How To Help Your Mentally Retarded Child To Lead A Normal Life.

Most parents look down upon a child who is mentally retarded and think them to be a burden and also end up making comparisons with their normal children. However there is nothing to feel ashamed about a mentally retarded child or think that God has been unfair to us. Given that you have a mentally retarded child, there are still various ways by which we can recognize this disability and do our best to give a normal life to such a child.

Mental retardation is not a curse and much can be done if it is realized in the initial stages of life. The first signs of mental retardation is that such children are slow in their growth and development, may be slow at learning, slow in reacting and may behave more childish than their peers. In addition they may be slow in following instructions and may be unable to even make simple decisions of life. Besides they may be slow in learning normal skills of living like dressing themselves up, feeding themselves, grooming themselves and at times in also using the toilet.

Yes, you are right many young children who are mentally retarded, can be given timely help and assistance to grow into normal children if their disability is found and nipped soon in the bud. Do not neglect your mentally retarded child but help him/her to develop all the skills of life. Mentally retarded children can be given stimulation and therapy. Such children can be taught to walk, talk and do things normally. Some children may be encouraged to be taught swimming and horse riding to develop a sense of concentration. Other children may be encouraged to learn music, dancing and drama. Some of these children may not be able to excel in mathematics or science but can make good artists.

A loving home atmosphere can help most of these children to feel encouraged and motivated to make improvements in themselves. It is best to find out from your child’s teacher and therapist, what they are teaching your child, so that you could encourage your mentally retarded child to do such things at home. Like when a child is being taught addition and subtraction in school, you as a mother could take your mentally retarded child to the super-bazaar and help him calculate and count the money for you. Similarly, you could probably tell your child to give each of the family members a fruit after dinner and ask him/her to calculate how many fruits are left and tally it too.  

Yes, it is very important for you to teach your mentally retarded child the basic skills of life like dressing himself/herself up, using the toilet properly, taking a bath, grooming himself/herself up than to teach him/her science or mathematics. These skills would be very useful for your mentally retarded child in life. Besides, make it a rule to praise your mentally retarded child when he performs well. Also, do look for positive aspects in such a child to praise so that he/she feels motivated to improve himself/herself. .

In addition, be a good communicator with your mentally retarded child. Besides talking to your child, be ready to be a good listener and listen to what he/she feels like telling you. Also be ready to listen to the problems they face and be ever ready to help them to your maximum capacity. Being a good communicator with a fine art of listening makes them feel wanted and loved. Mentally retarded children do crave for attention and want to be understood.

Besides, allot your mentally retarded child daily chores like keeping his room neat and tidy, keeping his clothes neatly in his cupboard, dressing himself well before he comes down for dinner and so on. Let the chores you allot to him/her match the age of the child. Praise such children for all tasks well done.

Yes, your mentally retarded child should never be a disgrace for you. Never neglect your mentally retarded child, but help him take part in the society he/she lives in. Do encourage such a child to participate in social and recreational activities in your community.  To conclude, all children are God’s creations, normal or abnormal and it is purely in parent’s hands to change their perception and attitude and change a mentally retarded child into a normal and useful person in his/her own right.