如何照顾残疾儿童

照顾残疾儿童可以使您的日常育儿职责，例如喂养，厕所培训并让他们入睡，更具挑战性。

Feeding and eating

A disabled child may have problems with feeding and eating for many different reasons, such as:

• physical problems that cause difficulty swallowing, chewing, sucking or digesting certain foods
• limited mobility, which might make it difficult to sit up to eat or drink
• a learning disability

It might take longer for your child to be able to feed themselves, but developing the skills to do so can also help them in other ways, such as with speech and language development and co-ordination.

您的健康访客可以就喂养和断奶婴儿的许多方面建议您。

As your child grows, you might be able to get a referral from your GP or health visitor for specialist help.

This could include:

• 语音和语言治疗师 - 帮助解决诸如咀嚼和吞咽等身体问题
• an occupational therapist – to advise you about aids that might help your child, such as special plates, bowls, cups, adapted cutlery or non-slip mats
• a physiotherapist or occupational therapist – to advise you on getting your child into the right physical position to eat
• 营养师 - 如果您担心您的孩子饮食不足，为您提供帮助

If your child needs to be fed through a tube that goes directly into their stomach, you can get advice from the support groupPINNT (Patients on Intravenous and Naso-gastric and Nutrition Therapy).

这些问题可能会损害您自己的健康。如果您感到孤立，您可能会发现搜索很有帮助照顾者的情感支持服务in your area.

睡眠

残疾儿童可能会出于多种身体原因而遇到睡眠问题，例如肌肉痉挛或呼吸困难，具体取决于他们的特殊健康问题。

Children with some learning disabilities may find it hard to understand why and when they need to sleep.

您的健康访客或社区护士应该能够建议鼓励良好睡眠的方法。

如果需要，您的全科医生也可以帮助您或将您推荐给睡眠专家或心理学家。

联系家庭还提供有用的技巧和支持，以帮助您的孩子入睡。

如果您的睡眠不断中断，您可以要求看护者的评估来自社会服务。他们可能能够提供关怀的短暂休息时间，因此您可以得到一些不受干扰的睡眠。

您的孩子也可能有资格残疾生活津贴(DLA), or a higher rate of DLA if they already get it, if they need constant care and attention at night because of sleep problems.

Disability support groups and national organisations, such as范围或者theNational Autistic Society，通常可以提供有关睡眠的建议。

You can also find support in your area in thedirectory of local carers' services.

Potty training

所有儿童都是不同的，但是大多数孩子都表现出准备在2或3岁左右学习使用厕所的迹象。

Some disabled children may not be ready until they're older, or they may take longer to learn.

This could be because of learning disabilities or physical challenges, such as impaired mobility, movement skills or muscle tone.

有些孩子可能永远不会学会自己使用厕所。某些健康状况可能意味着永久结肠造口或者回肠造口术is needed.

如果您的孩子的健康状况会影响他们控制膀胱或肠道的能力，那么他们的医生也许可以将您转介给界专家。

如果您的孩子需要坐着或任何可能有用的浴室改编，则职业治疗师可以向您告知您有关特殊的植物或厕所座椅。

A physiotherapist can advise about issues such as moving and handling your child, or finding the best position for your child to be able to use the toilet.

Your local health authority's incontinence service may be able to supply items such as larger nappies, pads and bedding protection once your child is over a certain age (this may vary from area to area). If they're unable to do this, they can tell you where you can buy them privately.

If you have a water meter and your child's health condition means that you have to do a lot of laundry, you can apply to your water supply company to cap the cost of your water under the WaterSure scheme.Ofwathas contact details for water companies.

TheFamily Fund还可以向低收入家庭提供洗衣机或滚筒干燥的赠款。

搜索the directory of当地支持小组和服务的护理人员服务.

Moving around

If you're concerned about your child's ability to move around normally, your GP may refer you to a physiotherapist to assess their mobility needs.

As part of the assessment, the physiotherapist will discuss mobility aids that could help your child, such as:

• 步行辅助工具 - 您可以从当地医院或社区卫生服务部借来
• 轮椅，越野车和改编的座位 - 从当地人那里NHS wheelchair service

You can get contact details for your local wheelchair service from your GP or physiotherapist.

慈善机构whizz-kidz可以为18岁以下的儿童提供NHS无法提供的移动设备。他们还提供轮椅技能培训。Go Kids Go!also provides free wheelchair skills courses.

If your child gets the high rate mobility component of残疾生活津贴，您可以申请Motability scheme购买动力轮椅或越野车。

If you drive, you could apply for road tax exemption and a Blue Badge for disabled parking.

The Blue Badge may be awarded if your child is 2 years old or over and has a permanent disability that makes walking difficult.

If your child is under the age of 2, you may get a Blue Badge if they need to have bulky medical equipment with them or need to be near the vehicle in case they require urgent medical treatment.

Challenging behaviour

具有挑战性的行为在学习或感觉障碍的儿童中很常见。

这是因为沟通问题可能会使他们很难表达自己的需求，喜欢和不喜欢。

Challenging behaviour can take many forms, from aggression to withdrawal.

阅读更多challenging behaviour in children.

Communicating with your child

Some physical conditions and learning disabilities can mean that your child has little or no clear speech, or their speech may be slow to develop.

您可能会担心他们长大后会与您和其他人进行沟通。

A wide range of equipment and techniques can support or replace speech, including signing (perhaps using a system like Makaton), symbols, word boards and electronic voice output communication aids (VOCAs).

语音和语言治疗师可以评估您的孩子，并帮助您决定最合适的辅助工具。

Find out more about关怀和沟通问题.

Get in touch with Carers Direct and Carers UK

有关通过电话提供关怀问题的建议和支持，请致电0300 123 1053与Carers Direct Helpline联系。

If you're deaf, deafblind, hard of hearing or have impaired speech, contact the Carers Direct helpline using textphone or minicom number 0300 123 1004.

您也可以在护理人员直接网络聊天, or通过电子邮件获得帮助.

看护人英国通过其电话热线索引提供建议和支持，请致电0800 808 7777。

More information

Find out more aboutcaring for a child with complex needs和financial benefits for parent carers.