How to Teach Life Skills to Emotionally Disturbed Children

Teach with patience and understanding.

Children who suffer from emotional disturbances struggle to learn what comes easily for most children. After the clinical diagnosis of a mental disorder, these children need extra help and guidance in order to develop the life skills necessary to survive and thrive in the adult world. With a few techniques and a lot of patience, they can learn to live on their own and be productive members of society.

Instructions

1. Consider the child’s mental disability when developing an educational plan. A severely autistic child’s needs are different from a child who suffers from depression or schizophrenia.

2. Encourage the correct use of prescription medications to assist the child in controlling his emotional behavior and promoting a sense of well-being. No one learns effectively when he or she is distraught and anxious.

3. Work on helping the child place importance on the skills necessary to function in society. Young children with emotional disturbances can learn basic personal health and hygiene practices. With these children, a show-don’t-tell approach works well. Demonstrate the correct use of everyday personal care supplies, such as toothbrushes, shampoo, deodorant, and dish soap.

4. Help emotionally disturbed children build lasting friendships and quality relationships. Unfortunately, these children are targets for unscrupulous individuals and the child, happy to have a friend, may choose poorly. Instill “red flag” mental markers that allow the child to retreat from an unhealthy relationship. Such markers might include a person asking for money or asking for physical favors that make the child uncomfortable.

5. Develop home skills in an emotionally disturbed child by practicing safety measures. Cooking and cleaning tasks should be shared often. By introducing routines in the child’s life that include safe cooking skills, followed by kitchen cleaning, you instill habits that will last a lifetime.

6. Stress the importance of performing a job to the best of the child’s ability in order for him to find and keep employment as an adult. Listening to those in positions of authority and carrying out one’s assigned tasks ensures the child will function as a contributing member of society.

7. Visit local lending institutions and help the child set up a checking and savings account to instill the importance of managing one’s finances. Introduce the child to a local banker that he can contact later for advice on loans.

8. Teach the child to shop and purchase healthy food and appropriate clothing items. By shopping with the child and explaining each step, he will learn to go through the process by himself. Discuss wise food choices and compare prices. As he progresses, allow him to make decisions and discuss the merit of each.

9. Be patient. An emotionally disturbed child needs to learn at his own pace. If you become agitated, he will react negatively. Understand that it might take months of repetitions just to instill one simple concept but in the long run, it will be invaluable in the child’s life.

Tips & Warnings

• Take some time for yourself when you're teaching an emotionally disturbed child. Although your job is very important, it may also be stressful. Arrange for frequent breaks and time off occasionally to maintain a positive outlook.

• Don't pressure a disturbed child into a corner. Make sure you give him choices as you teach him good skills.