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Please don't stare
By Emma (Golfing girl)
What do you do when you see someone in a wheelchair? Do you stare at them or do you keep walking by and mind your own business? When someone is in a wheelchair it can be from a horrible accident, they can have a physical injury, for example they are paralyzed or they have a cancerous tumor growth or an infection or frostbite. When someone is in a wheelchair it is not only hard on them but also their family too. They may need your help to get around...
Learning disabilities: What they are and why it’s okay to have one
By Kylie M.
I am pretty open about the fact that I have dyscalculia, a specific learning disability in the area of mathematics. Over the years, I’ve learned a lot about my disability and how it affects me personally, but there is one thing that stands out among the rest, that I really wish someone would have told me in my younger years: that it’s okay to be learning disabled. In fact, it’s more than okay! Sometimes it’s...
What is neurodiversity?
By Anonymous
The neurodiversity movement means a lot of different things to a lot of different people, but no matter whom you ask, there is one thing that everyone agrees on: it is about acceptance. Specifically, it asserts that differences in neurotype are the result of natural variations in the human genome and not something that needs to be changed or eradicated (“Neurodiversity,” n.d.). While the medical model of disability – the most common paradigm for...
7 myths of Fibromyalgia
By Cassie (cynefin)
source]
Fibromyalgia is a musculoskeletal disorder that is known for causing widespread pain in those who have it. It carries other symptoms along with it, such as brain fog ("fibro fog") exhaustion, headaches, light sensitivity, and many more. Unfortunately, fibromyalgia is widely misunderstood and sometimes stereotyped and this article aims to refute some of the myths.
Myth: Fibromyalgia does not exist.
We're laughing with you, not at you: Using humor to discuss disability
By Kylie M.
(NOTE: At no point are you required to actually disclose your disability if you are not comfortable doing so. Additionally, this approach may not work for everyone! At the end of the day, you have to do what is most comfortable for you; this article is simply based on my own personal experiences.)
You may have heard that being able to laugh at yourself is an important life skill - and you would be...
Article featured in Avatar - Volume 3, Issue 12 (June 2010).
Scoliosis
by Briana
June marks Scoliosis Awareness Month. Scoliosis is the curving of the spinal cord and is a genetic disorder that can affect both females and males between the ages of six and fourteen. However, this disorder is more common in females.
A person without scoliosis may have zero to fifteen degrees of a curve in their spinal cord, whereas someone who has scoliosis will have a curve between thirty and... 1 Comments
About ADHD
By Cassie (Cassiopeia.) and Nicole (eumoirous)
ADHD, or Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder, is an increasingly popular and controversial topic. It is a developmental disorder that affects the behavior of approximately 11% of children according to the CDC. Awareness for this medical condition has sparked a debate regarding the extent of the severity of the symptoms. Healthcare professionals are continuously assessing the treatment options to help improve the lives of...
What is autism spectrum disorder?
By Cassie (Idyllic.)
Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) is a mental condition that usually presents itself within the first two or three years of one’s life. ASD reduces brain development and functioning. For someone with this condition, communication and other social interaction can be extremely challenging. ASD is normally diagnosed at two or three years old; however, new research is allowing children to be diagnosed at as young as six months old. Although...
Visual impairment: An interview
By Christina (Kakorrhaphiophobia) and Robin (PSY)
This month, the Articles Team decided to do something different. Instead of presenting a typical article, we wanted to give the TeenHelp community a unique perspective on what it's like to be visually impaired. Christina has been serving as a Staff member for quite some time, and you may have noticed her work as the Disabilities Forum Moderator... but did you know that she can't actually "see" what she's doing...
My life with Asperger's syndrome
By Lydia (Penultimate)
Asperger's syndrome is a mental illness that affects several areas of a child's normal development. This disorder is largely misunderstood and is often compared to Autism, a more well-known mental illness that also involves developmental issues. While the two are very similar, it's important to distinguish between the two, as children with Asperger's syndrome do not have language impairments like children with Autism do, which enables...
Article featured in Avatar - Volume 3, Issue 10 (April 2010).
Stand Up for Autism
By Marie (Rie)
What do you imagine when you hear the word autism? How do you personally picture a person with autism? Do you see the child repeating words over and over again? The teenager who has still never uttered a word? Do you picture the adult curled around rocking back and forth in a fetal position? Can you imagine visiting a country when you neither speak nor understand a word of their language?...