How would you apply Piaget's stages of cognitive development to children with disabilities?

Piaget’s Stages of Cognitive Development essentially establishes the development of certain schemas over time to illustrate cognitive growth. A schema is an idea or thought process about what things are and how an individual deals with them. For each stage, Piaget lists specific schemas that are either first developed or have been expanded upon. For example, the sensorimotor stage begins with the schema of movement, meaning the child’s behaviors are entirely reflexive and in response...

Piaget’s Stages of Cognitive Development essentially establishes the development of certain schemas over time to illustrate cognitive growth. A schema is an idea or thought process about what things are and how an individual deals with them. For each stage, Piaget lists specific schemas that are either first developed or have been expanded upon. For example, the sensorimotor stage begins with the schema of movement, meaning the child’s behaviors are entirely reflexive and in response to stimuli. Later, action schemas develop in which the child has learned to use some muscles and limbs for movement, with more conscious intention. Arguably, applying these stages to children with disabilities involves the same process as evaluating any child. The focus of this theory is on the development of an individual’s thought process over time. Evaluating a child, including one with a disability, involves identifying which schemas they currently utilize and if/how those ideas have evolved. While the tests themselves might be different depending on the ability of the child in question, all results could then be compared to the respective schemas for each stage to identify which stage best corresponds to the individual’s current thought processes. The importance is on which schemas an individual possess, not on when they have developed. The age ranges included with the stages are merely averages, and are objects of criticism in themselves. Piaget even notes that there will be individual differences in the rates of progress through the steps. While this theory posits that individuals cannot skip steps, not every individual will progress to the later steps.