436 chapter 47
Helping a disabled child learn to do new things
There are many ways that children can help a baby or young child with a special
problem to learn to do new things. Here are some ideas:
• Make it fun! If exercises can be turned into games, the
child will learn faster and everyone will enjoy it more.
• Self-help. Help the disabled child only as
much as he needs. Encourage him to do as
much as he can for himself and by himself.
• Little by little. Remember, some things
are especially difficult for the disabled child.
Encourage her to do a little more than she
already does—and then a little more. If you
have her try to do too much, she may get
discouraged and stop trying.
• Show you care. Show the child how glad
you are when he learns to do new things. Praise
him when he does well—and when he tries.
• Mind and body. Play often with the child, in
ways that help her develop not only her
body but also her mind. Talk with her and
tell her stories Become her friend.
A simple bar held by forked
slicks can increase the self-
reliance of a child who has
difficulty squatting to shit.
AN EXAMPLE: Pablo is having trouble learning to crawl. Using the above suggestions,
how can we help him? Perhaps his older brothers and sisters, or other children, can
play ‘crawling games’ with him.
Two children can hold up part
of his weight as he tries to crawl.
Another child encourages him
to crawl by holding out a fruit or
toy. Call him to crawl toward the
fruit. Praise him when he tries.
Play the game every day. As Pablo
grows stronger, less of his weight
will need to be held up. In time he
may be able to crawl without help.
Note: Many more ideas of ways children can help a
child who is slow to develop can be found in PART
1 of this book, especially Chapters 34 and 35.
Story telling
Children in Mexico playing
a ‘crawling game’.
Story telling is another good way to help young people understand the needs
and possibilities of disabled children and what can be done to help. You can make
up stories. Or better, you can base them on true events where a disabled child has
achieved something outstanding, or where a group of children have succeeded in
making an important difference in the life of a disabled child. The story that follows is
an example.
Disabled village Children