From the article: Promoting Social Interactions
Finding friends is something a lot of children with special needs can't do on their own. What do you do to promote social interaction or strengthen social skills? Share your strategies. Share your strategies
Social Interaction for special child
- Social interaction for the children is the need for parents and family members. When it comes for the children with special needs, social interaction is must and should be innovative or creative suiting to heir needs and interest. Follow some of the simple steps for an effective social interaction as: First accept and understand the imitations and special needs of the children; start removing the barriers and thus enhance their access or connectivity; allow them to participate in all the discussions and decisions connected with self and family; introduce the child to the visitors with dignity and register them in all the database; make them part of the community teams with equality and dignity; extend support for full participation with equal opportunities; never hide the child or blame for their limitations. These measures help the children with special needs to be part of the community as inclusion with EQUALITY.
- —Guest N LAKSHMI NARAYANA
Offering rides to help children
- We lived in an area where families don't have cars and we offered rides to events and participated in the events. This encouraged friendships for our dd when she was little and allowed children activities they would not otherwise attend. I was a scout leader and sunday school teacher and that at least gave me opportunity to keep a pretty watchful eye.
- —Guest Jodee Kulp
Social Interaction Ideas
- Since we live in a mostly elderly neighborhood, I have always had to seek out social interaction opportunities. When my son, who has PDD, was young, I would take him to places with public playground equipment--parks, fast food restaurants with playrooms, and school play areas. Over the years, we began to develop a group of families who were doing the same thing, and started to plan our own group activities with both typical and special needs kids together. It has really helped to model social behavior for our kiddos and promoted acceptance in the others. One of the typical children actually defended his friend who was "stimming" to a woman giving dirty looks by saying, "My mom says that staring is not polite!" We all got a laugh out of that one!!! We also seek out social groups in our ABOARD and Outdoor Venture, MOPS, as well as church events, and our planned picnics/barbeques with invited friends from school and the neighbor's grandkids.
- —Guest Momonamission
Alternative recess
- My youngest is allowed to stay in during afternoon recess (15 minutes) and invite 1-2 other kids to join him. The other kids practically beg to have a turn, and he is able to build friendships in a less-chaotic setting. He also avoids the noise and chaos of the transition before and after recess.
- —Guest NorwayMom
