Emotional Characteristics of the Developmentally Disabled

By James Hazard, Orientation and Mobility Specialist

Orientation and mobility instructors with limited or no experience working with the developmentally disabled may find their initial contact with such students confusing, frustrating, intimidating or even frightening. This paper seeks to provide some observations and ideas which may be especially useful to the O&M instructor who has only second-hand information, taken from lectures or textbooks, of the developmentally disabled (DD) to work with; and is specifically designed to provide observations about some emotional problems those who work with the DD commonly encounter. It is by no means intended to provide a clinically exhaustive description or analysis of emotional problems prevalent in the DD population.

FIRST INTERVIEW

If your student lives in a hospital or residential facility, such as a group home talk to staff members who work closely with that individual on a daily basis. This will give you an opportunity of acquiring first-hand information regarding behavior, medical history, medications, likes and dislikes, previous and on-going training. Time permitting, talk with as many staff as possible. They can provide valuable information that may help you to create realistic and appropriate goals.

The first time you meet your student you may have difficulty establishing clear lines of communication. Your student may not talk at all, or may chose not to talk to you. If verbal communication is limited or non-existent, observe movement, facial expressions and "body language." Is the posture open or closed? Does the person seem tense or relaxed? If your student is partially sighted, is there eye-contact? Do not be alarmed if what you say does not seem to "get through". You may have to observe staff communicating with this person in order to learn how to do it effectively. Keep your words and sentences brief and simple; but also try to preserve the natural tone of your voice.

TIME

It is not unusual for developmentally disabled individuals to be very dependent on routine. Many have an extreme emotional fixation with doing a set number of tasks on a regular schedule. You first lesson may be a problem for your student if it disrupts other activities. Something else to keep in mind is that if you are late to an appointed lesson you may have a very unhappy student waiting for you! Let your student know, as far in advance as possible, if you are going to be late, or cannot make an appointment.

UNRELATED PROBLEMS

You may discover, before the lesson is underway, that your student is upset about something that happened a few minutes, hours, or even days ago. To you the cause of the upset may seem trivial (a bed that was not made, a rude remark from a friend or staff member, a misplaced personal possession) but try to stay non-judgmental about this. Keep in mind that the concept of trivial is relative, and that a problem that seems trivial to you is still a problem for your student that may make a lesson all but impossible until is resolved.

Even if your student is angry or crying, do not automatically call the lesson off. An orientation and mobility specialist, like everyone else who works with the DD, must be flexible and willing, for a time, to take on other roles. Actively listen to what your student has to say.

Some of my students calm down as soon as they know that they have a sympathetic audience. I let them know that I understand what they are saying by telling them about similar experiences that I have had. My voice is kept low, and I am careful to keep my sentences short and simple.

Some of my other students, on the other hand, are not calmed down by a sympathetic audience but will, if encouraged to talk, escalate their emotional crisis. I listen to these students too, but I also try to set limits on the amount of time they can talk to me about a a particular problems. Once I understand what the problem is, and let them know that I understand what they are telling me, I tell them what, if anything, they can do: and, then I tell them that it is time to move on to the lesson. Sometimes I end the discussion by saying, "It would be better to talk about this at another time."

You may do everything in your power to calm your student but may not succeed. If that is the case, do not be discouraged from trying next time. With a little observation, thought and practice, you will discover what works and what does not; and you will, in the meantime, develop a better rapport with your student.

FEAR

Some of the fears that I have encountered with the DD students over the years have been of sudden, loud noises; dogs; strong gusts of wind; traffic sounds; crowded areas; strangers; voices (auditory hallucinations); stepping on and off curbs; escalators; excessive heat and cold, or any weather which is out of the ordinary. Signs of fear are paleness, shaking, muscular tenseness, and difficulty speaking. Students who are extremely afraid will scream, run, or become combative. You must identify fear at its earliest stage and act quickly to alleviate it. Otherwise you risk letting that fear escalate into panic.

In dealing with fear it is important that you 1) stay and appear calm yourself, which means lowering your voice, speaking slowly, and using words that give you an aura of confidence; 2) make only those promises you can keep; 3) make physical contact with your student cautiously, asking permission first.

Diversions can, at times, prove helpful. One of my students is afraid of dogs. As luck would have it, on the mornings we are out, it sometimes seems as if everyone in town is out walking their dog; so when I see someone with a dog approaching us, I talk to him until the dog can no longer be heard. Many times he still knows that the dog is there but his response has progressed from running away… to momentary tenseness.

I have encountered students who are fearful of orientation and mobility lessons. One of my more recent students, during her first lessons with me, cried through every one of them. She was angry with herself for what she thought of as her previous failures to learn from other instructors, and she was afraid that I would be angry and impatient with her.

The whole subject of orientation and mobility to her was associated with failure, anger and frustration. As I worked with her, I eliminated any word from my vocabulary which I thought could have the slightest negative connotation. I began joking through entire lessons. Whenever she did anything correctly, I praised her extravagantly. After a few weeks of this she lost her fear of lessons, of me, and began to look forward to her lessons.

It did not happen quickly, and there were relapses, but it did happen.

MANIPULATION

Manipulation is disruptive or threatening behavior calculated to control the behavior of others. It is typically employed to obtain goods or favors that are not legitimately obtainable. Some people become very skilled in performing tantrums, appearing to lose control in order to get staff members to comply with their wishes. Begging is also a common method of the manipulator. Manipulation may be seen as a form of extortion, for, in essence, the manipulator is saying, "I’ll make life miserable for you until I get what I want."

Most of my students never resort to manipulation, but I have come across a few who are masters of it. Those who have practiced it for years know almost by instinct how to exploit vulnerable areas in a staff member’s psyche.

When you work with a student who is a manipulator it is a good idea to talk with staff members to learn what their primary plan is for dealing with that behavior. You should want to base your actions on that primary plan so that they are consistent with the work of other staff members.

In general, when dealing with manipulation you should conceal any fear, frustration or anger you may be feeling. In other words, make it appear to your student that the manipulative behavior is not having any affect on you. The only emotion you should display is boredom. Repeat as often as necessary what it is you need your student to do, or stop doing, in effect, a "broken record." As far as possible, do not make physical contact. If physical contact becomes unavoidable, make it quickly and mechanically, without emotion.

DEMEANOR

Work to make your student a safe cane-traveler, but also work to make your student, as far as possible, an accepted member of the community. It is an unfortunate fact of life that some people who are paid to work with the DD, as well as, some volunteers and family members, actually encourage infantile behavior because they think it is "cute." But, what is "cute" behavior for a four-year-old is seen, by most non-handicapped people, as degrading in a forty-year old.

Discourage any behavior which could limit the acceptability of your student in the wider society outside the facility or group home. Do not get into the habit of accepting behavior because, "That is what retarded people do." A good rule of thumb is that if the behavior would make you uncomfortable if seen on television then it should make you uncomfortable anytime.