The early years of education usually bring about significant changes for children, including the child with a disability. In between the ages seven and twelve, a child’s rate of physical improvement has leveled off in areas such as balance and coordination, and it is generally considered as a good point in the child’s life to refocus their efforts from physical improvement and toward intellectual learning and growth. Children without disabilities are likewise being encouraged to concentrate more on academics and less on play, but for the child with cerebral palsy these years usually involve coming to term with a decreased level of physical function.

It is important to consider many factors when choosing a learning environment for your child. You must consider that a child needs to be in an environment where he or she can learn without being overly frustrated. It is clear that children with cerebral palsy benefit greatly from interacting with children who do not have disabilities, but they need to be placed in an appropriate leaning environment, as well.

The choice of school environment is often difficult. In many school districts across the nation, parents are not given reasonable options, and this of course complicates the process of placing a child with special needs into an appropriate educational setting. Depending on the type of cerebral palsy and the degree of its severity, the current trend is to “mainstream” the child, or place the disabled child into regular classes with non-disabled children. For instance, if a diplegic child who is only mildly affected is mainstreamed, it allows him or her to become involved in normal activity as soon as possible, thus giving them the opportunity to perhaps grow socially and emotionally with their non-disabled peers. If the child is moderately to severely affected, the school may choose to mainstream the child only in the case of art and music classes, so they may still be able to have some integration into activities with their peers. Make certain that properly trained staff are available to meet the needs of your child and to manage interactions with other children. It is often quite uncomfortable, embarrassing and even belittling for a child to be pointed out as different form his or her peers, so it is important that you strike a balance when choosing the appropriate school.

Whatever the extent of your child’s disabilities, he or she will no doubt be helped quite a bit by a little extra preparation before entering a full-time educational environment. Pre-school is an excellent opportunity to prepare your child for a more academically-centered setting, as well as helping him or her to learn how to interact with non-disabled children in a comfortable manner. There is much research to suggest that the earlier a disabled child begins to interact with his or her peers, the more likely it is that he or she will be more socially successful later in their educational career.

A common consideration in the process of educating your disabled child is whether or not your child has a learning disability. Many children with cerebral palsy frequently develop learning disabilities. A child with a learning disability has an average or above average level of intelligence, but has difficulty processing certain types of information. In addition to possibly having a learning disability, many children with cerebral palsy are limited in their ability to communicate. Because of this, they are sometimes deemed to have much less intellectual ability than they actually do, as teachers may not be able to tell whether or not the child understands the lesson if they are unable to speak. Due to this, many children with cerebral palsy are unnecessarily placed into special education programs, many of which focus much of the time in school on different therapies, to the detriment of academic progress. Because of this common misconception of intelligence levels and cognitive ability among children with cerebral palsy, it is important that you enlist professionals to help you assess your child’s specific educational strengths and needs. Learning problems usually become evident in the pre-school or early school years. Often they are a result of two other problems common in children with cerebral palsy: visual-perception disorders or developmental language disorders. Sometimes, a child with mild or minimal cerebral palsy may outgrow their cerebral palsy, but later develop learning disabilities. A special education program tailored to your child, whether or not you choose to place your child into a segregated special school or into a mainstream school, can be invaluable to helping them minimize their learning disabilities, or even avoid them completely.

Obviously, school systems vary from district to district, city to city, state to state. Be sure to research your choices in educating your child. Some regular schools have aides in the classrooms, so that more attention can be given to the learning needs of disabled children, and some schools have only one teacher for all the students. Whether or not you choose to place your child in a special school or a mainstream school should depend on how much it will benefit your child. Because every child, disabled or not, is unique, a special school with only disabled children may not suit your child, as the education is not tailored to your child’s specific needs. Do not assume that simply because a school is for disabled children, it will best fit your disabled child. Likewise, even if you believe that integration into an educational setting with your child’s non-disabled peers will help his or her development, do not force your child into regular education if it is obvious that they would benefit from services offered at a special school.

No matter what path of education you choose for your child, be sure that it fits them, and that you are there to support them and listen to tem every step of the way. Especially if your child is in a mainstream school, he or she may come up against bullying, ridicule and isolation. Listen to his or her fears and concerns, and always make sure to help the child understand that it is not their fault. Keeping the child’s positive image of themselves alive and well will help them to succeed in every facet of life.