Children with physical disabilities are born into an idealized world focused more than ever on appearance, beauty, and attraction. The media has recently fluttered with stories detailing the consequences of overemphasizing thinness and the elusive expectation of perfection. Eating disorders and self-injury are on the rise, and many of today’s young people are experiencing a body-image crisis.
Children with physical disabilities face even more challenges with the almost total exclusion of images of people who look like them. These children and adolescents are left to conclude that they are either alone in their existence as visibly different or that their appearance should be hidden, covered, or fixed.
Surgeries and medical interventions intended to improve quality of life for children with disabilities can also inadvertently send a message that the child’s body needs major reconstruction. Teens with disabilities that cause changes in their appearance during adolescence are at the greatest risk for developing poor self-esteem. Side effects from medication, amputation, and weight fluctuation are additional adversities in the pursuit of a confident sense of self. A positive body image and healthy self-esteem are powerful predictors of happiness and success, two ingredients all parents seek to provide for their children’s futures.
Research in this area does provide one glimmering ray of hope for children with disabilities and their families: the influence of parents on the development of body image and self-esteem is even more powerful than the role of media and friends. Providing an accepting and supportive environment is important for all young people.
Parents’ Attitudes Can Support Positive Body Image for Children with Disabilities
What else can parents of children and teens with disabilities do to help foster a positive body image?
• Think of yourself as a teacher of body affirmation and acceptance. Start by modeling this behavior in your statements and treatment of your own body.
• Reward good hygiene and a healthy interest in appearance. Offer sincere praise to your kids as they form a positive mental picture of their appearance.
• Consider participation in adaptive sports as a way your child’s body can be a vehicle for success, competition, and fun!
• Find images of role models with disabilities that represent a variety of personal styles. Rent movies, read books, even print pictures for your child to know he/she is not alone. For teens with disabilities, see if there are any athletes or musicians with similar conditions.
• Allow freedom within reasonable limits on clothing, hairstyle, makeup, and other age-appropriate choices encountered by your teen. Talk openly about the relationship between an identity we choose to represent and its effect on our body image and self-esteem.
• Critique and discuss superficial portrayals of men and women in commercials, movies, and other media to help child expand their definition of beauty and develop a greater sense of acceptance for their own appearance.
• Provide options and support to help them embrace the attributes of their disability that affect their appearance. When possible, customize adaptive equipment, casts, and braces. These aids are more than medically-necessary devices; they are also statements of style!
Related Web sites:
www.girlshealth.gov/parents/index.htm
www.loveyourbody.nowfoundation.org/index.html
Photos by: Juan Carlos (boys in wheelchairs) and Stephan Levesque (girl in cast)
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