5 Things to Know Before Working with Kids with Disabilities & Learning Difficulties

When you work with kids with disability or learning difficulties, you can make a huge difference — not only in a child’s life but to their families and the wider community too.

Are you passionate about giving every child the opportunity to flourish? Then you’ll find many career possibilities open to you in education and disability support.

Here are five things you need to know before you start working with children with disability and learning difficulties.

Because language impacts people’s lives — and whether they feel respected and included — it’s vital to get it right. On the other hand, when people use the wrong words, it can create more confusion and problems. Here’s a quick primer on some of the basics.

What is disability?

For more than 40 years, disability advocacy has used the social model of disability. The social model rejects the medical model, which sees disability as a health condition to be fixed and treated. 

The social model says the problem is not with the person’s impairment or with their bodies. Instead, the problem lies in whether society is accessible. So, we should change society to accommodate people living with impairments.

Since, then are now two ways to define disability in Australia:

The UN definition goes one step further than the social model. It recognises that dignity is a basic human right — and that once barriers are removed, more support may be needed to achieve that dignity on the same level as everyone else.

Source: Australian Institute of Health and Welfare

Learning difficulties vs learning disabilities

If you’re working in education or support work, you’ll undoubtedly hear the terms ‘learning difficulties’ and ‘learning disabilities’. You might also hear people saying ‘special needs’, ‘special education’ and ‘inclusive education’ and wonder, are these things different? And if so, how?

Here’s what each means, and how they’re different:

Source: ADCET

Whatever your role, how you treat people experiencing difficulties or disabilities matters.

It certainly matters to the child and their family. It also matters on a bigger scale. Seemingly small actions can cause a ripple effect. Together they combine to form culture, including how society views and relates to people with disability.

Here is a list of 5 tips to follow when helping children with learning difficulties or disability.

Are you passionate about helping children reach their full potential? Many career opportunities await you in the education and disability support sectors. 

While the entry-level roles may be easy enough to get into, they are still enormously personally rewarding and give you the chance to make a difference in kids’ lives every day.

And perhaps you’re interested in progressing to a higher level. In that case, your previous experience can help you enter into studying at university — leading to high-impact, fulfilling roles in teaching and psychology.

If you can see this as a full-time career but are unsure where to start, an education course is a great option. You can take numerous pathways depending on time constraints or prior education qualifications. 

Many of these courses are now offered online, meaning more time for yourself and your busy life. However, bear in mind that if you choose an online provider, you may need to source your own work experience. Of course, both in-class and blended options are available too.

Are you up for the challenge?

For passionate, caring, and dedicated people, working with kids with disability or learning difficulties can be one of the most rewarding careers out there.

Every day, you can go home from work knowing you’re making a real difference in people’s lives. And you can see the positive changes first-hand.

Start today with an education course. Or, if you’re looking to change directions in your current job, a course in disability or child care could be the right choice for you.