Topic One

Interactive Activity

There are different ways to understand disability. In research, we look at the documents that are created to identify how institutions “construct” disability. In a medical or pathological approach, we look for the diagnosis, and use that information to make decisions about intervention. In a social model approach, we look for a range of human characteristics (including pathology) and we look at the environmental barriers to full participation. In a social relational approach, we recognize that disability is context specific and embedded in our social relationships. Having information about a diagnosis only, cannot tell us how to support a child. We must also look at the program, relationships (including peers, teachings, family, community and clinical or professional relationships) to understand the concept of disability.

Instructor Information

Divide your class into small groups and give each group a set of scenarios (these will be in the attached presentation). Each short scenario should be discussed one at a time. For each scenario discuss the following questions:

  • Is this information important for your practice in educational settings? Why or why not?
  • How might this information impact your work? Would you change anything if you met this child/family?
Notes for online instruction: The instructor would have separate discussion boards for each group to discuss their portion of the case study with the discussion points, then come together in one large discussion board with all the sections to disclose that everyone only had a small piece of the case study and share all the pieces with the whole group.
Download the (PowerPoint Document) Construction of Disability in Childhood Slideshow

  1. A child in your preschool room had two visits with an early intervention team at a children’s treatment centre. These visits were with a speech therapist and an occupational therapist. The therapy was based on a referral by the child’s family doctor. This service was stopped after a lengthy time on a waitlist for childcare, when a spot opened up in your program.
    • Note for instructor: This situation could arise for multiple reasons. It could be because once they enter childcare, the child no longer qualifies for these services. It could be because the services were private and they can no longer afford to go, or it could be that the family does not have time to do both services.
  2. A mother and her child attended an EarlyOn program where a resource consultant suggested that the mother reach out for preschool speech and language services. After several months on a waitlist, the child and his mother attended 6 sessions of speech therapy services in a group with 5 other children.
    • Note for instructor: This service has ended. What might be relevant about past services for your practice now? Why might this service have ended?
  3. A mother has concerns about one or her son’s teeth. She has a referral for a specialist paediatric dentist because her son will not go to the regular dentist. She is not sure what is happening with this referral because her doctor said the dentist would call, but after 3 months, they have not heard anything.
    • Note for instructor: Students may not think that this is their responsibility. You can probe how you might support the family to get better services outside of your own program. You could also talk about responsibility to help with making phone calls to other professionals. You can ask whether dental care is important for educational contexts.
  4. The family of a child in your program has applied for Ontario Autism Program funding. The mother asks you about Applied Behaviour Analysis (ABA) services, Intensive Behavioural Intervention (IBI).
    • Note for instructor: Discuss what behavioural services are, and how they are integrated into early years and school programs. You can talk about the different perspectives of behavioural intervention (see the resources listed below) and possible alternatives. If a child/student is not getting this service, is there anything you should do while they are on a waitlist? Is there anything you should not do?
  5. A child in your class qualifies for a Special Services at Home grant. The family receives $300 per month to pay for a caregiver to come into their home, or to send their son to a specialized program such as a camp, or recreational activity.
    • Note for instructor: You can talk about other grants that are available for children/students with disabilities. You can also probe the possibility that the family might want to use the funding for supports while they are in your program, and supporting this choice. You can also familiarize yourself with the grants that are available to families.
  6. Both parents of a child in your class are unemployed and collecting Ontario Works. They have been on a waitlist for subsidized housing for over two years.
    • Note for instructor: Students may say that this does not change anything about their practice. Probe how poverty or differences in economic circumstances can impact a child’s experience in educational settings, and their access to services.
  7. One of the families in your class is Ukrainian. They have lived in Canada since just before their son was born. They speak Russian at home, but they feel they should speak English with their son because of his speech delays.
    • Note for instructor: You can talk about family choice, as well as reasons why parents might make the decision not to speak a home language. You can talk about bilingualism and plurilingualism which is beneficial for children with language impairments. Given that current circumstances in Ukraine are traumatic and you do not know the circumstances of this family, consider whether you might talk to them about their family and what they may be experiencing at a distance.

Case Study Follow Up

Instructor information: Come back together as a whole group and have each group share their main ideas from their smaller group discussions.

Following the discussion, disclose that all of the information in the case study comes from a single family story. Dividing the information up, as is done in many case study activities, simplifies the experience of families, but we know that in reality, as human beings, all families have complex experiences. In each of the scenarios described in the activity, the single piece of information can lead to an oversimplified understanding of the child and their situation. However, all of the information is interconnected. The child is autistic. Many different assumptions are made when someone is autistic that may result in missed identification of other issues – such as a toothache. This can even lead educators to assume that the child has “behaviour” problems. In this case, not going to the dentist, and language delays might be explained by autism, but it is also common for bilingual or plurilingual children to talk later, or they may not communicate through spoken language. There are a wide range of developmental differences amongst all children, so these concerns may also be the temperament of the child, or responses to their environment including reactions to an environment that is distressing. In this case study we can examine all of the information compiled together, but in reality educators often only learn about small pieces of a child’s story over time. Even in this case study we have focused on “developmental” information. Educators, peers and community members need to get to know the people behind this information. This is true about all children you will work with. While trusting relationships can help to support families and children to share information, it is important not to expect or to feel entitled to information, particularly about medical or personal experiences.

Additional Information

There is additional information about this child and their family story. Ask your students the following question about the new information.

Do these pieces of information re-shape how you think about the child?

  1. The mother is experiencing social isolation. In her words, she “has no friends”. She finds that she does not have time to socialize because she is working and doing the labour associated with services for her son.
  2. The child in this case is 3.9 years old. He has one younger brother who is 22 months younger.
  3. The mother says she has found all of the services by herself. She has had some referrals from her family doctor, but she has also used social media, the internet, and asked for help to find supports at each service she attends.
Instructor information: These additional pieces of information help us to see a bigger picture. While there are many concerns on the part of the mother, she is also doing a lot to support her son especially in communication and eating. Some of the points that were raised in the first set of scenarios, may have led you to think that the family were part of the “problem”. We can see with additional information that there are many environmental factors contributing to the “needs” of the child and the “needs” of the mother.

Additional Resources

Page updated May 2026.

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Next Section: Topic 2: Resource Consultation