Friday 28 August 2015

Proper Communication For Adult With Intellectual Disabilities

By Daphne Bowen


The physical aspect of your body is not the only aspect that gets to experience conditions and illnesses. This can also be observed in your mental state. The only difference is at times, you cannot see it and there are no physical manifestations of this sickness. But sooner or later, you might be able to observe changes in the physicality of a person because of a mental condition.

Different effects could be seen depending on the condition a person is experiencing. But usually, you can expect a change in their actions and behavior when they are undergoing these things. Adults with intellectual disabilities must go through different types of therapy and treatments on top of their medication. But one thing that you can do to support them is to always treat them the right way.

Certain causes have been the reason for this to happen to people. At times, this can already be present at birth. There are also other times when this is caused by accidents and as an after effect of diseases that has plagued you before. When your head is the most affected part, this could be one effect to expect.

If you are someone in charge of treating them or you have direct connection to them, communicating the right way is the best chance for you both to understand each other. You must know that they can be quite sensitive when it comes to how people see them. And since they are already adults, you can also see that they will be more aware of their surroundings and how people treat them.

It is a wrong thing to baby talk with them. Since they are already adults, it would be right. And you might not know it, but they are already aware of things. This might easily become the reason they get offended with you. Talk to them like you would with other adults but keep it slow paced and direct. Simple messages should get through easily.

Most of these people are in medical facilities all the time. This means that they do not get out that often and they have no idea what words other people are using on the outside already. Because of this, it is not advised to speak to them using unfamiliar words. This will only confuse the both of you and make it difficult for them to understand.

As someone who converses with them, it is also necessary that you listen and understand what they are saying. Some of those with disabilities have difficulty in speaking or do not communicate that well at all. But when they do other things that usually involves their skills, they could perfectly do it.

Others might feel the need to shout in order for them to be understood and this is what usually happens for some. But you should not do this when it comes to people that have disabilities since this agitates or upsets them. It does not make it easy for the both of you to talk freely.

These are just some of the things you must remember when talking to them. This does not only apply to medical practitioners but to individuals who have direct relations with someone suffering from mental disabilities. It is best to learn and remember this before talking with them.




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