Understanding disability in children

With disabilities include those with congenital (from birth) as well as those who acquire incapacities later on in life.

CHILDREN

SOME children may be born with disabilities due to premature or difficult birth processes, lack of certain nutrients, genetic conditions or some infections that may arise during pregnancy. Causes of acquired disability among children include injury, accidents, nutritional deficiency, exposure to environmental toxins that result in developmental delays or learning disabilities, anxiety or depression as a result of stressful life events.

The most common types of disabilities among infants are related to hearing, eyesight, albinism, dyslexia (which may cause delayed speech, difficulties with learning, et cetera), autism spectrum disorder, down syndrome and cerebral palsy. But how does one know that they have given birth to a child with disability, if the disability is not obvious? Research has indicated that for up to six months, if a baby does not chuckle or smile, does not react to loud noises or turn to follow sounds and voices, has difficulty holding head up by age three months, has difficulty following people or objects with their eyes, legs or arms are stiff, or posture is limp or floppy, then the child may have a disability.

It is important to seek diagnosis from a healthcare facility so that parents may know what is happening to the child.Nonetheless, after diagnosis, some parents may experience emotions that turn into shock, denial, sadness, anger, confusion, anxiety, bargaining with God, depression and finally acceptance.

The bottom line is that when we give birth to children with disabilities or when our children acquire disabilities, there is need for us to clearly identify what has died?

Yes! The “arrival” of disabilities in our children and in our families may cause some of our wishes, hopes and expectations about our children to die, but the positive side is that our children are still alive and for that we must be thankful. When a child is diagnosed with any kind of disability, there is need for parents and/or guardians to begin to learn about it. They must research, locate and access effective treatments that may be associated with the disability. They should also seek access to resources.

In Zimbabwe, disability is often associated with witchcraft, evil spirits and breaking traditional taboos.

Some parents hide their children with disabilities in homes to prevent their families from being subjected to scrutiny by community members.

Yet, such children must have equal access and opportunity as their counterparts. They must participate in play, recreation, leisure, sporting activities and in school systems. Locking up children with disabilities in homes is a serious violation of their rights.

We have cases of parents of children with congenital disabilities that feel so discouraged that they may not register the birth due to a fallacious belief that the lives of the youngsters will amount to nothing on the basis of disability.

Children with disabilities have a right to have a name, the right to acquire a nationality and the right to know and to be cared for by their parents.

To enhance the wellbeing of children with disabilities and their families, and to prevent concealment, abandonment, abuse, neglect and segregation of affected children, families are offered support by the Ministry of Public Service, Labour and Social Welfare through Social Development Offices that are located in every district in the country. Furthermore, the Ministry of Health and Child Care administers the “At Risk Surveillance System (ARSS)”, which monitors and detects neuro-developmental conditions and childhood disability from the time that a baby is delivered in a healthcare facility.

This enables early identification, at childbearing stage, when maternity staff record the relevant indicators.

Under ARSS, the health delivery system also seeks to provide early comprehensive accessible information, services and support to parents that give birth to children with disabilities.

We all need to learn to embrace bodily differences and to realise the fact that whilst some children may have different builds on the basis of disability, they still have the same rights as their able-bodied counterparts and must be treated fairly.

We therefore need to refrain from castigating children with disabilities and their families, and instead offer help when it is required.

The National Disability Policy of Zimbabwe (2021) directs that all children must enjoy their basic human rights without discrimination, thus calling for disability inclusion in all laws, policies and programmes.

We should not regard children with disabilities as only useful in so far as they can be exploited by directing them to do excessive house work, beg for alms in the streets or through any other form of child labour.

Their interests must be a primary consideration.