The Barriers of Children with Down Syndrome and Autism - Essay Example

Discuss the barriers of children with down’s syndrome and autism. by The of the The of the School (University) The City and State where it is located The Date Discuss the barriers of children with Down’s syndrome and autism It would not be a mistake to point out that living in the organized social environment may be regarded as an important prerequisite that will allow the inner potential of a human being to develop to its fullest. Indeed, in the majority of the situations it is the society that is able to provide people will the necessary opportunities for personal evolution. Nevertheless, there may be obstacles on this way that are determined by health conditions. For example, a person may suffer from Down’s syndrome or may be diagnosed with autism. In either case the communication with other people which is the fundamental part of enjoying life in a society will be distorted. This paper will analyze the barriers that will not allow a person who struggles with the above mentioned health conditions to enjoy a full social life, taking into consideration different aspects. To begin with, one should point out that in terms of finances, taking care of a person who was diagnosed with Down’s syndrome may be rather difficult. Thus, this person is in need of a considerable amount of attention and if a family is not able to provide it, they are likely to hire a person which will surely become a significant article of expenditure. What is more important is that such a person might be able to consume only a certain kind of products; so a family will need to have they available all the time (Fish 2008, p. 370). Finally, people with Down’s syndrome might cause damage to the property and since the owners will not be able to find them responsible, they will have to restore the damage themselves which sometimes can be rather costly. Speaking of the barriers in social life of a person who struggles with autism in terms of finances, one should point out that such an individual might need special objects that will not harm one; as a result, the family will need to purchase special items, for example safe cutlery, in order to make sure that the above mentioned person will not be harmed accidentally (Gordon & Reverand 2013, p. 256). Food and medication comprise another article of expenditure which may be rather costly depending on the specific kind of disorder. Keeping in mind that such a person is not likely to earn any money, the financial burden becomes apparent. It must be noted that the contemporary legislation pays a considerable amount of attention towards people who suffer from different health disorders and reserves a special place for them in the society. For example, as for those individuals who were diagnosed with Down’s syndrome, the applicable law recognizes them as people who have certain privileges when they are applying for a job (Sacks & Buckley 2003, p. 27). In other words, if they are able to perform actions that might be favourable for the society, they might be hired as employees which, beyond any doubt, contributes towards integration of this category of people into the social environment which makes their life fuller and more exciting. In addition to that, those who suffer from autism are also under the protection of the applicable law. Similar to the people above, they may not be found guilty of actions that are recognized as crimes because of their difficult health condition (Volkmar 2014, p. 277). While the legislation provides a considerable number of norms that may be regarded as privileges, it also places some restrictions on life of people with autism. On the one hand, some might point out that this should be seen a barrier on the way of development of the latter; however, on the other hand, it is clear that people with autism are extremely fragile and it is duty of the rest of the society to make sure that they are able to avoid the aggressive side of the human society. Considering the peculiarities of life of the people with Down’s syndrome and autism, it is essential to take into account the actions that are performed by National Healthcare System. There is no doubt that this is one of the most important actors that is able to have significant impact on their life. For example, the NHS educates parents who children were diagnosed with Down’s syndrome how to react adequately to the state of affairs that they found themselves in (Karpin & Savell 2012, p. 66). It is more than obvious that if parents provide the correct environment, their child with Down’s syndrome will be able to enjoy a fuller life; nevertheless, this kind of knowledge can be obtained primarily from the professionals. As for those who struggle with autism, the NHS also provides a wide range of services that are dedicated to make life of such individuals better. For example, there are programs educate not only the parents about autism, but also the public which contributes to a better acceptable of this individual (Myles 2007, p. 506). It is quite obvious that if such a powerful actor as the NHS influences the public, the latter is likely to change its current attitude towards the people with autism. What is more important is that each year there are new programs designed that are devoted to reinforce cooperation between different parts of the society, making sure that all the citizens are able to enjoy they place in the social environment. The notion of public view is the one that should be analyzed when it comes to discussing the idea of integration of people with Down’s syndrome or autism into the society. Speaking of the former, it would not be a mistake to point out that healthy citizens of the social environment are encouraged to take care of such individuals and try to engage them where it is possible (Smith 2011, p. 70). Nevertheless, coexistence of people with and without Down’s syndrome may be extremely difficult as the latter prevents people from featuring some of the most characteristic features of a human being. In other words, citizens with this health conditions can hardly become full citizens, in the view of the majority. Rather similar situation may be found when it comes to treating people with autism. On the one hand, there is a movement that promotes autism culture, arguing that this health condition may be regarded as a peculiarity of character of a person and, therefore, the latter should not be discriminated against, but rather accepted as one is. However, on the other hand, the society heavily relies on the communication between people which is considered to be the platform that brings all the people together; so, a individual who is not able to participate in this kind of action may be treated as one that is not fully a citizen (Morgan 1996, p. 24). In other words, the peculiarities of the current culture that was developed by the society may be regarded as the most significant barriers on the way of development of the above mentioned people As one can clearly see, the notion of public view is closely connected to the idea of acceptance of a person who was diagnosed with Down’s syndrome or autism into the social environment. Considering the issue in question, one should point out that at the present moment, the majority of the population put great emphasis on the need of exchange between the individuals of the society. In other words, the value of a person and, consequentially, his or her acceptable is largely influenced by the skills that one possesses (Jarvis 2009, p. 151). Keeping in mind that people with Down’s syndrome can hardly outperform a regular person in any kind of activity, it is quite difficult to treat them as providers of skills that are valued in the society. As a result, their acceptance is severely impaired. On the other hand, there are numerous examples when people who were diagnosed with autism were able to express their talents (Bogousslavsky 2005, p. 168). This means that despite the health condition that they suffer from, they are able to become a valuable addition towards the social environment. There is no doubt that the public might find it difficult to communicate directly with the author, but the results of the creative process may be quite impressive. In other words, different areas of social activity, for example art, might become a common ground for various parts of the society. The way siblings react to the health condition of their brothers or sister is another aspect that should be taken into consideration while thinking about the barriers that people with Down’s syndrome experience in their life. Thus, there may be a situations when a family has two children, but one of them is able to enjoy significantly more attention because of the above mentioned health condition. There is no doubt that under such circumstances this is likely to become a source of conflict. One of the most important points here is that this conflict between the siblings over the attention of their parents must not spoil life of a person who is diagnosed with Down’s syndrome. That is why, it is crucial to set the correct climate in such a family. Considering a situation that is similar to the previous one, but with a different health disorder, namely autism, one should point out that the conflict between siblings might become one of the biggest obstacles in life of such a person. Indeed, there is a possibility that one of the children will become angry with the existing state of affairs and be quite aggressive towards the person with autism which is likely to distort the perception of the world of the latter. That is why the parents should make sure that the healthy sibling is able to provide support to the individual who is desperate need of it because of the terrible health condition that one has to suffer from. The next area that should be closely examined while analyzing the notion of social integration of the people with the above mentioned health conditions is education. There is no doubt that in the contemporary world, the latter is considered to be one of the most important aspects that contributes towards the development of a person. It is quite obvious that a person with Down’s syndrome is not likely to show the same academic performance as his or her peers. Nevertheless, there are numerous educational programs that were designed in order to reach people with this kind of health condition and make sure that they are able to widen their outlook through education. What is more important is that this might become a common platform for interaction with other people in the social environment. It would not be a mistake to point out that autism also poses a big obstacle on the way of educating an individual who was diagnosed with it. However, similar to the health condition that was mentioned above, the current level of science provides educators with the techniques that might be used quite effectively in order to share the knowledge. One should point out that educating a person who struggles with autism takes not only a considerable amount of time, but also require a tremendous amount of commitment of a person. That is why, those teachers who work with such special students should be praised for their devotion to their profession. The future that lies ahead of the people who suffer from the health disorders which were discussed in this paper holds many variables that should be taken into account. The individuals with Down’s syndrome are likely to receive more attention and be integrated better into the social environment as the public is likely to become more aware of this particular health condition and introduce some adjustments towards the social environment in order to make sure that they are able to live a better life. It would not be an exaggeration to suggest that this process is likely to take a considerable amount of time, but the signs that are already visible suggest that the society is moving in the correct direction. Speaking of the people who were diagnosed with autism, one should point out that they may enjoy an even better perspective: at the present moment the society is able to integrate people with autism, especially if they are talented which contributes to a general acceptance of the individuals with this kind of disorder. If one develops this idea and takes a look at the situation in the long run, one will be able to point out that there might be time when autism is no longer considered to be a barrier that divides different parts of the population. It is obvious that this is possible in the distant future; nevertheless, the public features quite explicit desire to incorporate such people into the social environment in order to enrich it. Finally, it may be quite suitable to analyze the expectations when it comes to treating people with Down’s syndrome as well as autism. As for the former, they are largely considered to be people individuals who are not able to comprehend the complexity of the society that is formed by the humans. However, whenever such a person is featuring a desire to interact with people on the conventional rules of interaction and is willing to comply with the rules that guide lives of the people; this person is welcomed to take a chance to become a full participant of the society. In other words, those who are diagnosed with Down’s syndrome should not be regarded as misfits that are casted away, but rather as individuals who happen to be in difficult conditions, but are welcome to participate in the social life in there are willing to. As for those who were diagnosed with autism, they expectations for them might vary. For example, at one point such people might be encouraged to interact with the rest of the society in any way; so, if they are able to do so; they will be praised. However, there might be situations when people with autism appear to be quite talented; so, in this case such individuals might be expected to develop their talent even more. There is no doubt that under this conditions the fact that a person is suffering from a difficult health condition will not be taken into account which will provide one and opportunity to interact with the rest of the society. Having examined all the evidence, one is able to come to the following logical conclusion: in spite of the fact that a person may be diagnosed with Down’s syndrome or autism, there is always a way to remove different barriers that this health conditions puts on the way of development of a person. What is more important is that one should note that not only the immediate relatives of such a person, but other people as well, including the government. In other words, there is no doubt that the above mentioned health conditions have a negative influence on life of the people, but with the combined effort this influence can be taken care of. References Bogousslavsky J 2005, Neurological disorders in famous artists, Karger, Basel. Fish Q 2008, Down syndrome: What you can do, Lulu, New York, NY. Gordon J & Reverand D 2013, Preventing autism: What you can do to protect your children before and after birth, Wiley, Hoboken, NJ. Jarvis P 2009, Learning to be a person in society, Routledge, London. Karpin I & Savell K 2012, Perfecting pregnancy: Law, disability, and the future of reproduction, Cambridge University Press, Cambridge. Morgan S 1996, Adults with autism: A guide to theory and practice, Cambridge University Press, Cambridge. Myles B 2007, Autism spectrum disorders a handbook for parents and professionals, Praeger, Westport, CN. Sacks B & Buckley S 2003, Motor development for individuals with Down syndrome: An overview, Down Syndrome Educational Trust, Southsea. Smith K 2011, The politics of down syndrome, Zero, New Alresford. Volkmar F 2014, Adolescents and adults with autism spectrum disorders, Springer Science & Business Media, Berlin. Read More