Describe some of the characteristics of Mental Retardation that might affect a student's social interaction.

Question

Give some strategies that you can use to effectively improve this area for a student.

Answer 1

Students who are mentally retarded are usually functioning at a level less than their chronological age in all areas, including in social skills. (There are always exceptions, and some kids with low IQs have great social skills and are the life of the party. But that's not common.) So a mentally retarded student will tend to behave in ways that his/her age group peers view as immature. Their communication may be difficult for others to understand. They often have trouble with physical boundaries - standing too close, wanting to hug people they barely know, etc. The thing that most often really "turns off" others to social interaction is if the student does things that other kids consider "gross" - nasal hygiene is probably #1.

Social stories are one way of addressing some of these issues. Carol Gray is the originator of Social Stories, and you can find a lot of information on-line. Social stories essentially are a personalized story talking about the target area. They may be illustrated with photos, too. An example might be, "When I play on the playground, I smile and say "Hi" to my friends. I wait for my turn on the slide. I keep my hands to myself. It's fun to play with my friends."

At my school, I find that there are always general ed kids who want to befriend my special ed students. And that's a wonderful opportunity, because kids learn so much from other kids! Without violating confidentiality, I am always ready to answer questions of the general ed kids, because ignorance and fear are often the cause of rejection. For example, I have had students who are fed through gastrostomy tubes, and I take the time to explain to the other kids that most of us eat by chewing and swallowing, but "Sally" can't do that, so she eats by having liquid food go through a tube that goes directly into her tummy. It's no big deal, it doesn't hurt, and that's just the way that she needs to eat. After awhile, I hear the kids explaining it to other kids, and then they stop thinking of it as weird - "it's just the way Sally eats."

I do talk to the general ed kids about the ways that they can help their special friends learn how to be a good friend. If my students push them, the general ed kids learn to say firmly, "No, John, there's no pushing. Wait for your turn." And then they cheerfully say, "Good job waiting, John! Now it's your turn! Wow - that was great! Want to do it again?" And my assistants and I are watchful, so we can step in and correct behavior as soon as it is needed.

Another strategy we use is a quick "rehearsal" before we go to a potentially stressful situation. Sometimes it's a quick review of the rules: "What will you do if your nose is runny? Do you have a Kleenex in your pocket?" "What do you do in Ms. So-and-so's music class if you have a question?" Sometimes we practice - "Show me the face you will use when you talk to kids on the playground." (This was for a child who tended to scare other kids away by scowling at them.)

Social skills are like any other learned behavior. They need practice and repetition, and they are best taught in their natural environment. The adults need to stay back and let the kids work things out, but they need to be observant so that they can step in when needed, to offer suggestions and support.

Answer 2

Some characteristics would include being a "space invader" and not understanding how to take "no" for an answer.

There is a WONDERFUL book out there called The Social Skills Picture Book by Jed Baker. It shows in pictures and words step by step processes for kids to follow to master some of the most important social skills. You can get it on Amazon or Ebay. I have used it with my own child with great success.

Good Luck!

Answer 3

Another problem people with MR often have in social interaction is they are too trusting. This can get many of them into trouble with teachers, authority or the law because they will follow along with what peers tell them to do not realizing it is wrong or to try to fit in and be more accepted.

Answer 4

Persons with MR usually have a limited vocab, so please use simple languages and instructions. They process information slightly different from us, and they take words at the literary context, they do not try to guess your intentions but only take the meaning of the words being said.

Limit one instruction, or one skill to be taught in one sentence.
Use positive reinforcement, e.g. let's do it this way, follow me, show me, let's do this together.
Do not use negative reinforcement e.g. Don't do this, Don't do that, cos you are not giving him or her another option or suggestion.
Persons with MR works better with encouragement than scolding. Do ask them to try again if they can't do it right the first time, or tell them it was a good try, and let's try harder.
Learning through play is also another way that works well, using card or picture games to learn simple math, recognising words etc.

Well, it is also a challenge for you to know yourself better, how creative you can be, and also how patient are you.... Cheers!

Answer 5

make the kid cheerful---love him/her a lot
put in some time---as much as you can
don't ever think that, because you are smarter than the kid, that you are in any way better. You are not.
Get outside help when you need it.
Good luck and God bless you and yours.