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| Knowing, Grooming and Helping the Child to Achieve |
As a child, could you imagine not being able to play on the Monkey bar or Swings or Roller coaster?. Or not being able to be part of the gym class because you were not good enough? Or your mother or father being over protective of you because you may get hurt or lost or not be able to take care of yourself although you are a teenager ? These are just a few issues for children with physical disabilities.
Many causes and conditions can impair mobility and movement. People with mobility and movement impairments may find it difficult to
participate when facing social and physical barriers. Quite often there
are individuals of courage and independence who have a desire to
contribute to the fullest level of their ability. However, the crucial role of the parents in making the child emotionally strong and subsequently financially independent can never be under estimated. Depending upon the innate intelligence potential of the child, despite the disabilities, by knowing and grooming the child, significant heights of success and happiness could be achieved.
Whilst every child is unique, there are certain guidelines that most parents ought to consider.
Our experience of working with parents of normal and disabled children have helped us list down these tips for parents.
1. Believe in the innate intelligence potential of the child. Even if the child may have a physical / learning disability the child would certainly have an inborn strength which needs to be nurtured for growth.
2. Be an advocate of your child. Be a good listener. Encourage, provide improvement guidelines, channelise all opportunities for the child to learn, get exposed to new ideas or activities
3. Keep things in perspective. Any disability isn’t insurmountable.Remind yourself that everyone faces obstacles. Do not permit the school tests, bureaucracy, and endless paperwork distract
you from what’s really important—giving your child plenty of emotional
and moral support
4. Remember that your influence outweighs all others. Your
child will follow your lead. Focus your energy on learning what works for
your child and implementing it the best you can. If you approach learning challenges with
optimism, hard work, and a sense of humor, your child is likely to
embrace your perspective
5. Identify how your child learns best. Is the child a visual learner ? or auditory ? or kinesthetic ?
6. Think of success in life rather than in school only;
Self-awareness, self-confidence, being proactive, perseverance in the face of challenges, ability to develop and nurture relationships are some of the important attributes that a parent of a learning disability child could work upon the child
In case of children with any form of disability, it becomes imperative that the parents put in effort to make the child financially independent as an adult. Knowing the child, grooming the child and making him or her ready for achieving success becomes therefore important.
This is our motto and underlying intent in Parental and child counseling.
