Bullying can target children who have learning and cognitive impairments. Because it is recurrent and frequently gets worse over time, bullying differs from teasing. It might involve verbal abuse, physical assault, threats, and exclusion.
How to avoid: Take initiative and be personable. Tell your child what bullying is, and let her know she can come to you (or a teacher) if she experiences it or witnesses it. Tell her it’s acceptable to leave if she feels unsafe or if speaking up to defend herself doesn’t work. Find out more about what to do if you believe a children on a playground is being bullied at school.
Being overly harsh with children
Sometimes, children with learning and thinking disabilities lack self-control and have difficulty filtering what they say. They might push or shove other children, rush about carelessly, or unintentionally disrespect someone. Additionally, it’s possible that they are using excessive force without realizing it.
Establish ground rules for physical aggressiveness so that your child is aware of the repercussions in advance. Encourage her to communicate with her body instead of her mouth. Communicate. Remind your youngster that pushing or being hit hurts: “Hitting other kids is not okay. Ask, “Can I have a turn, please?” if you wish to take a turn. ’”
Dealing With Success or Failure
Children who have problems controlling their emotions and their impulses may brag about winning and make other children feel awful about losing. Similarly, if they lose a game, they could become quite agitated and claim that someone else cheated. (Read advice from a specialist on how to help impulsive youngsters deal with losing.)
How to assist: Make it clear that if your child hurts the feelings of other children, they won’t want to play with her again. Remind your child that playground games are only games and that it’s acceptable to feel good about winning as long as you don’t make other people feel awful in the process. Teach expressions like “Good game!” that demonstrate good sportsmanship.
Inability to Handle the Equipment
Using playground equipment can be challenging for children playing in the playground with motor skill problems like dyspraxia. You need to be able to coordinate numerous body motions in order to climb ladders, use monkey bars, swing, and even slide.
How to aid: When the playground is open, exercise. When other kids aren’t around, your child can feel less self-conscious. You can assist her with breaking down the processes and practising the activities she enjoys the most. You can also give these enjoyable exercises a shot to help your kid’s gross motor abilities.
Making No Turns or Following Instructions
Children must cooperate, take turns, and share on the playground. For children with learning and thinking disabilities, this can be challenging whether they are participating in a structured activity or waiting their time. This is due to the fact that having problems paying attention, interpreting social signs, and processing information can occur.
How to aid: demonstrate sharing and taking turns. Make sure your youngster is comfortable with phrases like “my turn,” “your turn,” and even “listen to me” Assure your youngster that it is acceptable to seek clarification and a breakdown of regulations from a classmate or teacher. Look into additional strategies to aid your child in interpreting social signs.
Refusing to Play With Other Children
Social skills are used on the playground. This includes participating in talks, taking turns, and sharing. Your child might not know how to strike up a conversation or how to invite someone to play a game. She might not comprehend when other children ask her to play. It may be difficult to make friends because of this.
How to assist: Your child should practice speaking to other children. “My name is Tiffany. Tell me your name. and “Would you like to join me on the monkey bars?” Additionally, you can assist your kid in determining whether it’s OK to join a big playground game without explicitly asking. Learn more guidance on how to assist your kid in blending in and interacting with others.
Risk-Taking with Children Playing in the Playground Equipment
Children playing in the playground who struggle with learning and thinking differences may have problems controlling their impulses and behave without thinking first. Furthermore, children that struggle with sensory processing may not experience pain as severely as other children. This may lead to unsafe activity like excessively high jumps, harsh swings, or roughhousing with other children. (Learn more about how sensory problems might affect a person’s motor skills.)
How to aid: Share with your youngster the importance of taking a breath and deliberating before acting. Visit playgrounds with sand, wood chips, or artificial grass to reduce the danger of injury from falls, and make sure your child is supervised while you do so.
