|  | Conditions Treatments | Disabilities

What Are the Developmental Consequences of a Disability?

People can suffer from a variety of different disabilities, ranging from being confined to a wheelchair to not being able to learn as easily as other classmates. A disability can have a number of effects and consequences on the development of that person, both mentally and physically.

  1. General Psychosocial Consequences

    • A disability can effect a person's psychosocial development. A disabled person may suffer from a lack of identity and a lack of a sense of trust. The person may feel inferior, and thus isolated and unable to participate in society. Those with disabilities may see their peers becoming involved in relationships, getting their first jobs or other major events and become despondent. The disabled person may be harmed more by a community's attitude toward him rather than a lack of ability, causing the person to withdraw from social involvement.

    Visual Impairment Consequences

    • Visual impairment may have profound consequences in cognitive development. Early blindness or vision impairments in children can affect their language development due to limited access to the surrounding world and the different ways people talk to those with limited vision. The visually disabled person also does not have access to many non-verbal forms of communication, such as facial expressions or posture.

    Learning Disability Consequences

    • A learning disability can have profound effects on a child. The child first runs into obstacles when a teacher informs the parent that a preschool-age child may have learning difficulties, which the parent frequently does not accept, causing the child to continue to struggle for a prolonged period. The child will need to progress at her own rate, and may require special attention in order to learn. A child with learning disabilities may feel isolated around other kids who have no problem with the course work.

    Ambulatory Disability Consequences

    • People with ambulatory disabilities have difficulty with movement and often require an aid such as a cane or a walker. A person with an ambulatory disability can sometimes work to rehabilitate and develop a limb or walking ability, but it requires a lot of hard work, may be expensive and is not always an option. An ambulatory disability may also cause cognitive developmental problems, because on top of feeling different from the rest of society, the person may feel even more isolated due to not being able to move around as much and interact with society.

Disabilities - Related Articles