Know About Some Children With Special Needs

Looking after children with special needs can be difficult even for the most experienced babysitters. It would be good to understand about 2 most common special needs children namely, autism and Down syndrome

Autism: 

It is a developmental disorder where a child has difficulty in communicating and interacting with others; he/she also has difficulty in understanding subtle directions and requests and may get overwhelmed in busy and noisy environments and when touched. Each kid with autism is different and only their parents can guide you regarding what they enjoy.

You need to know some things:

• Kids with autism like structure, so it is best to follow the child’s routine especially at bedtime and mealtimes.

• These children have their own favorite toys; you could mimic their play initially to then get his attention to join.

• You could encourage these children to cooperate with you by offering special toys.

• It is a part of the disorder if a child decides to play alone and not with you.

• Maintain a calm environment and avoid bringing in friends and other people the child may not know. Also avoid gatherings in the neighborhood.

• Be slow as far as physical contact like affection, hug or a light tickle goes; it could set off a child with autism.

• Consult the parents of such children regarding how to deal when the child is upset or agitated. Make sure the child is safe and close to you; distract the child with a favorite toy or favorite stuffed animal or sitting in a rocking chair or swinging on the backyard swing set.

Down syndrome:

It refers to a condition where extra genetic material causes delays both mentally and physically in the way a child develops; though they may play with the same type of toys as children of their age, their skills are behind and you have to adapt to play at their level of understanding.

You need to know some things: 

• Know what the child with this syndrome love to play; most babies love to play with brightly colored toys and toys that make noise, toddlers may like to play pretend and work on building blocks, while school going children may like playing games, crafting and playing outside.

• These children have a lower muscle tone that makes it difficult for them to move quickly and maintain coordination. These kids are still strong and physical and playing outside provides them a good way to exercise their muscles.

• These babies have weak neck muscles that make it essential to support their necks carefully while holding them.

• They experience difficulty in picking up small objects; be patient as the child tries again.

• Keep rules and directions simple as children with this syndrome find it difficult to follow directions. 

• You have to help and encourage this child to learn new things; it would help while stacking blocks to hold the blocks on the bottom, while he/she adds more to the top.

• Children with this syndrome might have trouble speaking; know from their parents whether he/she uses pictures or sign language to communicate. These kids need careful listening.

• To keep consistent and deal with difficulties, it would help to ask parents about family rules and stick to it.

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