Special Needs & Disabilities: Information for Adults Who Care About Teens (page 3)

According to the 2002 Washington State Healthy Youth Survey:

• About 22% of 8th and 12th graders and nearly 25% of 10th graders report that they have a physical, emotional or learning disability or long-term health problem.
• More than 1-in-4 8th and 12th graders and 1-in-3 10th graders with disabilities report they had seriously considered attempting suicide in the past year compared to about 1-in-10 students without disabilities.
• Students with disabilities, particularly younger students, are more likely to be the victims of bullying than students without disabilities. More than 40% of 8th graders with disabilities say they had been bullied in the past month compared to less than a third of their peers without disabilities.
• About a third of students with disabilities said they had been physically abused by an adult compared to about 10% to 15% of students without disabilities.
• Nearly 30% of 10th graders with disabilities report using tobacco in the past month compared to less than 20% of 10th graders without disabilities.

What Can I Do?

To ease the transition from childhood to adolescence, you can help a teen with special needs achieve greater independence. Here are some tips from the Adolescent Health Transition project.

Parents, Family Members and Teachers:

• Continue to allow the teen to help with family chores.
• Continue teaching the teen normal self-help skills as well as skills related to the special health care need.
• Continue to encourage hobbies and leisure activities and start exploring new activities available in high school such as sports, band and choir.
• Help identify and build on the teen’s strengths and talents.
• Discuss career interests and encourage the teen to take advantage of opportunities to explore different careers.
• Help the teen find work and volunteer activities.
• Assess his or her perception and basic knowledge of the special health care need and fill in the gaps of understanding.
• Discuss healthy eating and provide teens with opportunities to participate in regular physical activity.
• Help the teen begin keeping a medical history, including conditions, operations, treatments (dates, doctors, recommendations) and an Individualized Education Program (IEP) if applicable.
• If on an IEP, encourage teen to participate in IEP meetings. Parents and family members:
• Begin helping your teen take responsibility for making and keeping his or her own medical appointments and ordering supplies.
• Begin exploring health care financing for your soon-to-be young adult.
• Discuss sexuality with your teen including the changes associated with puberty, reproductive health, sexually transmitted infections and necessary medical exams.
• Explore support groups if your teen’s interested.
• Help identify and be involved with adult or older teen role models.
• With your teen, begin to identify with whom they will eventually be receiving their health care as an adult.

Health Care Providers:

• Assess his or her perception and basic knowledge of the special health care need and fill in the gaps of understanding.
• Discuss sexuality with the teen, including reproductive health, sexually transmitted infections, necessary medical exams and changes associated with puberty.
• Help the teen begin keeping a medical history, including conditions, operations, and treatments.
• Facilitate the transition to an adult health care provider.