Laws needed to help disabled children

Press, 30 May 1981, Page 6

Laws needed to help disabled children

. New Zealand needs to change its laws to provide a better education for disabled children; according to Mrs Prue Kernahan, who runs a clinic for teaching disabled children in Christchurch. Mrs Kernahan returned recently from studying therapy for children in California under a Winston Churchill Fellowship. She said that the importance of special education for handicapped children was recognised by law in the United States.

The law provides for all handicapped children to have free, appropriate.public education. which emphasises special education and related services, made available to them. ■■ ••• ■

Because of this a lot of progress had been made in teaching children with learning disabilities, she said. ‘ ; New Zealand could reach the same level of., progress "but there must be : changes’ in the law to provide rights

for the disabled,” said Mrs Kernahan. The children who are taught in Mrs Kernahan’s clinic are those who find it difficult to co-ordinate their physical or motor; skills. These children might not be able to jump, catch a ball, or balance themselves and often have little idea of spatial awareness. As they grow older they find it difficult to write and people think they are clumsy because they always drop things. While in the United States, Mrs Kernahan enrolled f in' a physical education development course at the California State University where stu< dents were instructed at a "very highlevel” in sensory motor therapy.? She also attended the University’s Sensory Motor Institute. Every child in the United States'was given a test soon after it was born to help identify any-disabilities. Mrs Kernahan; said that the sooner a disability was recognised, the easier it was to

overcome it by therapy. Children started to develop compensatory actions to cover a disability. She condemned the “she’ll be right” attitude of many New Zealanders.

“Many general practitioners in New, Zealand tend to say, ‘Wait and see what happens in six months.’ It is better to do something than wait and see. It will not do any harm,” said Mrs : Kernahan.

She said that special education services in New Zealand were “too fragmented.” A team approach had been adopted in the United States where, every one of the child’s teachers, the family doctor, and, parents were in contact with one another and were able to share their knowledge, of the child. A lot of equipment is available to help the children in the United. States. Mrs Kernahan hopes that she will be able to raise money to bring equipment to New Zealand. ?