Nature vs Nurture

It’s important to understand nature vs nurture, as there are genetic factors as well as environmental factors which may affect the growth of individuals with special needs.

General parenting plays a large part in development. It’s the parents job to teach right from wrong and make better choices. If parents aren’t providing the proper care and support early in their child's life, the child will believe that they may not be worth the time and effort. They are at risk to develop attentional, emotional, cognitive or behavioral disorders.

Medications are a large part of one's health as they can affect both physical and mental health. Some factors include weight gain or loss, appetite increase or decrease, allergic reactions, anxiety, high blood pressure and the list goes on. It’s important to know, if there’s any prescription medication an individual is taking, what affects the medications have in order to best combat any negative effects. Yes medication is there to help the individual but they can also cause changes in the individual which was mentioned above. Of course, not all medications have negative effects but it’s good to confirm with a doctor what potential side effects are and some methods to best combat them. Individuals carry this over into young adulthood which makes for a bad situation if any underlying effects take play. We need to support the individual and try to retain their mind with positive reinforcements and strategies. 

There are plenty of other outside and environmental factors that can affect an individual such as things you may not be able to see at a glance. If an individual grew up in a financially unstable home where the parents spent their money on alcohol, drugs, take out then that's what the individual grows up believing this is ‘normal’ and ‘okay.’ Maybe the individual grew up in an abusive household, they’ll grow up and most likely be reserved and always on edge. 

Where the individual currently lives can also affect their personality. Growing up in the countryside on a farm, individuals may be used to hard work and physical activity. Growing up in the city, you’re surrounded by people, events and opportunities so they may have developed a lot of social confidence and higher standards. 

All of these not only affect us but they also affect individuals living with disabilities. As we grow we’d be able to discern what was right and wrong about our upbringing but an individual may not be able to figure that out on their own and need additional support when understanding.