Sure, there are varying degrees of mental disabilities, and some mentally challenged people function fairly well whereas others struggle with even small issues. There are plenty of ways to make life easier on the latter, though, simply by following a few tips and techniques for making huge hurdles seem like small steps.
Just as with any other person, most mentally challenged kids grow and learn, to become adults that know a lot more than they did as a child. But, for mentally challenged kids and adults, some things can never be learned. Limit that list by starting early to teach the child helpful things for his future. If the child is already grown it’s still not too late to show him some new tricks to make life easier.
First and foremost is a wallet, zip purse or another small item that the child will carry practically from birth. If he does this from infancy it will seem second nature to him later. The wallet – or what have you – should contain identifying information in case the child is ever lost. Limit the information to name, phone number(s), address, allergies, medications and pertinent information. Many mentally challenged kids cannot speak clearly – if at all – making the wallet or other holder a must. Clip the tiny wallet onto a back belt loop, sew a clear plastic pocket into the inside of his coat, or otherwise attach it to where the child cannot play with it or lose it.
Try to give your child an array of things to do, see and participate in as he grows. Lots of learning disabled kids grow to have fits if their patterns in life are broken. For example, if a child has cereal every morning, then his babysitter gives him toast instead, he’s liable to have a fit and she’ll never know what hit her. Teaching a child that days are different, furniture arrangements can vary, and that they don’t always have to watch the same shows on tv can be a big help in producing a well-rounded adult.
As your child grows one thing that he might have trouble with is dressing himself. Teach the child how to thread his or her belt through the belt loops before sliding them on will help. Many challenged kids have trouble reaching behind themselves to slide the belt on. Also, teach a small child to put on his own coat by showing him or her a new method. Lay the coat on a flat surface, like the couch or coffee table, with the hood hanging downwards, toward the floor. Now the child can slide his arms in the holes, then raise his arms above his head, and easily slide the coat into its proper position. As the child grows older he’s likely to learn to put the coat on in the normal manner but this method will help him when he is very young.
Start a calendar-type project from the time the child is a toddler. You’ll print or draw the calendar to help your child, but he needs to do this all his life. There should be a calendar, with large squares to write special occasions or appointments, as well as a separate sheet that shows the daily personal care and chores. Use colored dots, pictures of pets, or other icons to signify each item on the list. That way, if the child doesn’t learn to read – or doesn’t learn to read well – he will still recognize the items on the list. As a young child, help him perform a chore, like brushing his teeth. Take him to the calendar and help him check that chore off the list. As he does each daily performance, have him check it from the list. This will help him to take care of his own personal needs on a daily basis without being told each thing to do. As he gets older he can look at the list and see what he needs to do to complete the daily task list. Although it’s a bit of a challenge as a parent or guardian, the rewards are immeasurable. Use your computer to make the task easier and simply print out calendars month-to-month.
Making his bed will be another challenge for many mentally handicapped individuals. Aligning the tops of sheets and blankets with the top of the bed seems to be very challenging for many. Use a permanent marker – or even safety pins – to help the child learn how to arrange the sheet. For example, make dots at one end of the top sheet, and at the top end of the fitted sheet. Now show the child how to align the dots and he’ll make his bed perfectly every time. Be sure and place the dots on blankets and comforters as well.
Start a journal from the birth of your special needs child, or from the time you find he’s disabled. The journal should contain information that might be important to any care taker, such as medications, allergies, fears, likes and dislikes. The journal will make it much more simple to hand the child over to a babysitter for a day or even while you take a vacation from it all.
Use a pill dispenser to give your child his or her medications. Sort the pills into compartments once a week – or once a month – and the child can simply take the pills in the compartment for each day. For pills that are taken more than once per day, have a different colored pill holder for each time of day. Purchase the pill containers in all the same color then use colored tape to mark the afternoon or evening medications.
There’s lots of ways to help your special needs child to become a self-sufficient adult, if he has the capacity. All you have to do is help him along the way with some untraditional steps that are easy for him to learn and achieve. You’ll be glad you did when he’s able to take care of his own needs and perform certain tasks around the house.
