Developing Personal Safety Skills in Children With Disabilities

This book offers some quite unique resource material. The first two chapters should be mandatory reading for all who work with or aspire to work with children. For teachers of students with disabilites, especially students who are deaf or wheelchair dependent, the collection of curriculum ideas offers stimulation for jaded programs.'

- The Journal Of Intellectual And Developmental Disability.

'Clearly structured with a large typeface and bold illustrations, the text is friendly and easily utilised with many pages specifically formatted to assist in the learning process... a text that introduces young people to the safelty skills that they require and raises awareness levels of professional to the likelihood of abusive situations is an essential prerequisite of any establishment that encounters young people with disabilities.'

- Talk, the magazine of the National Deaf Children's Society

'An excellent resource for understanding personal safety skills for all children, including children with disabilities.'

- Link

'People interested in teaching children with disabilities to minimize their risk for abuse often tell me that they don't know where to start. This book starts from the right place. It's based on a firm foundation, a thorough knowledge of abuse prevention curricula for children without disabilities. The principles and practices of abuse prevention for all children have been carefully maintained while allowing for the special needs of children with disabilities.'

- Professor Dick Sobsey, The University of Atlanta Abuse and Disability Project

'These modules will be of considerable help when planning a curriculum to help children with disabilities protect themselves, and will enable carers and parents to become more aware and pro-active in such a programme.'

- NAPSAC Bulletin

'Contains invaluble information on child protection issues.'

- Bulletin, Royal College of Speech and Language Therapists

'Provides invaluable information needed by parents and other caregivers for an understanding of personal safety skills for all children, and explains the risks and considerations peculiar to children with special needs.'

- In Touch Newsletter

'This book is a 'must' for educational establishments who have disabled children and take child protection seriously... The layout, contents and illustrations made it easy for me to take in the information boldly presented in the book... the seven modules are excellent and represent a concrete base on which to plan our individualised approach.

- Catch Up, Capability Scotland

'All [Briggs'] information is valid and provides a sound foundation for safety skills work... The suggested teaching activities are good ones and are located in wider contexts of work on self-effecacy and self-value. The worksheets are excellent... Provides useful general reference materials and some well though out activities.'

- Deafness and Education

'This book is valuable for all teachers, care staff, and child protection practitioners. It should be available within all training on child protection.'

- Child Abuse and Neglect

Although child protection has become a major issue, the abuse of children with disabilities has been largely ignored. International research shows that this group of children is at greatest risk from all forms of maltreatment. However, the needs of children with disabilities are not being met first, because these children are not being acknowledged as a target population by the community at large and, second, because service providers are so overwhelmed by other problems that they have not begun to take up the challenge of addressing the special needs of this most vulnerable minority group.

This book, written at the request of teachers, social workers and psychologists, is in two parts. Part I provides the information needed by parents, teachers and other caregivers for an understanding of personal safety skills for all children, and explains the risks and considerations peculiar to children with special needs. Possible approaches and methods for their protection are introduced. Part II provides practical curriculum ideas and exercises for developing safety skills in children and young people with mild to severe disabilities. The curriculum ideas are sequenced to help with the development of basic safety knowledge and skills, and may also be used in mixed ability classes.

Freda Briggs was a Professor at the De Lissa Institute of Early Childhood and Family Studies, University of South Australia.