Learn. Live. Lead.

Learning Therapy or Educational Therapy is one of those major therapies that address the basic problem i.e. the communication problem. If a kid can communicate well, chances are that other problems can be treated easily. He is able to communicate about his problems, his anxieties. Where there’s less communication gap, it becomes easier to resolve something.

Educational therapy deals with the core skills that influence academics. These skills include visual and auditory processing, attention, and focusing as well as memory skills. Each student is different and has unique strengths and weaknesses. Educational therapists understand the challenges and needs of a child. Accordingly they work. They are trained with the skills and strategies needed to counsel a child facing learning disability, communication problem.  The vivid difference between traditional tutoring and learning therapy makes this therapy more appropriate for a child facing issues with academics. Traditional tutoring deals specifically with academics whereas this deals with processing of communication as well as academics. 

In fact this doesn’t only lead to academic success but help in building self confidence, self esteem, and other skills.  Learning therapy is useful for number of learning and attention issues.  ADHD, Dyslexia, Sensory processing issues, Visual processing issues, nonverbal learning disabilities etc.  It takes time for educational therapy to work. You may have to work with an education therapist for long. For that it is important to find an efficient education therapist that the child and parents are comfortable with. This therapy may not cure someone totally but it will help the child with new strategies to lessen his problems.

The strategies include providing the children a safe atmosphere, a pleasant environment so that they can express themselves freely. The strategies should be such that it can be easily adapted by the parents as well. Since it is a constant process, parents should be guided well by the therapist how to deal with the children. If your child is facing problems in learning, this therapy probably is the best solution to sort that out through formal testing and observation.

ü  It definitely isn’t a temporary solution. It helps in building a child’s future.

ü  It helps in overall grooming of a child.

ü  The trick is to tackle the children as they wanted to be handled.

Society for Welfare of Children has expert educational therapist to deal with children having issues with learning. If your baby is having problem with learning, SFWOC is ready to offer you solution.

Let Me Play & Heal Your Pain!

Play therapy has been a part of metal health field since early 20^th century. It can also allow youngsters to explore their feelings, their environment, and their relationships with parents, siblings and peers. When it comes to Autism, Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD), Anxiety play therapy has been beneficial for the differently able children of our society. These are serious common mental disorders that develop in children.

Anxiety is probably the most common disease in today’s world.  It often leads to serious mental depression. Autism is largely a social-communication disorder. Children with autism find it difficult to relate to others. In case of children with ADHD Kids are hyperactive and have trouble focusing on one task. They are often distracted, confused at times. They may understand what's expected of them but have trouble following instruction.

Play is a child’s instinctive way of recovering from daily emotional turmoil.  Playing is how children think, deal with their emotions and communicate. So A play therapist uses play as tool to interact with children and to understand them.  He also used it as a guiding tool to teach a child how to deal with difficult situations or feelings.

What a play therapist does?

·         Self- awareness: Play therapy helps a child to be familiar about his/her surroundings and thus help to become interactive.

·       Relationship building: It helps a child to build relationship as the child begins to recognize faces, sounds and speech.

· Two-way communication: Once a child starts building relationship, he/she starts communicate. In fact the child starts reacting.

·         Expressing oneself: Through play, a child may be able to better understand his/her emotions and the emotions of others.

Over time, parents can also become their child's therapist while also building a stronger, more meaningful relationship. Parent can be taught play therapy so that they can take active part in their children’s growth and development.

Tips for Parents

• Be friends first!
• Let them stay at their comfort zones.
• Mirror what they are doing. Imitate the action of the child. The child will feel easy with you.
• To teach them use what they are comfortable with.

 - For instance, if they are playing with papers, make something from it.

• Comment on their activities even if they do not seem interested. This, in the long run will make the child befriend with you.
• Try to offer them things as much as you can, so they can learn to pair you with positivity.
• Be fun, exciting, and interested in the child.

Play Therapy- Adore, Amuse, Communicate

There are many kind of disabilities that can affect a child. Parents often fail to understand those kids, their requirements and recognize their needs. Therapists and counselors are the angels in disguise in this regard. They use alternative therapies while treating these children to understand their sensibility. 

Children with disabilities face a variety of medical procedures during their young lives that are specially designed for their overall development. Play Therapy is one of those. Itis a form of counseling that uses playing activities to communicate with and help children, to prevent or resolve psychosocial challenges. This is thought to help them towards better social integration, growth and development, emotional modulation, and trauma resolution.

Children who are particularly vulnerable to feelings of inadequacy, low self-esteem, and feelings of anxiety demand intense medical needs and utmost care.  Play Therapy addresses requirements that include emotional and behavioral adjustment needs of children related to acting out aggressive behaviors, family and relationship issues, domestic violence, abuse, academic performance, and reduction of stress and anxiety

Given the opportunity to work with play media and a trained counselor, children with physical disabilities, communication related disabilities, and chronic medical illnesses may find solace in being able to express their emotions and tell their stories through work with play therapy materials. Particularly, children with disabilities may find strength in developing a sense of self-esteem, autonomy, and competency as well as mastering certain physical and social skills through the use of play therapy). Non-directive and directive approaches to play therapy procedures can allow the child with a disability to interact with his or her environment in a meaningful way, experience enhanced social interactions, develop new skills, and be fully a child.

Play therapy is useful because these differently abled children don’t have the vocabulary to describe what has happened in their lives or what they feel. So using toys gives them the tools that they readily understand to work through the issues they’re struggling with. Experts say play therapy is often perfect for kids because the techniques provide children with a developmentally appropriate means to communicate while also enabling them to work through tough times at least partially on their own. 

Society for Welfare of Children has responsible professional play therapists who treat the children with utmost compassion. So parents seeking professional counseling for their children, SFWOC is the destination with solution.   

5 Tips To Deal With Special Needs Children

Parenting is the most difficult job ever. More so because, every child is unique from the other and has distinctive needs. Understanding these needs of a child without any medical complication is tough, but the job becomes tougher when parents deal with children with special needs. While it’s not possible to lay down a set of guidelines for special children without proper therapeutic counseling, here we present a general guideline for dealing with these children successfully.

(Image source - http://birmingham.k12.mi.us/modules/cms/pages.phtml?pageid=207416&SID)

1.  Communication is the master key – Communication is the master key to begin an amicable relationship with any adult and child. And for a child with special needs, it holds higher level of importance. It’s not always required to have a verbal communication with the child. Depending on the child’s needs, touching his/her hands or face, while interacting can be effective. A tap on the shoulder or affectionate pat on the back when he/she completes a task successfully can melt down the ice little by little.

2. Observe behavior to address the child’s needs – A child with special needs perceive sensory signals differently than a child without any neurological complication. These children may also find it difficult to express discomfort or anxiety. Therefore the parents, therapists and teachers are needs to be extra attentive and be always cautious of any change in their behavior. It’s important to keep in mind that behavior is an important form of communication and for a child with special needs change in behavior is perhaps the most significant form of expressing his/her feelings.

3. Praise every now and then – Children love it when we cheer for them. When the child does something perfectly, compliment immediately. It does not only make them feel good, but also assuring. They sometimes fail to understand instructions and try to find signals to ensure if they are meeting expectations. You applaud makes them feel secured.

4. Repeat over and over – Even we often can’t remember every instruction given to us. When it’s a special child, remembering rules and lessons can be more difficult. Being a parent or special children’s instructor, it’s important for you to understand that the child will take time longer than usual to learn. The key is patience. Decide a set of rules and lesson plans and stick to them. These rules and plans are needed to be repeated every day. It may take 1 or 2 months for the kids to memorize them. Have patience and you will see the children will be able to identify when they follow or break the rules.

5. Adopt a strategy for behavior modification – Children understand rewards, with or without medical complications. When your child shows positive behavior, give him/her a special star or pointer. Take away the reward when there is a negative behavior. Give them special tasks and whoever completes the task successfully give him/her a prize.

Dealing with a special child calls for utmost attention and compassion. There is no easy way to recovery. It takes time, patience and an expert hand to support. If your child is going through this difficult phase, don’t lose hope and contact Society for Welfare of Children for careful guidance from expert therapists.