Empowering the Child
Many people discuss the deficits of a person with a disability with no thought to how that would impact him or her. Most people with disabilities are only too aware of their challenges, so it is difficult for such a person to develop a good self-image.
We persuade parents not to discuss their child negatively with anyone, especially within the child’s hearing. Such discussions should occur on a need-to-know basis, such as with a teacher or doctor. We also persuade parents and teachers to also talk about the positives, though it’s important that praise is real and truthful.
Ignore the behaviors that you want to extinguish, and praise the behaviors you want to maintain and develop. We use the phrase ‘catch them being good’. It’s really important for a child to think “Yes, I can”.