Language use

It can sometimes be hard for playworkers to know how to refer to children who have an impairment, such as cerebral palsy, autism or blindness. But the current thinking in the disability movement is that 'special needs' is too general a phrase and implies that the needs of disabled children are different to non-disabled children.

'Disabled children' is now used to refer collectively to such children and means they are more disabled by the barriers that exist in society than by any impairment they might have.

'Impairment' is used to refer to the physical, emotional or intellectual condition that affects a child or adult's ability to perform and makes them different from accepted norms. But before you start talking about a child, stop and think. Is it really necessary to label that child? Could you just say, for example, 'One of the children coming tomorrow uses a wheelchair', or, 'Jonathan may not always want to join in the games', or 'Hugh needs you to listen very carefully when he speaks'. If you have to mention the impairment, it is better to say, for example, a child with Down's Syndrome, rather than 'a Down's child' as the individual child is always more important than the impairment.

However, although words are important and can reflect attitudes, even more important is the effort playworkers make in giving all children the chance to play together. Don't worry if you sometimes get it wrong!