Brief 2
Skill Demonstration

For the purpose of this assignment I have been asked to examine skills and activities that I have observed which I feel were of considerable benefit to my client group.
First activity which I feel would be beneficial to my client group is:
Toileting:
Special Needs Assistants make an enormous contribution in supporting those with special needs through their time in education.In my opinion the role as a student SNA is:
Helping people with special needs
Assistance with clothing,feeding,toileting and general hygiene
Preparation and tidying up of classrooms which the children with special needs are being taught
Assisting children to board from school to busses
Assisting teachers in the supervision of children with disability during assembly,recreational and dispersal periods.
SNA provide a safety net for the child,a friendly face they can grow to trust.So we have to do everything that the children with special needs must feel comfortable and safe in their school environment.SNA can play an important role in enabling a child with a disability to become more independent.Establishing the balance between gently pushing them on and considering their limits,once the child gets to know an SNA and trust that,they will be there if things too much for them,it can really lost their confidence.
Many children with special needs train later toileting than the average age.Many succeed at urine training before bowel training.Start toilet training when you can be positive and the child is able to sit comfortably on a potty chair or toilet for a couple of minutes,stay dry for at least 60 minutes,is aware of being wet or dirty,showing some signs of cause and effect and is willing to cooperate.Be prepared for it may be a long proces.For children with a communication deficiency visual learning may be an appropriate way to teach toileting skills.Children with special needs may have difficulty understanding and associating words with actions and most will at least need more time to process what you say.It's very important to be able to read their signs or teach a way to express the need to use toilet.A child with disability may have sensory,difficulties such as discomfort by the hard toilet seat,being afraid of water splashing,I saw that fear with one of the girl in our class she is afraid of water splashing so after toileting she use usually wet wipes because her hands are very cold from her heart problems and she is using splints aswell.Give a visual and verbal cue-such as an auditory giving the child a buzzer or bell,use visuals,imitation,use words that are appropiate.You have to organize the sequence and provide a schedule and consistency until the child understands how all this relates to his body functions.
Second activity which I feel would be beneficial to my client group is:
Art Activity:
Art activities can be a valuable learning experience for many children with special needs,but the art activities given in a child care setting may need to be modified or adapted so that all children may participate on them.Every day in CRC we have to use appropriate ways to let children know what art materials are available.For example one of the child in our class can't speak at all he is using his device or his board to tell us what he wants to do.We have to use sign language and demonstrate the materials for him or we may encourage him to touch materials while we explain what they are.We have to use adapt art materials for this children,for example instead of using scissors that the child may not be able to grasp very well he have to give the child fine motor challenges pre-cut pieces of paper,giving the child adaptive scissors that open easily or allow them to tear his or her own pieces of paper.Children with severe motor challenges may need physical help to create art work,when we help a child with special needs we have to be sure to let them take the lead and to give them only the necessary help,we have to encourage them to try to do it themselves first,to ask them what they wants to do,what materials they wants to use and what kind of help they needs.Depending on their level of ability,children with disabilities will be able to attempt the following activities.We have always to remember,to have patience and encourage them to do art much as they can on their own.One day the teacher learned them in what country are they born and after finishing the lesson we had to color the flag of Ireland.They had a tremendous amount of satisfaction being able each of them drawing their flags and must of all remembering what colors the flag has.The day I complete my skill in Art activity was very important for me because I was attending the child in cutting pictures from the catalogue and he was extremely happy that he could complete his task in Art. Whatever the child is particularly active,hearing or visually impaired or developmentally delayed always to point out the achievements that they make.
Third activity is:
Feeding difficulty and malnutrition are common in disabled children. Intake may be reduced because of anorexia, chewing and swallowing difficulties, or vomiting. Feeding is often time consuming, unpleasant, and may result in aspiration. Malnutrition may result in impaired growth and neurodevelopment, and impaired cardiorespiratory, gastrointestinal, and immune functions. Multidisciplinary assessment is recommended and should include a feeding history, oral-motor examination, and nutritional assessment. The energy requirements of most disabled children are less than those for a normal child of the same age but may be increased by spasticity, athetosis, convulsions, and recurrent infections. Micronutrient deficiencies may occur even in children receiving nutritionally complete feeds if the volume is reduced because of low energy requirements. Oral intake may be improved by a change of posture, special seating, feeding equipment, oral desensitization, mashing or pureeing of lumpy food, thickening of liquids, use of calorie supplements, and treatment of reflux/esophagitis. Non-oral feeding should be considered when oral feeding is unsafe, not enjoyable, inadequate, or very time consuming. Long-term support requires a gastrostomy. This is less obtrusive than a nasogastric tube, less likely to become displaced, less traumatic, and is associated with improved quality of life, but is also associated with significant morbidity. If there is symptomatic reflux a fundoplication may be required, but this is associated with significant mortality and substantial morbidity.
Eating is important for many reasons, the most obvious is the child needs enough food and nutrients to grow. Eat is also important to develop muscles in the mouth and face used for speech. Young children who do not get help with their problems may later have delayed or abnormal speech or dental or facial abnormalities. The child whom I had fed has CP and in terms of when I feed him, he is not as relaxed as he is with his special needs assistant. When I feed him, getting him in the right position is difficult. A way to overcome that is to try to relax him and feed him the things he is in the mood for that day. That generally enhances his appetite and does fairly good for me. The constancy of the food, you have to keep it thin. With baby food with chunks of meat, he has a hard time with that. He can chew a little bit. He is getting better he still has a difficult time with textures it tends to make him gag a bit.
Being able to communicate effectively is the most important of all life skills.It wasn't easy for me when I began this course because english is not my first language so I have to work more on developing my communication skills because will help me in all aspects of my life,from my professional life to social gatherings and everything between.