A Proven Method To Build Learning Disabled Children's Self Esteem

Raising a special needs child can be an extremely difficult task. Raising a family is daunting enough with regular "run-of-the-mill" children, but when there is a child with disabilities and special needs who unwillingly upsets the delicate balance in the home the task is considerably more difficult.

Parents are faced with emotional challenges and practical challenges, like busy schedules, to which they must find suitable, workable solutions.

The major goal of parenting in general and parenting special needs children specifically is to guide children to be emotionally healthy and well-adjusted human beings so that they may become happy adults and can contribute to society. Therefore, the first job in raising learning disabled children is to build their self esteem.

The reason that this is so vital because healthy self esteem ensures continued improvement and growth in all other areas.

1. Spend time with the children. Good connection and rapport is the basis for all learning experiences.
2. Listen to what they have to say. About anything! Spending time with a special needs child when you do all the talking isn't too effective to build rapport. Let him talk about what interests him.
3. Encourage them. Parents of special needs kids need to constantly acknowledge to the child his difficulties and that they (the kids with special needs) should look at and remember all of their successes. Encourage them to continue working hard and constantly reassure them that they "will make it" in the end.
4. Help them in school. A child's self esteem is closely connected with his success in school. The more successful; the higher the self esteem. Therefore, it is worth the risk of teaching the learning disabled with new and different methods, step by step procedures, and educational aids to help him succeed. Be creative and ask professional educators for new ideas. Experimenting with various approaches and much patience will usually yield results.

The parents (including the special need's dad) should explain to a learning disabled child that in fact most people are learning disabled in some way.

How is that?

Make a list of all the skills you can think of, with which mankind has been endowed. You could include for example: music, painting, sculpture, drawing, calligraphy, swimming, running, jumping, horse-back riding, boxing, cuisine, ball games, sewing, typing, computer, and much more. Explain that it is virtually impossible to find a human being who is master of all the skills.Each human being has been blessed with different skills. A person acquires additional skills by taking special lessons. Much perseverance is required.

For example,

Paul, is an intelligent child, but he cannot catch a ball. Peters draws, but has no ear for music. Jean is tops at sports, but is weak at academic studies. John is a genius at the computer, but he failed to learn to swim. They all worked hard to try and succeed in the areas that were difficult for them.

We all learn and improve our skills even in those areas which are difficult for us with appropriate methods. Encourage your child that he too, will definitely improve and progress. He can deal with his learning challenges with the specific methods appropriate for his particular problem.

You will be amazed how much this explanation helps a special needs child to feel "like everyone else" and to understand what is "going on" with himself. Remember that the unknown is always frightening.

But the most important of all tips is simply to show him that you love him and believe in him. There is nothing in the world that motivates a child more than her parents love.

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