Dataset Information

"Special needs" is an ineffective euphemism.

ABSTRACT: Although euphemisms are intended to put a more positive spin on the words they replace, some euphemisms are ineffective. Our study examined the effectiveness of a popular euphemism for persons with disabilities, special needs. Most style guides prescribe against using the euphemism special needs and recommend instead using the non-euphemized term disability; disability advocates argue adamantly against the euphemism special needs, which they find offensive. In contrast, many parents of children with disabilities prefer to use special needs rather than disability. But no empirical study has examined whether special needs is more or less positive than the term it replaces. Therefore, we gathered a sample of adult participants from the general population (N = 530) and created a set of vignettes that allowed us to measure how positively children, college students, and middle-age adults are viewed when they are described as having special needs, having a disability, having a certain disability (e.g., is blind, has Down syndrome), or with no label at all. We predicted and observed that persons are viewed more negatively when described as having special needs than when described as having a disability or having a certain disability, indicating that special needs is an ineffective euphemism. Even for members of the general population who have a personal connection to disability (e.g., as parents of children with disabilities), the euphemism special needs is no more effective than the non-euphemized term disability. We also collected free associations to the terms special needs and disability and found that special needs is associated with more negativity; special needs conjures up more associations with developmental disabilities (such as intellectual disability) whereas disability is associated with a more inclusive set of disabilities; and special needs evokes more unanswered questions. These findings recommend against using the euphemism special needs.

SUBMITTER: Gernsbacher MA

PROVIDER: S-EPMC5256467 | biostudies-other | 2016

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-other

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"Special needs" is an ineffective euphemism.

Gernsbacher Morton Ann MA Raimond Adam R AR Balinghasay M Theresa MT Boston Jilana S JS

Cognitive research: principles and implications 20161219 1

Although euphemisms are intended to put a more positive spin on the words they replace, some euphemisms are ineffective. Our study examined the effectiveness of a popular euphemism for persons with disabilities, special needs. Most style guides prescribe against using the euphemism special needs and recommend instead using the non-euphemized term disability; disability advocates argue adamantly against the euphemism special needs, which they find offensive. In contras ...[more]

PMID: 28133625

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Project description:PURPOSE:Parents of children with special healthcare needs may become overwhelmed with the ongoing caregiving needs of their children. Caring for a child with special healthcare needs is often challenging, requiring specialized training in many cases. As a result, parents can struggle to find qualified caregivers capable of providing them a break from the 24/7 care of their child. Respite care programs are designed to provide caregivers with a much-needed temporary break. The purpose of this study was to examine parental perceptions of utilizing a respite care program. DESIGN AND METHODS:Twenty-two parents who had a child with special healthcare needs who attended a Midwestern respite care program completed a Participant Characteristic Form addressing their experiences caring for their child with special healthcare needs and using respite care services. Parents participated in a focus group (N = 4) to explore their perceptions and experiences of respite care participation. Multistage thematic analysis and descriptive statistics were used to analyze the data. RESULTS:Themes emerging from the data included: Constant care demands; It is just so stressful; Respite is a gift, we get a break; Respite program "fit"; and Respite is their special time too. Parents emphasized the benefits of respite care for their marital relationship, as well as the benefits to the children with special healthcare needs and their siblings. Parents also described the importance of tailoring respite care to the unique needs of their family. PRACTICE IMPLICATIONS:Nurses and other healthcare professionals play a critical role in addressing the unmet respite care needs of parents of children with special healthcare needs by identifying unmet needs and making appropriate referrals to services that will meet the unique needs of the family. Healthcare professionals can also volunteer with existing programs to help expand access to respite care services and increase the availability of adequately trained respite care providers whom parents can trust to provide for the complex healthcare needs of their children.

Project description:BackgroundFamilies with young children have faced serious challenges during the first lockdown as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic. In addition to remote working, parents have had to monitor their children's schoolwork and manage their daily lives. When one of the children also has neuro-developmental disorders, this results in an increased burden. We can therefore wonder how these families with one or more young children (under 6 years old) with special needs have experienced and dealt with this lockdown.Aim of the studyIn this context, the "COVJEUNENFANT" study focused more specifically on the subjective experience, as a parent, of those who cared for children with special needs (i.e., with developmental disorders, neurodevelopmental disorders, proven disabilities or chronic health conditions) compared to the general population. We wished to see if the consequences of the health crisis were significantly different from those perceived by respondents in the general population (n = 490) and if the sociodemographic structure of these families differed from those of other respondents.MethodsNinety three French families with at least one child under 6 years old and one with developmental difficulties or a chronic illness, from a cohort of 490 control families, participated in a web-based survey during the first lockdown, from the 28th April 2020 to 29th May 2020.ResultsAfter presenting the participants' sociodemographic characteristics, the results show that these French families (n = 93) are less wealthy than the control population "without special needs" (n = 397), have felt more pressures originating from their environment (families, friends, colleagues, media, social networks…), have suffered from more health issues (other than COVID-19), have taken more measures to protect themselves (social-distancing), and were less likely to feel happy. A significantly larger number of them lamented the lack of free time and voiced a larger need for information regarding children's education. However, their parental role was felt as being more satisfying and their family relations strengthened more than in the general population of participants.ConclusionIt is apparent that urgent prioritisation is needed in order to support and care for these families by continuing to provide care for their children in one way or another, and by ensuring that their need to adapt again does not exceed their own abilities and resources, especially as young children, who have high levels of requirements, are present in the home.

Dataset Information

"Special needs" is an ineffective euphemism.

Publications

"Special needs" is an ineffective euphemism.

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