Understanding special needs children

My title is vague.  ''Special needs children' has become an ambiguous label.  However I'd like to make three general points to demonstrate some of the challenges that many of these children have to overcome on a daily basis.  This does not apply to all of these children but perhaps it will help people to empathise with their difficulties.

1. Down Syndrome children often have smaller mouths and higher palates which makes their tongues protrude from their mouth.  They can also have narrower airways which can cause respiratory problems and may lead to them breathing through their mouths instead of their noses.

2. Adults with autism describe the difficulties caused by heightened senses.  Imagine not being able to tune out peripheral noises when you are listening to someone in a crowded room.  Imagine if strong smells caused to you feel nauseous.  Or worse, your arms tingled with a sensation like ants crawling on them.

3. Children with ADHD can blurt out inappropriate comments before they even realise that they have said them.  They are also prone to showing their emotions without restraint which can lead to teasing or bullying.

Hopefully I have not generalised too much and there is some food for thought in these points.  If I am missing anything important, please feel free to post a comment on this page and I will add them to this post.