How to Deal With Mentally Challenged People

Communicating with a mentally challenged person requires you to use a variety of skills and tactics in order to get your message across in the most effective way. You’ll need to keep in mind the different individuals learn at different paces—and that mentally challenged individuals still have a dominant way of learning based on their innate personalities and tendencies. Learning to communicate well will take skill, practice, and most importantly, patience.

Things You'll Need

• Communication skills

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Instructions

• 1

  Speak clearly and enunciate your words. Pause slightly between each word so that the beginnings and endings of words will be clear. Don’t speak to mentally challenged people as if you feel something is wrong with them. Avoid mimicking the mentally challenged person when you’re having a discussion; this is very condescending and unnecessary. Speaking loudly or very slowly can be insulting and won’t make you easier to understand.

• 2

  Speak in a manner that is age-appropriate for the person you’re having a conversation with. A mentally challenged child may require slower conversation, but you should still consider how much the child is able to comprehend at his age in order to keep him mentally stimulated—and never speak to a mentally challenged adult in the same tone of voice you would use for a child.

• 3

  Be patient; just because a mentally challenged person may have a slower response time doesn’t mean that she is not taking in what you’re saying. She just needs a few extra minutes to absorb the information that you’ve given and provide you with a response, so pay attention to the responses that you get when you’re having a conversation with a mentally challenged person. Don’t simply give directions and neglect to engage in a real discussion.

• 4

  Be willing to learn during the entire conversation. Mentally challenged individuals still have something to say, and you’ll be surprised at how engaging and interested a conversation with them can be. Keep your mind open and remain genuinely engaged in the verbal exchange; this will teach you to have more understanding for people who are different and will encourage your friend or loved one to foster more meaningful relationships.