What is the major's name for therapy for disabled kids?

Question

My girlfriend found out about a friend who is some sort of a therapist for disable children. This type of job that can help develop the children's ability. I want to know in details about the job and the name of the field. I am searching for courses to take for that type of career.

Answer 1

There are several different therapists that work with kids..special needs and "normal". These include

speech therapists (to help them learn the correct way to pronounce sounds, find ways of communication, work on sentence structure and the flow of speech among other issues)

Physcial therapists...these people focus on large motor (walking, catching..things you use your whole arm, shoulder or leg to do) or fine motor (writing, cutting..things that you use your hands and fingers for).

Occupational therapists..OT work in a variety of settings. They use a combination of therapies and goals to help with things like low musle tone, co-ordination, concentration, body placement and awareness.

Sensory integration specialists..These people help kids with sensory issues (sensitivity to light, sound, need to constant movement) find ways to adapt and cope.

Within all these fields are sub-specialties..working with children who have certian issues or disorders, working with adults who have suffered traumatic brain injury, using certain types of therapy to achieve the goals. There are also specialists who focus on areas such as life skills, social skills, academic needs.

I would suggest you start by volunteering in a school,camp or program that works with special needs children. This will help you figure out exactly what area you are most interested in focuing your course of study. While you do that, contact the college you are interested in to discuss what course you can beging taking that will transfer to any of these majors. Core courses (the ones that form the majority of your classes for the first two years in college) are pretty much the same across the board...english, science requirements, math and elective from certain areas. When it comes to your social science electives, focus in on child or deveopmental psych, family sociology and any classes you can take geared towards special ed and working with children. Your advisor can give you some ideas. After you have volunteered for some time, you can than tailor the remainding time in school to work towards the appropriate degree. To work as a therapist in any of the fields above, you will need a Master's degree, so be prepared for 6 years in school. Hope this helps...

Answer 2

There are all kinds of therapists-physical, occupational and mental (usually social workers, but can be psychologists)