Laban Movement Analysis Paper

Disability has been a difficult topic of society for years. Many people find discomfort in the presence of the disabled and many feel pity for those who are disabled. Back in the 1800s, the disabled were perceived as unable to contribute to society, often forced to undergo sterilization, and forced into institutions and asylums (“A Brief History”). In fact, this treatment of the disabled and mentally ill has been persistent until somewhat recently, when the Civil Rights movement took place, and those with disabilities decided to take a stand for their rights. Although people with disabilities continue to face difficulties in finding jobs, legitimizing their opinion, having the right to vote, and choosing whether or not they receive or refuse

Chapter 6 starts by telling the story of Lauren who has Down syndrome and defining intellectual disability. Intellectual disability in the chapter has multiple definitions and one is that it is define as a disability characterize by both intellectual functioning and adaptive behavior such as, social and adaptive skills. To classify and a person with intellectual disability you need to look at various dimension of human functioning, which are intellectual abilities, adaptive behavior, health, participation and context. There are still many challenges on to what the definition of intellectual is and how to measure intellectual disability. There has been many test n to measure the student’s intelligence, but it can be very controversial. Issues

In the United States today, there are over fifty-one million disabled adults and children. Throughout our nation’s history, we have not allowed the best treatment and care for these numerous citizens. But, in the recent past, the government has passed laws, made exceptions, and thoroughly tried to provide accommodations to these people with special needs. While this is true, America, as a whole, still views this group as strange or different. Even though this is exceptionally normal, it is not correct. The United States needs to be opened up to the truth about their fellow American citizens. The people of America ought to understand that these disabilities affect not only those who are disabled, but that it affects the family and friends

Social justice and social services have always played a vital role in my life. From leading canned food and toy drives in middle school to volunteering in school settings and soup kitchens, I am dedicated in assisting others to meet their goals and removing obstacles that may present as a disability or create discrimination. Through the experiences of engaging with individuals from different populations, I have realized the importance of working on a macro-level of social services. An individual’s presenting problem often develops from a systemic issue. From a social work perspective, disabilities are a result from society’s understanding of a person’s impairment or level of functioning. Adults with developmental delays have atypical experiences due to their interaction or lack thereof with their environment. Institutionalized discrimination or negative myths can prevent not only the person or consumer from achieving their goals, but large groups that are similarly labeled may face the same issue.

My Bachelor’s in Exercise Science has equipped knowledge of the human anatomy and physiology, and exercise testing and prescription for people of different ages and health conditions. During my attendance at the University of Texas at Arlington, I joined the Little Mavs Movement Academy directed by Dr. Priscilla Cacola. I volunteered for a year in this program; while in the program I had the opportunity to learn about developmental coordination disorder (DCD) and how it interferes with activities of daily living and learning of

“Down’s syndrome or learning difficulties are at a lower risk of 4 in 10 infants per 1000 live infants born”.

Children’s development is influenced by a variety of different personal factors. Such factors can include Cerebral palsy, downs syndrome, dyslexia, and many more.

Developmentally disabled individuals for many years were not assured the basic rights afforded nondisabled people. People with mental disabilities and illnesses were relegated to the status of second-class citizens, and therefore few services were provided to aid in improving their daily lives. Nonetheless, many families of mentally disabled children continued to raise them in their own homes”

Despite many crucial developments surrounding acceptance of others there is still a long and arduous path ahead of our society. People with disabilities, whatever a given disability may be and mean for the individual, are frequently stigmatized. They are not always offered equal opportunities, nor are they always offered the proper support to fortify their capabilities so that the individual may be the best they can be. Because of this there are many people who never go or return to college, are unemployed, or are isolated from the community.

The acquisition of language is essential to the development of a child. Though some children are born genetically mutated, specifically children with Down’s syndrome, the capabilities of acquiring language during developmental markers is far less than a child with just 21 chromosomes. Parents and/or guardians of infants and toddlers with Down’s syndrome believe that their child will one day be able to verbally communicate with them. They presume the possibility, but does research support their beliefs? For the purpose of this paper, the child from infancy through three-years old will be discussed in regards to the developmental domain that are affected by Down’s syndrome. The undeniable assumption is if an institution provides early intervention for an infant or toddler with Down’s syndrome, then that child’s social-emotional and language will be affected.

The Americans with Disabilities Act initiated on July 26, 1990 was not the beginning of the disabled rights movement (Mayerson). The effort to break the barriers of exclusion of the disabled from society began with committed people who voiced the rights of millions of disabled citizens. During the 19th century the disabled were often forced into insane asylums for the good of society and often received mental and physical abuse (Brignell). Fortunately, there have been noticeable improvements for recognizing the justice of the disabled as members of society. In 1973, the segregation of the disabled is recognized by section 504 of the Rehibilitaion Act as discrimination. Since the Americans with Disabilities Act, they can participate in the

The researcher conducted a longitudinal study over a span of two-years on 83 children who met the criteria. The children that were chose had disabilities ranging from ASD to developmental disabilities including Down syndrome. Each child was given an

Robbins uses a technique known as music therapy. She states “Music therapy helps with developing motor skills and the co-ordination of muscle patterns needed for walking. It also improves social skills such as turn taking. Different moods that are expressed through music creates an emotional outlet to address difficult feelings.” (nordoff-robbins.org) Using Down syndrome for example, those who have been diagnosed have both a mental and physical limit. Physically, those with Down syndrome are un-coordinated. A person taking music therapy can do things such as a playing a drum with a mallet to develop a motor skill of grasping. Once they have the idea of putting these two together, music therapists can imitate a metronome, giving a tempo, and get the student to mock the given tempo by hitting the drum on each beat, thus exercising the brain and enhancing effectiveness of hand-eye coordination while adding the sense of hearing to the equation.

Down syndrome is a type of genetic disorder that stems from an abnormal increase in the production of a specific chromosome which is a person’s genetic blueprint. The results of the additional genetic material alters the normal course of development experienced by people and causes the characteristics associated with Down syndrome. Down syndrome is most “A few of the common physical traits of Down syndrome are low muscle tone, small stature, an upward slant to the eyes, and a single deep crease across the center of the palm” (National Institute of Health 2015) In addition, “physical development in children with Down syndrome is often slower than development of children without Down syndrome. For example, because of poor muscle tone, a child with Down syndrome may be slow to learn to turn over, sit, stand, and walk”. (A.D.A.M Medical Encyclopedia, 2012) although they also stated that eventually children with Down syndrome will be able to reach these important milestones.

Children with Down syndrome typically have increased behavioral issues associated with their disability due to the disabilities’ phenotype. Introducing a token economy system was proven effective to increase the amount of running in the subject. The purpose of this study was to determine the effectiveness of a token economy to increase running on command of a child with Down syndrome. Having a token economy system in place, allows better stability and repetitiveness in their daily lives. This essentially helps the student maintain behavioral control and the maladaptive behaviors are less likely to happen. A five week token economy behavioral program was implemented and included earning tokens (up to five) per session to exchange for up to five minutes of computer time. The results drastically changed from pre-intervention to post-intervention by 80%. Every task was completed and when asked, although there were still minor reoccurring behaviors that needed correction. When implementing a token economy it is still important to manage the smaller behaviors in order to increase the amount of physical activity completed per session.