Investigating the Impacts of Disabilities on Familial Relationships With Their Children: A Focus on Mothers

Defining Disabilities In Children

Individuals with disabilities are frequently th only people who are recognized as overcoming additional challenges, yet they make up a small portion of the population that struggles. According to the United States Census Bureau, as of 2019, children living with a disability made up 4.3% of the population, which equates to over three million children under the age of 18 (United States Census Bureau, n.d., as cited in Young & Crankshaw, 2021). Living with a disability can be defined as having an elongated sensory, intellectual, mental, or physical impairment. There are different categories of disabilities, such as cognitive, physical, and sensory, and identifying these various disabilities is crucial for constant growth to create a more equitable society.

It is important to understand the specificity of different disabilities. A language and speech impairment refers to a condition where an individual experiences difficulty producing or understanding sounds or words, thus hindering their ability to communicate effectively. “Poor language development is especially problematic since language skills are the foundation for learning to read and for successful interactions with peers” (Hebbeler & Spiker, 2016). The next categorized primary disability is autism spectrum disorder, commonly referred to as ASD or Autism. Autism can be defined as a developmental disability that can cause repetitive, restrictive behaviors and interests, as well as issues with social interactions and communication (Hebbeler & Spiker, 2016). Intellectual disabilities can be defined as limitations to an individual's ability to learn and grow at the expected rate in daily life. Hearing impairment in children can be defined as not being able to hear as well as an average hearing person should. The threshold for average hearing is twenty dB or better in both ears (World Health Organization, 2023). Orthopedic impairment can be defined as a severe neuromuscular, muscular, and skeletal impairment (Florida Department of Education, n.d.). Visual impairment in children can be defined as any form of vision loss that cannot be corrected, meaning that the child has partial vision or is completely blind (Yeon Lee & Mesfin, 2023).

The American Community Survey (ACS) considers age in correlation with disabilities to define what it is to be living with a disability. When a child has one or more of the following defining categories, the ACS would consider the child to have a disability: children aged five and above who have difficulty remembering things, concentrating, walking up or climbing stairs, bathing and dressing. For adolescents aged fifteen and above, it may be those who are unable to run errands alone or go to appointments and have overall hearing or vision loss (ACS, n.d., as cited in Young & Crankshaw, 2021).

The definitions of disabilities are ever-changing as scientific knowledge expands and greater resources are available to study child development. It is notable to acknowledge that new disabilities may be on the rise in children following the COVID-19 pandemic and could be slowing down the rate at which a child develops. Therefore, there may need to be a new operationalization of the normal speed of child development and whether or not a diagnosis of a disability is warranted, should a child fail to reach a key development stage at the average rate.