I CAN the Way I AM

What is a Cognitive Disability? First, What do you think of when you hear the word disability? People with disabilities are the SAME as we are in MOST ways, But they have one difference…. …..Some parts of their body work in a different way. What are some ways we are all different? What are some ways we are all the same?

A person with a Cognitive Disability has a harder time learning things.... REMEMBER.. that is NOT the same as a person with a Learning Disability Learning Disability Average or Above average intelligence But some subjects may be harder to learn This is also called a COGNITIVE DELAY

Cognitive = something to do with the BRAIN Delay = to slow something down A person with a Cognitive Disability may: need more help and it may be harder for them to remember things SO friends and teachers must BE MORE PATIENT with them learn more SLOWLY than the average person BUT it doesn’t mean that they can’t LEARN… in fact they DO learn new things throughout their lifetime not learn the same way you do but they do want FRIENDS and they do want to be INCLUDED… just like YOU! Let’s give you an idea about how a person who is Cognitively delayed might feel sometimes…..

Start with a spelling test…. Listen carefully… follow all the directions…. READY?? Were you paying Attention? Why were you having a problem? Did you feel confused or frustrated? Children who have cognitive delays often feel just like you do now! Even simple directions can be confusing. What are a few ideas of things I could have done differently? Repeat the directions Give you more time to catch up Read the spelling words slower How would it have felt if I would have made fun of you? Remember …. be patient and kind now that you know how it feels too

What causes some people to have a Cognitive Disability? Cognitive Disabilities can be a caused by: a genetic complication (what makes each person unique) A brain injury before or just after they were born over 200 known causes but ….. 1/3 of the time no one knows what caused the delay Most important thing to remember Most people with a cognitive delay are born that way - They WANT to do things just like everyone else - They didn’t choose to learn more slowly

Do you think people who are Cognitively Delayed are pretty much the same or different? Cognitive Disabilities are ALL different from one another: Some people may only need a little help or ask a few questions Some people may need help with almost everything they do Some people can go to school and learn to read and write like you Some people can have amazing careers and start their own family Some can even climb to the top of Mt. Everest!!!

Now let’s think about how YOU learn…. Learning comes from your 5 senses: Sight…Smell…Taste…Touch…Hearing Learning and thinking is a result of information taken in by the senses and processed by the brain Failure to receive good information from the senses causes problems for children who have a cognitive delay Every person with a cognitive delay is affected differently Next, we are going to do some activities to help you understand what it feels like if your senses were not sharp and a task felt hard or confusing

3 UNIQUE GROUPS 15 minutes per activity RED BLUEGREEN

PLACEHOLDER - CONCLUSION What can you do to make a difference after participating in this session? Be aware of the words you use – even when joking or no one else is around Change your attitude and be a good role model for patience and kindness Put the person FIRST – not their disability We will be meeting Mrs. Shultz and her son Charlie Can we think a list of questions we want to ask Charlie when he visits our class? Review what our “best behavior” means?