6 Effective Ways to Teach a Special Needs Child

 

 

In this day and age of fast paced world, your child with special needs may need to you time to bond with you better and also for you to understand their needs. There is a need for you also to learn the ways in which you could connect with your child with special needs to teach him various things in life and here are some of the ways you could do that.

 

 

Bond with the child with a regular interaction:  These kids are just like any of us. They would respond to us when we interact with them with patience. Take time out to understand how they converse, then connect with them the same way. Depending on the child’s special needs, it may be necessary to take the child’s hand, place a hand on the child’s shoulder or even touch each other’s faces to make a proper introduction. Showing him some examples or giving some explanations will develop the interaction.

 

Be flexible:  Do not stick to one way of conversing with the child or making the child understand something you want to convey. Change your ways according to the child's needs. Understand the needs of the child and keep changing the way you interact with them for them to feel more accommodated, which will then help them to open up to you. If a child does not have the appropriate motor skills for an activity, help the child go through the motions by holding their hand or if they are unable to understand any concept in their studies, help them understand in a game or a story format.

 

Be consistent with routine events:  Establish a routine based on events and not time, like for example have a schedule lined up, like waking up,brushing, breakfast, schoolwork, lunch, play, dinner and so on. Knowing what to expect what comes next has a calming effect on both you and the child. This after a point of time will make the child get accustomed to this way of living life. And it would be more comfortable for them.

 

Use a multi sensory way of teaching techniques:  Use a multi-sensory approach to introduce or practice a concept rather than limiting instruction to whatever appears to be the child’s learning style like visual or audio. Studies of the brain suggest that the more senses and variety involved in learning something, the more avenues a person has for retrieving that information.

 

Do not force the child into learning something:  Your child does not require a mastery in everything you want to teach him. Some areas should have simple exposure as a goal so that the they are not under too much stress. You may decide to let them merely experience something now with the plan of building understanding in the future, or exposure may remain your goal in long term.

 

Being Positive is the Key in the bonding:  A positive attitude is the single most important quality for anyone who works with children with special needs. There are cases of highly trained specialists who are unable to interact with the child because of their negative attitude and assumptions about the state of mind of the child. But some people with no experience or knowledge of their disability have jumped right in and changed the child's life for the better. So the key to a wonderful relationship between the child and parent is to stay clam and positive.

 

..Divya