10 Suggestions for Working with Children with
Disabilities
Work from the child's interests.
Be very emotionally expressive, animated and
playful.
Be willing to make a fool of yourself in the
name of fun.
Give a lot of praise and attention to the
child's success (e.g., You did it!! Super job!), and make your reactions
to failure neutral and supportive (e.g., Oops, try again, you can do
it.).
Break tasks down into small steps.
Expect variability in the child's performance, but
look for a general trend of improvement.
Help the child to be as self-sufficient as possible.
Resist the temptation to jump in immediately
with assistance.
Provide the support necessary for the child to
succeed.
Don't be too discouraged when things fall apart, but
learn from the experience. You will always be learning about your own limits
and those of the child. Try to understand why things fell apart.
Make allowances for unusual circumstances such as
illness, bad days, or stressful transition periods and provide emotional
support accordingly.
Pick a time period when you can fully focus on the
child.
Don't be afraid to set reasonable limits.
Activities that can be dangerous for the child or for anyone else are not
okay.
Collaborate with the family. Parents can
provide a wealth of useful information and assistance.