Importance of social and self-help skills among the mentally challenged
Ladies and gentlemen, how are you, it is my hope that the information am going to outline here is of great importance to you and to the society at large. Many times people talk of the mentally challenged people as deserving constant help in all what they do. Others argue that there is need for the mentally challenged to have some basic social skills that would help them in their live. I note that the mentally changed can be trained to gain social and self-help skills. What then are the roles of social and self-help skills to persons living with mental disability?
Robert Paul Liberman and Tracy martin (2) asserts that social skills help those living with mental disability to perform the physical, vocational, emotional, social, intellectual needs, and problem solving skills on their own or with little help. These skills are crucial in the functioning of the mentally challenged since they help in directing how to live in the community. It is worth noting that even the mentally challenged are expected to be productive members of the society. The productivity of the members with mental disability is greatly enhanced by teaching them social and self-help skills.
The social and self-help skills among the mentally challenged reduce the dependence on the professional helpers in the society. Once one learns how to operate with a greater degree of independence; they release the professionals to help others who have not acquired the same degree of independence. It is, therefore, very important for the mentally changed to be taught social and self-help skills. Imagine a society where the mentally challenged can work and do so well! It must be awesome. It is basing on this that each society ought to strive to ensure that the mentally challenged gains all the necessary skills.
Ladies and gentlemen, there are some peculiar problems that face the mentally challenged that are best handled by them. Consider the case of basic bathroom skills, toilet skill, and communication skills, among others. These aspects are best handled by the mentally changed. For examples, if a mentally challenged person goes to the hospital, it can be difficult for the physician to diagnose what could be the problem if the person cannot communicate effectively. Such might lead to misdiagnosis that may be detrimental to the person. In addition, it is a bit too difficult to clean the teeth of the mentally challenged. It is better if they can do all the personal grooming all by themselves or with the least help. Such has positive effects on their overall health and consequently reduce chances of occurrences of diseases.
Lastly, teaching and training the mentally disabled to acquire social skills is one way of reducing discrimination (Suresh A. and Santhanam, n.d). Acceptance in the society begins by ensuring that the mentally challenged can live full lives without been a burden to the rest of the population. For this reason, therefore, it is very important to train them and let them work alongside the rest in the society. Such would increase acceptance and reduce discrimination associated with the mentally disabled if isolated. It is possible that some mental challenges may be worsened by isolation of the patients, and hence integrating them in the society is the best approaching mitigating such problems.
In conclusions, it is evidently clear as I have articulated that social and self-help skills among he mentally challenged are of great impotence not only to them, but also the society at large. Therefore, ladies and gentlemen, let us strive to accept them and teach them as many social and self-help skills as possible.
Works cited
Suresh A. and Santhanam. A study of vocational skills of people with mild and moderate mental retardation. PDF. Accessed from http://english.aifo.it/disability/apdrj/apdrj202/vocational.pdf on December 8, 2014.
Robert Paul Liberman and Tracy martin. SOCIAL SKILLS TRAINING: Psychiatric REHAB Program UCLA Department of Psychiatry & Biobehavioral Sciences Los Angeles, California. PDF. Accessed from http://www.bhrm.org/guidelines/liberman%20social%20skills%20training.pdf on December 8, 2014.
