Dealing with mentally handicapped children

[jnpnshr411]

". He has control of himself" - kind of contradicts that he's mentally impaired

[Fairfax_Uechi]

like everyone else said treat him like anyone else. If he disrupts then punish him. After doing some knuckle push ups he will get the message. And you have to speak loudly to get his attention.

Are you serious? If the child truely has a mental health issue than this is actually a terrible attitude. I agree with what others have said, I'd personally start with talking to his folks, and working with them to have a plan on how to handle him. If this doesn't work, then you take additional steps.

And what does volume have to do with anything? I didn't hear that he was deaf, only that he had a mental illness and wasn't behaving. Being loud doesn't always work, and can actually be a horrible thing for a child. The opposite MIGHT be better. Talk to him like any other child. Just adjust to his mental level as needed.

[jnpnshr411]

fairfax,

I think that if he should be treated like anyone else. If another student disrupts the class constantly he is punished. If this student does the same he will recieve the same. I dont mean give the kid 1000 push -ups but a few push ups wont hurt him and will make him get the message. And oftentimes students with mental disabilities tend to go into their own little world. there is a yellow belt with this disability in my dojo. I found that most students I can speak softly and they will pay attention and then he will start looking around and picking his nose. When I bring them up and speak in a louder tone he tends to watch more frequently and pay attention. Maybe it was unclear but I dont mean single the student out and scream at him, I would not do something like that.

[White Warlock]

I've worked with mentally challenged students before (yeah yeah, throwing out my credentials as some form of obtainment of credibility... sorry guys). They cannot be treated just like anyone else. The ongoing politically correct statement is they are 'special.' This also indicates how you should treat them... as special.

First off, there are two parts to this. One is, he's mentally challenged. The other is, he has behaviorial problems. These in combination make him difficult to work with. While you cannot dismiss what it is you are attempting to teach, you also must realize he will not learn as readily as you would hope. The fundamentals may be grasped, but the reason behind them, the spirit... will likely escape his grasp. This, combined with his behavioral issues means you will likely have to consider finding alternative means to 'encourage' him.

Having him sit-it-out 'can' work, but it can also make him feel out of place. It's important to ensure no other students laugh at him and that they don't pester him, for these things will drive the child to become even more of a behavioral problem.

There's no cookie-cutout for how to handle 'special' kids, but here are my recommendations:

Special

He is mentally challenged, so what you say may not be comprehended in the manner you wish it to be. Special kids do need special attention, which means you may have to spend a little more time accommodating him, so he 'feels' special. Impression, to special kids, is more important than actual content. They want to feel loved and wanted, and are thus quickly turned off by segregating actions or special mistreatment. A little limelight on occasion can do wonders to his interest level and his respect for you as the teacher.

Behavioral

When he complains, it is important to hear him. That does not mean to 'react' to what he says, but it is important that you hear what he says, so that you have a good idea of what it is that turns him off, or that disencourages him. Behavioral issues with special kids are far more basic and uncomplicated. They tend to act negatively to pain and positively to pleasure with far more 'obvious' presentation than other kids. If you react to this positive or negative outcry, they may be inclined to go to excess. So, you have a difficult job of curbing thier disinterest, whilst also curbing their enthusiasm. I.e., if you're able to get him excited, it may be a hard job to get him to calm down, so don't 'rush' the process of getting him out of his negative attitude.

Enthusiasm is curbed by pain, so if he says something hurts, there are two simple routes you can take. One is to have him not perform the action that hurts. The other is to make the 'hurt' part of the challenge. Something as simple as, "does it hurt? good! Let's do it again!" I know this sounds wierd, but if you try it, you'll see that a little 'switch' occurs, and he suddenly will become intrigued. Granted, this second approach doesn't happen with all special kids, but it does work with many, and it's was my preferred approach. Why? Because it was self-governing. I.e., they could be taught to be enthused by the negative, but at the same time the negative curbed their enthusiasm.

A simple example of this is to give a high-five when they succeed in doing 20 pushups, or something similar. Again, a combination of enthusiasm associated with a negative AND recognition, attention, friendship. Also, because the child is special, it is not likely that the other kids will gain a degree of jealousy. If, however, one or more do, than it is important to resolve this by showing them that the special kid has feelings too.

This last part is about teaching kids in general, but with a special emphasis on special kids:

Teaching material is always the nature of the beginning and intermediate teachers. You teach the techniques, the math, the history, whatever. You provide the information and expect the students to study. If they don't perform, you give them low grades or don't promote them. If they do perform, you give them good grades or promote them. The link to the children is superficial, in that the goal here of the teacher is to be the content provider, and the goal of the student is to be the content receiver. There is no actual recognition of kids as anything other than recipients of knowledge...

This approach needs to be abandoned. While it is important to have a clear understanding of what it is you intend to teach, and how you intend on teaching it, the greatest success is in connecting with each and every child. Treat each and every child as if he were a student of the martial arts, not merely a student. He/she is a comrade in the study of an artform that you revere, and while he/she may not have reached a point of enthusiasm as high as yours, that does not mean they cannot one day obtain such enthusiasm.

Don't think of them as students, or even names, but as nephews and nieces, daughters and sons. Look at them as something special. While they are in your class, they are your relatives, for they share a common interest... or they 'can' share the common interest.

The special child is also your nephew, or son. He is a special case, because he requires special care, but he is a person who has feelings and who wants to belong, just like you did... like you do. Have all the children feel like the school is their second home. You get this to happen by allowing them to take responsibility for things on occasion, by giving them special attention... all of them. One day Joey, the next day Samantha. Call them by their first names and let them call you by your first name... except, of course, during drills.

Always make a clear distinction of when it is time to focus on studies, and when it is okay to be buddies. Making these clear distinctions will also help significantly with the special child. He, at first, may find this 'separation' somewhat disorienting, but he will adjust rather quickly, and consider it part of the game... part of the fun. Before class starts, you are John. When class begins, you are sensei. When class ends, you are John again.

By making title distinction, you'll instill in the special child, and in the other children, a sort of on/off switch to behaviors. They'll know when to behave like they do at home, and when to behave like a student in class.... and they'll respect you for it.

Hope this helps

[ShotokanKid]

I'm not sure what he has, it's a lot like ADD.

[trustkid1]

Patience and more patience.

[White Warlock]

I'm not sure what he has, it's a lot like ADD.

Well, it would probably be a good idea to find out exactly what he does have. As a teacher, or assistant instructor, you 'need' this information in order to properly instruct.

[Fairfax_Uechi]

fairfax,

I think that if he should be treated like anyone else. If another student disrupts the class constantly he is punished. If this student does the same he will recieve the same. I dont mean give the kid 1000 push -ups but a few push ups wont hurt him and will make him get the message. And oftentimes students with mental disabilities tend to go into their own little world. there is a yellow belt with this disability in my dojo. I found that most students I can speak softly and they will pay attention and then he will start looking around and picking his nose. When I bring them up and speak in a louder tone he tends to watch more frequently and pay attention. Maybe it was unclear but I dont mean single the student out and scream at him, I would not do something like that.

Well that sounds a little more resonable! You're other post just sounded extreme. Either I don't know you very well yet, or missed the jest. In any case, I really think each case is different and you need to do what is right. But I agree in that you should try to keep everyone as equal as possible especially in discipline issues.

[Menjo]

do what you'd do with other students. If you need to make him do a few pushups, do some running, do something. You can't just let things go on that disturb the class. If it is beyond everyone's control, talk to your sensei about talking to his parents. Karate can be good for people who are mentally handicapped or who have ADD, or other assorted disorders, but if he continually disturbs the class which disallows others from having their full time to practice that's not fair to them. Unfortunately, you may have to consider not having him in the class.

I agree 100 percent, if things just simply cant work out then maybe thats the only answer...

[sdargie]

White Warlock, that was an outstanding synopsis of teaching pedagogy and child behaviour. Thank you for your words.