“I just
find the gift the client has. Then I feed the
gift,” said my colleague, explaining her
philosophy of working with her developmentally
disabled clients. Parents sometimes have a hard
time moving beyond practical matters such as care
of the child, rules, responsibilities, and other
people’s expectations to find that child’s
strengths; the gifts that every person has!
What are your child’s
strengths?
- Artistic: This is a visually
stimulated child who responds to shapes, color
and motion. Feed their gift with crayons,
play-doh, and colorful things to watch and
play with. Show them the art of others. Display
the child’s creations in an in-house
“gallery.”
- Musical: Talk and sing
to your child. Play music, and as they get
older, provide them with their own tape or
CD player. Since this child learns by listening,
talk to them using adult language and full
sentences.
- Self-awareness: This child
is aware of their own feelings and emotions
and uses this information to guide their actions.
This gift has implications in many parts of
social interaction and learning.
- Social and Empathic: This
child relates easily to others. They notice
other people’s moods and feelings and
use this information to guide their own actions.
Give them the chance to interact socially
in a variety of settings.
- Imaginative: This child
has a well-developed imagination and can write
and tell stories. Nurture this gift with lots
of reading and opportunity to imagine. What
do you think? Games and role-playing will
help them develop their gift.
- Intellectual and investigative:
This child has the ability to use language,
identify problems ask questions and come to
logical conclusions. Books, puzzles, and problem
solving games will nurture their gift.
- Physical: This child can
manipulate objects and use their body to reach
goals. Give them things to manipulate such
as puzzles, balls, and playground equipment.
This child will need lots of physical touch
as well.
Finding your child’s strengths
will enable you to build a relationship with them
built on positives. So find, and feed the gift…
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Marriage
& Relationships
