Volunteer Training on 4-HInvolvement for Youth with

Disabilities

Questions to be Answered

• What is a developmental disability?

• How does involving youth with disabilities fit with the mission of 4-H?

• What are some of the disabilities 4-H members might have?

• What are some things to keep in mind when working with disabled youth?

• What support can the 4-H office provide to help volunteers in working with young people with disabilities?

How does involving young people with disabilitiesfit with the mission of 4-H?

“To Make the Best Better” is the national motto of the 4-H program.The 4-H program’s mission is to help youth develop important life skills.

All youth need opportunities to be involved in activities uniqueto their own talents and interests.

4-H can be an empowering pathway for youth with disabilities andtheir families to receive what they want and need: the opportunityto be involved, make friendships, and gain life skills.

What is a developmental disability?

A developmental disability is defined as a physical or mental impairment that substantially limits one or more major life activity such as seeing, hearing, dressing, feeding, learning, and playing.

What are some of the disabilities 4-Hmembers might have?

• AD/HD

• Asthma

• Autism

• Cerebral Palsy

• Cystic Fibrosis

• Diabetes

•Down’s Syndrome

• Dyslexia

What are some of the disabilities 4-Hmembers might have?

• Epilepsy

• Hearing Impairments

• Muscular Dystrophy

• Speech & Hearing Disorders

• Spina Bifida

• Spinal Cord Injuries

• Tourette Syndrome

• Visual Impairment

AD/HD

Called Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder,AD/HD is a neurological developmental disabilitycharacterized by inattentiveness, impulsivityand hyperactivity.

While the exact cause of AD/HD remainsunknown, it appears that it may have geneticties. It is also thought that a chemical imbalanceor deficiency of neurotransmitters in the brainmay cause the disorder

Asthma

Causes the airways to become blocked or narrowed when exposed to a trigger. When the airways come into contact with a trigger theybecome inflamed and the related muscles tighten up, causing the narrowing of the airways.

Triggers can include exposure to cold air, exercise, viral infections, smoke, or allergens.

Autism

Is characterized by problems in developingappropriate social, communicative, andbehavioral skills. Autism is more common in males than females. It was a wide range of severity.

One person may blend into society with onlya few communication or social-interaction problems. Another may not have the skills tocommunicate at all.

Cerebral Palsy

Is a brain abnormality that results from abnormaldevelopment or damage to the brain before, during,or shortly after birth. It is a multiple handi-capping condition that includes problems withbalance, speech, and overall motor function.

Learning disabilities are present in some individuals, as is mild to severe delays in mentaldevelopment. About half of those with cerebralpalsy experience seizures.

Cystic Fibrosis

A genetic disease that causes the body to produce thick mucus, which then clogs the lungs.This disease can lead to potentially deadly lunginfections.

Cystic fibrosis is a recessive genetic disease.In order to have cystic fibrosis, a person needs to inherit a recessive cystic fibrosis gene from each parent.

Diabetes

A disease in which the pancreas does not produceinsulin, or the body does not effectively use theinsulin produced. Insulin is the hormone needed toconvert sugars into energy.

Complications of diabetes can be life threatening when blood sugar goes either too lowor too high.

Down’s Syndrome

A genetic birth defect that causes delays in physicaland mental development. Down’s syndrome is causedby an error in cell division that occurs at conception.

There is increased risk of giving birth to a childwith Down’s syndrome as the age of the mother increases.

Children with Down’s syndrome complete mostdevelopmental tasks but do so a later age than children without Down’s syndrome.

Dyslexia

Is a learning disability that causes problemswith reading, writing, and spelling. In a personwho is dyslexic, the right hemisphere of the brain is used to process reading as comparedto the typical left. The cause is unknown, butthere is a genetic link in families.

Other factors that may contribute to dyslexiainclude environment, education, and child-rearing.

Epilepsy

A brain disorder in which electrical signals aredisrupted. This disruption leads to seizures. Seizures may range from brief changes in a person’s body movement or awareness toviolent convulsions.

In many cases, the cause is unknown; butsome epilepsy cases may be caused fromhead injuries, meningitis, brain tumors, strokeand other degenerative brain diseases.

Hearing Impairments

Hearing impairment is the loss or absence of theability to hear some or all sounds. There are threeclassifications of hearing loss.

Conductive Hearing Loss – sound waves areblocked from traveling through the middle ear.

Sensorineural Hearing Loss – caused by damagein the inner ear to the hair cells and/or nerve fibers.

Central Hearing Loss – occurs when there isdamage to the hearing pathway to the brain.

Muscular Dystrophy

A genetic disease caused by alterations on specificgenes. These alterations create little or no production of proteins that maintain muscles. Thiscauses the weakening and degeneration. It is aninherited disease that is passed on genetically fromparents to children. However, one can be a carrierand not actually have muscular dystrophy.

There is no cure for muscular dystrophy, butgenetic testing can be done to determine if one isa carrier.

Speech & Hearing Disorders

Speech disorders refer to difficulties producingsounds or problems with voice quality.

Language disorders refer to impairment in the ability to understand and/or use words in context, either verbally, nonverbally, or both.

These disorders range in severity from soundsubstitutions to the inability to comprehend oruse language.

Spina Bifida

Spina bifida literally means “split spine.” It is aneural tube defect occurring during the firstmonth of pregnancy in which the spinal columndoes not completely close. Damage to the spinal cord can occur because of this.

The exact cause of spina bifida is unknown.However, low levels of folic acid intake beforeand during pregnancy are related to a higherincidence of spina bifida.

Spinal Cord Injuries

A spinal cord injury results when the spinal cordis cut, damaged, or pinched. When a spinal cordis injured, a loss of some or all functions ofmobility and/or feeling occur in some part of thebody. This is also known as paralysis.

The extent to how a spinal cord injury willaffect the body depends on where the injury is onthe spinal cord. Generally, the higher on the spinal cord the more extensive the injury will be.

Tourette Syndrome

A neurological disorder causing “tics”. The tics usually occur as facial or body tics. Verbaltics are much less common but are the mostcommonly noticed by others.

Tourette Syndrome is inherited by a dominantgene, but having the gene does not mean theperson will exhibit Tourette Syndrome.

It is thought that this gene creates an abnormalmetabolism of the brain.

Visual Impairment

Refers to severe or complete loss of vision. People are considered to be legally blind if theyhave visual acuity of 20/200 or more, and /or theyhave a field of vision that is 20 degrees or less inthe better eye. Severe visual impairment is defined as visual acuity between 20/70 and 20/200and/or a field of vision of 30 degrees or less.

Visual impairment can be either congenital oracquired.

Things to keep in mind when workingwith disabled youth

• Begin by creating an environment in which all members feel accepted and secure.

• Include the members with disabilities by accepting them as young people who have the same needs, interests, and problems as other youth.

• Help the disabled youth to help him or herself. This will lead to increased independence.

Tips continued…

• Help the young person to set goals and standards that allow for self-satisfaction and achievement.

• Center activities around normal behaviors of the age group.

• Do not let the disabled youth be the center of attention or provide them with special privileges

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• Learn about the child’s disability to understand their abilities and limitations.

• Talk to the parent(s) of the child. They often can provide you with extra hints concerning their child’s abilities.

• Ask the participants what they would like to do. Disabled young people can help you concentrate on their abilities, not their disabilities.

Tips continued…

• Encourage full participation in all activities.

• Be firm and use behavioral modification techniques when needed, but also be quick to praise.

• It may be necessary to alternate between quiet and action activities to avoid over stimulation.

• Break tasks down and demonstrate requests as necessary.

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• Use activities that foster cooperation rather than competition.

• Assess the physical environment and make adaptations as needed.

• Encourage physical activities but allow multiple ways to be involved.

• Ask what help is needed rather than assuming the person needs assistance.

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• Be aware of any medications being used and their side effects.

• Prepare the other youth in your club to work cooperatively with the young person with a disability.

• Remember each person has a chronological age, an emotional age, a social age, and a given level of physical activity. They may be functioning at different levels in each of these categories.

What support can 4-H provide to help volunteersinvolve more young people with disabilities

in club work and 4-H activities?

Wyoming 4-H is committed to making our programs more appealing and accessible to youth with disabilities; includingactivities like this training, help in recruiting children and youth with disabilities, and suggestions on adapting projects and activities to the needs of individual youth.

Please do not hesitate to contact our office or the state 4-H office for support you need as you take on the opportunity of working with young people with disabilities.

https://uwadmnweb.uwyo.edu/wyo4h/Inclusive/