How to Help a Blind or Visually Impaired Child Socialize
Establish the importance of social skills., Set appropriate goals., Encourage conversation skills., Build their vocabulary., Emphasize taking turns., Encourage them to make friends., Build a support system.
Step-by-Step Guide
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Step 1: Establish the importance of social skills.
Building social skills in encourages positive healthy development.
Bonding with siblings, parents, and family members provides a social safety net for the child.
Connecting with peers increases self-esteem, self-worth, confidence and independence.
Our social skills are also known as soft skills.
Soft skills are needed while children interact with peer groups, teachers, and counselors at school, and with future employers as an adult.
By teaching children these skills, you encourage positive growth and future success. -
Step 2: Set appropriate goals.
Before helping a child socialize, you must first identify goals and expectations.
Establish what it means to both you and the child to have good social skills.
This will help you understand what the child feels they need and expect in addition to your social standards.
A child who exhibits an extroverted personality may thrive more on social stimulation, and actively seek out a connection with others.
A child who is more introverted and may need more encouragement to connect with others, and more alone time to recharge.
Get to know the child's personality and what they feel comfortable with, and provide unconditional support.
Never force a child to do something they don’t feel comfortable with.
Those who are blind or visually impaired may sometimes feel that they are not as competent as their sighted peers.
Be an advocate for them, and let them know that being visually impaired does not have to stop them from forming meaningful connections with others. , Children who are blind often struggle to maintain conversations.
A visually impaired child may have difficulty interpreting non-verbalized cues, and may feel reluctant to express their feelings or needs.
They may need help learning how to engage in skills like carrying on a sustained conversation and staying engaged with another person.
These are teachable skills, so work on them with your child.Practice taking turns speaking, asking questions, and being interested in what the other person is saying or doing.
If your child needs prompting, say, “I asked what you were doing, do you want to ask what I’m doing?” , Blind children rely on words much more than other children do to express themselves.
Help them express their thoughts, needs, and emotions by giving them the language to express themselves.
Model how to express feelings by doing so yourself.
For example, you can say, “I’m feeling frustrated because I cannot open this box.”Label their feelings for them and help them gain the knowledge and vocabulary of how to state their thoughts and feelings.
For example, you can say, “You seem sad that you can’t go to school today because you’re sick.” , Both in games and interactions, taking turns is an important skill that children learn.
Teach your child to take turns with other children.
Start with games so that they know that everyone gets a turn.
Then, extend this to conversations.
Tell them that it is impolite to only ask questions or only focus the conversation on themselves.Your child must learn when it is appropriate to comment or ask a question and when it is appropriate to listen.
If your child often interrupts, say, “Please don’t interrupt me.
Wait until I’m finished and then you can talk.” , Push your child to make friends on their own without your help.
Allow them to go to the park and play with other kids.
Tell them to introduce themselves and then invite the children to play.
Have your child invite another child over to play.
Allow your child to initiate social interactions so that they can practice and make friends.Invite children to come over to your house.
This way, your child will be in a familiar environment and play with children comfortably.
If an interaction goes poorly, talk about it with your child and brainstorm ways to improve for next time. , Talk to other parents of visually impaired children.
They can be a great source of information and support on what it’s like to have a blind child.
Your children can also become playmates.
Ask questions about what it was like while their child made friends and how they overcame challenges.Other parents can help you navigate problems, find resources, and give advice.
Connect with a local group or find a support group online. -
Step 3: Encourage conversation skills.
-
Step 4: Build their vocabulary.
-
Step 5: Emphasize taking turns.
-
Step 6: Encourage them to make friends.
-
Step 7: Build a support system.
Detailed Guide
Building social skills in encourages positive healthy development.
Bonding with siblings, parents, and family members provides a social safety net for the child.
Connecting with peers increases self-esteem, self-worth, confidence and independence.
Our social skills are also known as soft skills.
Soft skills are needed while children interact with peer groups, teachers, and counselors at school, and with future employers as an adult.
By teaching children these skills, you encourage positive growth and future success.
Before helping a child socialize, you must first identify goals and expectations.
Establish what it means to both you and the child to have good social skills.
This will help you understand what the child feels they need and expect in addition to your social standards.
A child who exhibits an extroverted personality may thrive more on social stimulation, and actively seek out a connection with others.
A child who is more introverted and may need more encouragement to connect with others, and more alone time to recharge.
Get to know the child's personality and what they feel comfortable with, and provide unconditional support.
Never force a child to do something they don’t feel comfortable with.
Those who are blind or visually impaired may sometimes feel that they are not as competent as their sighted peers.
Be an advocate for them, and let them know that being visually impaired does not have to stop them from forming meaningful connections with others. , Children who are blind often struggle to maintain conversations.
A visually impaired child may have difficulty interpreting non-verbalized cues, and may feel reluctant to express their feelings or needs.
They may need help learning how to engage in skills like carrying on a sustained conversation and staying engaged with another person.
These are teachable skills, so work on them with your child.Practice taking turns speaking, asking questions, and being interested in what the other person is saying or doing.
If your child needs prompting, say, “I asked what you were doing, do you want to ask what I’m doing?” , Blind children rely on words much more than other children do to express themselves.
Help them express their thoughts, needs, and emotions by giving them the language to express themselves.
Model how to express feelings by doing so yourself.
For example, you can say, “I’m feeling frustrated because I cannot open this box.”Label their feelings for them and help them gain the knowledge and vocabulary of how to state their thoughts and feelings.
For example, you can say, “You seem sad that you can’t go to school today because you’re sick.” , Both in games and interactions, taking turns is an important skill that children learn.
Teach your child to take turns with other children.
Start with games so that they know that everyone gets a turn.
Then, extend this to conversations.
Tell them that it is impolite to only ask questions or only focus the conversation on themselves.Your child must learn when it is appropriate to comment or ask a question and when it is appropriate to listen.
If your child often interrupts, say, “Please don’t interrupt me.
Wait until I’m finished and then you can talk.” , Push your child to make friends on their own without your help.
Allow them to go to the park and play with other kids.
Tell them to introduce themselves and then invite the children to play.
Have your child invite another child over to play.
Allow your child to initiate social interactions so that they can practice and make friends.Invite children to come over to your house.
This way, your child will be in a familiar environment and play with children comfortably.
If an interaction goes poorly, talk about it with your child and brainstorm ways to improve for next time. , Talk to other parents of visually impaired children.
They can be a great source of information and support on what it’s like to have a blind child.
Your children can also become playmates.
Ask questions about what it was like while their child made friends and how they overcame challenges.Other parents can help you navigate problems, find resources, and give advice.
Connect with a local group or find a support group online.
About the Author
Jennifer Wells
Creates helpful guides on hobbies to inspire and educate readers.
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