340 chapter 38
3. Reward and praise success
In toilet training—as in any form of education—it
works better to reward success than to punish
failure. When the child shits or pees where she
should, give her praise, hugs, kisses and other signs
of approval. However, make sure that the child
knows you are pleased with her, not because she
shits and pees, but because she is staying dry or
clean. When training, check the child often to see
if she is ‘dry’ or ‘clean’. When she is, praise her.
Also, teach her to check herself.
When the child has ‘an accident’ and wets or
dirties herself do not punish or scold her. It is
better to quietly clean up the mess or change
her. At most, say something friendly (but not
approving) like, “Too bad!—Better luck next
time!”
DO NOT GIVE
FOOD AS A
REWARD TO
CHILDREN
WHO ARE FAT
CAUTION: As a general rule, do not offer a child candy,
sweets or other food as a reward for doing something
right. This can lead the child to associate food with love
or approval—and therefore to make constant demands for
sweets. Avoiding food rewards is especially important for
children whose disability makes them less active, so that
they easily get fat. Extra weight makes moving around harder
for both child and parents. So ... DO NOT LET DISABLED
CHILDREN GET OVERWEIGHT.
For children who are thin and active, it may make sense to
sometimes give foods as rewards. But be sure to include
healthful foods like nuts and fruits—not just sweets.
4. G uide the child’s movements with
your hands
When the child has difficulty carrying out a physical
task—for example, lowering his pants—do not do it for
him (if it is something he can learn to do for himself).
And do not tell him his mistakes or how to correct
them. Instead, gently guide his hands with yours so that
he learns how to do it himself.
Disabled village Children
guiding the
child’s hands