Volunteer Training on 4-H
Involvement for Youth with
Disabilities
Questions to be Answered
• What is a developmental disability?
• How does involving youth with disabilities fit with the
mission of 4-H?
• What are some of the disabilities 4-H members might
have?
• What are some things to keep in mind when working with
disabled youth?
• What support can the 4-H office provide to help volunteers
in working with young people with disabilities?
How does involving young people with disabilities
fit with the mission of 4-H?
“To Make the Best Better” is the national motto of the 4-H program.
The 4-H program’s mission is to help youth develop important life
skills.
All youth need opportunities to be involved in activities unique
to their own talents and interests.
4-H can be an empowering pathway for youth with disabilities and
their families to receive what they want and need: the opportunity
to be involved, make friendships, and gain life skills.
What is a developmental disability?
A developmental disability is defined as a physical
or mental impairment that substantially limits one
or more major life activity such as seeing, hearing,
dressing, feeding, learning, and playing.
What are some of the disabilities 4-H
members might have?
• AD/HD
• Cystic Fibrosis
• Asthma
• Diabetes
• Autism
•Down’s Syndrome
• Cerebral Palsy
• Dyslexia
What are some of the disabilities 4-H
members might have?
• Epilepsy
• Spina Bifida
• Hearing Impairments
• Spinal Cord Injuries
• Muscular Dystrophy
• Tourette Syndrome
• Speech & Hearing
Disorders
• Visual Impairment
AD/HD
Called Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder,
AD/HD is a neurological developmental disability
characterized by inattentiveness, impulsivity
and hyperactivity.
While the exact cause of AD/HD remains
unknown, it appears that it may have genetic
ties. It is also thought that a chemical imbalance
or deficiency of neurotransmitters in the brain
may cause the disorder
Asthma
Causes the airways to become blocked or
narrowed when exposed to a trigger. When the
airways come into contact with a trigger they
become inflamed and the related muscles
tighten up, causing the narrowing of the
airways.
Triggers can include exposure to cold air,
exercise, viral infections, smoke, or allergens.
Autism
Is characterized by problems in developing
appropriate social, communicative, and
behavioral skills. Autism is more common in
males than females. It was a wide range of
severity.
One person may blend into society with only
a few communication or social-interaction
problems. Another may not have the skills to
communicate at all.
Cerebral Palsy
Is a brain abnormality that results from abnormal
development or damage to the brain before, during,
or shortly after birth. It is a multiple handicapping condition that includes problems with
balance, speech, and overall motor function.
Learning disabilities are present in some
individuals, as is mild to severe delays in mental
development. About half of those with cerebral
palsy experience seizures.
Cystic Fibrosis
A genetic disease that causes the body to
produce thick mucus, which then clogs the lungs.
This disease can lead to potentially deadly lung
infections.
Cystic fibrosis is a recessive genetic disease.
In order to have cystic fibrosis, a person needs
to inherit a recessive cystic fibrosis gene from
each parent.
Diabetes
A disease in which the pancreas does not produce
insulin, or the body does not effectively use the
insulin produced. Insulin is the hormone needed to
convert sugars into energy.
Complications of diabetes can be life
threatening when blood sugar goes either too low
or too high.
Down’s Syndrome
A genetic birth defect that causes delays in physical
and mental development. Down’s syndrome is caused
by an error in cell division that occurs at conception.
There is increased risk of giving birth to a child
with Down’s syndrome as the age of the mother
increases.
Children with Down’s syndrome complete most
developmental tasks but do so a later age than
children without Down’s syndrome.
Dyslexia
Is a learning disability that causes problems
with reading, writing, and spelling. In a person
who is dyslexic, the right hemisphere of the
brain is used to process reading as compared
to the typical left. The cause is unknown, but
there is a genetic link in families.
Other factors that may contribute to dyslexia
include environment, education, and childrearing.
Epilepsy
A brain disorder in which electrical signals are
disrupted. This disruption leads to seizures.
Seizures may range from brief changes in a
person’s body movement or awareness to
violent convulsions.
In many cases, the cause is unknown; but
some epilepsy cases may be caused from
head injuries, meningitis, brain tumors, stroke
and other degenerative brain diseases.
Hearing Impairments
Hearing impairment is the loss or absence of the
ability to hear some or all sounds. There are three
classifications of hearing loss.
Conductive Hearing Loss – sound waves are
blocked from traveling through the middle ear.
Sensorineural Hearing Loss – caused by damage
in the inner ear to the hair cells and/or nerve fibers.
Central Hearing Loss – occurs when there is
damage to the hearing pathway to the brain.
Muscular Dystrophy
A genetic disease caused by alterations on specific
genes. These alterations create little or no
production of proteins that maintain muscles. This
causes the weakening and degeneration. It is an
inherited disease that is passed on genetically from
parents to children. However, one can be a carrier
and not actually have muscular dystrophy.
There is no cure for muscular dystrophy, but
genetic testing can be done to determine if one is
a carrier.
Speech & Hearing Disorders
Speech disorders refer to difficulties producing
sounds or problems with voice quality.
Language disorders refer to impairment in the
ability to understand and/or use words in
context, either verbally, nonverbally, or both.
These disorders range in severity from sound
substitutions to the inability to comprehend or
use language.
Spina Bifida
Spina bifida literally means “split spine.” It is a
neural tube defect occurring during the first
month of pregnancy in which the spinal column
does not completely close. Damage to the
spinal cord can occur because of this.
The exact cause of spina bifida is unknown.
However, low levels of folic acid intake before
and during pregnancy are related to a higher
incidence of spina bifida.
Spinal Cord Injuries
A spinal cord injury results when the spinal cord
is cut, damaged, or pinched. When a spinal cord
is injured, a loss of some or all functions of
mobility and/or feeling occur in some part of the
body. This is also known as paralysis.
The extent to how a spinal cord injury will
affect the body depends on where the injury is on
the spinal cord. Generally, the higher on the
spinal cord the more extensive the injury will be.
Tourette Syndrome
A neurological disorder causing “tics”. The
tics usually occur as facial or body tics. Verbal
tics are much less common but are the most
commonly noticed by others.
Tourette Syndrome is inherited by a dominant
gene, but having the gene does not mean the
person will exhibit Tourette Syndrome.
It is thought that this gene creates an abnormal
metabolism of the brain.
Visual Impairment
Refers to severe or complete loss of vision.
People are considered to be legally blind if they
have visual acuity of 20/200 or more, and /or they
have a field of vision that is 20 degrees or less in
the better eye. Severe visual impairment is
defined as visual acuity between 20/70 and 20/200
and/or a field of vision of 30 degrees or less.
Visual impairment can be either congenital or
acquired.
Things to keep in mind when working
with disabled youth
• Begin by creating an environment in which all
members feel accepted and secure.
• Include the members with disabilities by
accepting them as young people who have the same
needs, interests, and problems as other youth.
• Help the disabled youth to help him or herself. This
will lead to increased independence.
Tips continued…
• Help the young person to set goals and standards
that allow for self-satisfaction and achievement.
• Center activities around normal behaviors of the age
group.
• Do not let the disabled youth be the center of attention
or provide them with special privileges
Tips continued…
• Learn about the child’s disability to understand
their abilities and limitations.
• Talk to the parent(s) of the child. They often can provide
you with extra hints concerning their child’s abilities.
• Ask the participants what they would like to do. Disabled
young people can help you concentrate on their abilities,
not their disabilities.
Tips continued…
• Encourage full participation in all activities.
• Be firm and use behavioral modification techniques
when needed, but also be quick to praise.
• It may be necessary to alternate between quiet and
action activities to avoid over stimulation.
• Break tasks down and demonstrate requests as
necessary.
Tips continued…
• Use activities that foster cooperation rather than
competition.
• Assess the physical environment and make
adaptations as needed.
• Encourage physical activities but allow multiple ways
to be involved.
• Ask what help is needed rather than assuming the
person needs assistance.
Tips continued…
• Be aware of any medications being used and their
side effects.
• Prepare the other youth in your club to work
cooperatively with the young person with a disability.
• Remember each person has a chronological age, an
emotional age, a social age, and a given level of
physical activity. They may be functioning at different
levels in each of these categories.
What support can 4-H provide to help volunteers
involve more young people with disabilities
in club work and 4-H activities?
Wyoming 4-H is committed to making our programs more
appealing and accessible to youth with disabilities; including
activities like this training, help in recruiting children and
youth with disabilities, and suggestions on adapting projects
and activities to the needs of individual youth.
Please do not hesitate to contact our office or the state
4-H office for support you need as you take on the
opportunity of working with young people with disabilities.
https://uwadmnweb.uwyo.edu/wyo4h/Inclusive/