HOST FAMILY FAMILY Educational Access Support Educational Intervention Learning Profile

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