Research used: https://www.goodtherapy.org/learn-about-therapy/types/neuro-linguistic-programming ; https://globalhealing.com/natural-health/5-benefits-of-neuro-linguistic-programming/
There are a lot of approaches out there when it comes to teaching children the “right” or “wrong” way to do something. While it’s totally understandable that you would like your child to learn the right way to do something, of course, there’s a lot of study and research into the idea that taking a more general approach and then modelling right vs wrong can help children understand it a lot faster and more intuitively. This is especially seen to be the case when dealing with children that have special needs. The best example of this is in the adoption of NLP as a therapy approach.
What is NLP?
Neuro-linguistic programming (NLP) is a widely used approach for therapy that focuses on the actions or behaviours as being separated from descriptors such as “good” or “bad”. When something is seen to pass or fail as far as its outcome, the only actual result is that there are things that can be learned from the failure of the technique, rather than it being a “good” or “bad” thing.
How does NLP work?
Sounds kind of general, right? It’s one of those broad terms that is easier to understand in practice. When NLP therapy is used, the therapist or coach works to understand where the child is, and where they want to go. From there, a series of techniques are tried and tested to see what helps them reach their goals.
For example: if a child is terrified of interacting with classmates, the coach must understand where they currently are and what their roadmap (ie: how they see the world) looks like. By getting a clear understanding of that, they’ll be able to use it to promote inclusion. One of the approaches could be something as simple as making eye contact or asking a question. If asking a question results in helping reduce anxiety in children, but making eye contact worsens it, the NLP coach can use this to help suggest other personalized approaches to children with disabilities and their parents.
What are the benefits of NLP for special needs children?<