These 5 Facts Will Change the Way You Think About Special Needs Kids
Updated on December 26, 2019
A post by AngelSense, a GPS & voice monitoring solution designed for children with special needs.
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Many special needs kids are very talented, and have a lot to contribute to society. The sad reality, however, is that most people don’t know enough about these kids so they fail to see how unique they are.
Instead of focusing on how special needs kids are different, it’s time to highlight their gifts and strengths. Many of these kids are gifted, and yet so many of their talents go unnoticed. Perhaps it’s our perceptions which need to change.
The many misconceptions about special needs kids do more harm than good, and only serve to isolate these innocent children. By confronting these false truths, people will see that in many ways special needs kids are no different to other kids.
Here are 5 facts that will change the way people think about special needs kids.
1. They tend to excel at math
Autistic kids with an average IQ generally have better math skills than non-autistic kids with the same IQ. Research by Stanford University School of Medicine has linked these advanced skills to a unique pattern of brain organization. The research also found that autistic kids used complex mathematical strategies when problem-solving as opposed to counting on their fingers or with a pen and paper.
2. Many are very successful
A good percentage of kids with special needs grow up to become highly successful and sometimes even famous. In fact, there are many celebrities who struggled with a range of learning and other attention issues as kids. For example, Daniel Radcliffe who starred as Harry Potter in the films has dyspraxia, a condition which makes doing things like tying shoelaces challenging. Then there is the Olympic winning swimmer Michael Phelps who suffered from ADHD as a child. But it’s not just celebrities who have been known to have special needs. Some of the greatest minds in history have had to overcome significant challenges. Thomas Edison, for example, is believed to have had both ADHD and dyslexia, and yet he went on to invent the lightbulb.
3. They’re good at focusing on detailed tasks
There is lots of research which highlights the fact that the brains of autistic kids are wired differently. This gives many of these kids the unique ability to concentrate on detailed and repetitive tasks for long periods of time. And this doesn’t just include seemingly menial tasks like data entry or software testing. This unique ability makes people with autism the perfect candidates for highly specialized jobs. One of the Israeli Defense Force’s intelligence units, for examples, assigns autistic soldiers to monitor electronic combat maps as they’re able to spot even the most minute change.
4. Some have exceptional working memory
Autistic kids are able to store and process large quantities of information which can later be manipulated. It’s thanks to this unique ability that they’re capable of remembering large numbers and using them to carry out complicated mental calculations. Other autistic kids have been known to memorize musical scores and then re-write them from memory. This is known as working memory, and one study which tested this found that autistic kids scored in the 99th percentile.
5. It’s not a disorder. It’s a unique way of seeing the world
Laurent Mottron, a psychiatrist at the University of Montreal, recently concluded in a research paper that autism is not a disease, but rather a unique way of seeing the world. His research focused on high-functioning individuals and the power of the autistic brain. Such research is a reminder to look beyond the limitations, and to celebrate special needs kids and their refreshing take on things.
This post is brought to you by AngelSense GPS and voice-monitoring.
AngelSense creates a safer world for children with special needs, with a wearable GPS tracking and listening device, a web app and smart analytics.
