preview

Learning Disability Nursing

Good Essays

A child’s early years of life could be said to be one of the most physiological, psychological and emotional susceptible stages of their development. It is at this stage that the effects of poverty on issues such as, health, social well-being, education, family life and housing conditions have an ever-lasting influence on the child. “Problems during childhood cast long shadows into adulthood” (Acheson 1999 p.34). The author will throughout the assignment touch on these issues, but in his estimation the effect these issues and particularly education, have on children with disabilities especially learning disabilities are the most under researched and under published and for this reason he will develop this initiative.

To give us some …show more content…

to communicate on a level of understanding for a person with a learning disability. Thus, important health education messages are long forgotten by learning disability parents even before the their child leaves the surgery or the ‘professional’ leaves the home. It should be said in support of the health care professionals that empowerment is of primary importance in their philosophy and advice acknowledged can be either implemented or ignored but hopefully whilst the child is under the canopy of the school medical services problems will be identified.

The cost of a healthy diet is a major consideration amongst low income affected families and even more so where there is a disability present. “A 1998 study showed that caring for a child with a severe disability costs an estimated £7,355 a year, at least three times that of bringing up a child without a disability” (Dobson B and Middleton S 1998). Children from this social group are often given a less healthy diet than their more affluent contemporaries due to the cost of the ‘healthier’ food items. There is considerable evidence that meals supplied by parents from low income families is not offered due to lack of knowledge of an healthier diet, but mainly due to cost and the consideration of wastage. “Disability creates extra needs: the need for extra ... special food .... These extra needs incur extra costs” (Blackburn 1991). The consequences of an inadequate diet can have severe affects on the growth

Get Access