Emotional or Behavioral Disorders in Children Who Are Blind
Some children have emotional or behavioral disorders that affect their ability to make and maintain relationships, control their feelings or moods, understand right from wrong, or refrain from physical aggression toward themselves or others. Although all children have times when they become emotional or behave in ways that are not socially acceptable, children who have significant emotional or behavioral disorders may often function outside of what is considered acceptable for a child of their age.
If your child has emotional or behavioral challenges in addition to his visual impairment, it will be important to work with both educational and medical or psychological professionals to determine strategies that may benefit him. Key strategies for children with emotional or behavioral disorders include finding motivational activities that reinforce positive behavior, analyzing the events that lead up to behavioral outbursts, and determining appropriate consequences for inappropriate behavior.
Depending on a child’s cognitive abilities, he may also benefit from counseling.
If you have concerns about your child’s behavior, it’s important to seek assistance when he is young, when it may be easier for him to learn new strategies and apply them to manage his own behavior.