Activities for the Mentally Handicapped

Members of the mentally handicapped community may find it difficult to integrate into a fast-paced society. A key goal when interacting with mentally handicapped individuals is to try to find everyday activities in which you can include them. You also should try to input an educational aspect into the activity, which will combine fun and tools that will help aid in integration into society.

The Special Olympics

• The Special Olympics are held every two years, and provide a fun and competitive outlet for the mentally handicapped, as well as awareness and education about people with disabilities. The Special Olympics are held in the U.S. and internationally. As part of the program, volunteer students are paired with children with disabilities from ages 12 to 17. As part of the Special Olympics, the student volunteers are also educated on how to avoid negative stereotypes and attitudes toward the mentally disabled. Participants can compete in basketball, aquatics, bowling, cricket, cycling, figure skating, badminton and golf, among other activities. For more information, contact:

  Special Olympics

  1133 19th Street NW

  Washington, DC 20036-3604

  202-628-3630

  specialolympics.org

Grocery Shopping

• One basic activity that the mentally handicapped can participate in is going grocery shopping. This activity allows the mentally handicapped to learn an activity that helps with daily life and promotes a self-sufficient lifestyle. You can start off by picking a recipe for a dish and going to the grocery store to purchase the ingredients. Prepare a grocery list composed of words or pictures, track the number of dollars that will be used, and use checks or boxes to represent each dollar. From there you should have the mentally handicapped individual go through and find each ingredient on the list, check the item off, and discern if there is enough money to pay for the items. The items can actually be purchased, or that activity can be saved for a later date.

Community Reading

• Mentally handicapped individuals may have a problem reading and recognizing common words. To aid in recognition, you can engage them in community-based reading. Community-based reading entails developing a list of words and phrases that are commonly used, such as "Danger" or "Caution," and showing the photographs to the students until recognition is achieved. Through repetition, you will teach the student to recognize the words as they will appear in the world. From there you can allow the students to make individualized photographs to learn other words through association. The outcome will be that students are more prepared to interact in the community, and may eventually become independent citizens.