How can you train volunteers to work with children who have special needs?

Children are precious Every child is precious and has the right to be loved and taken seriously. Every child is unique and needs a personalized care. As a volunteer, you have to adapt your words, tone of voice and body language to every situation in a way that will help you build trust with every child and make them feel normal and special, and this, by understanding their needs and expectations. Remember, children are good observers, they notice everything even how you feel inside.

Prepare a summary of traits/characteristics of different special needs for the volunteers to know. Then get the volunteers to do their own observation and to build a rapport with each child. The volunteers may learn to communicate in very few simple words and manage a child's behaviour. The volunteers may also need to be given some visual cue cards to communicate with the children with special needs whereby the session does not allow talking.

Children are so emotional Children are like flowers, you need to treat them with delicacy to not damage them. Children with special needs need to feel normal and enjoy life like every other child, and it is our duty to make them feel normal because they are, they are just different, just like everyone of us. Remember, they don't need our pity, they need our love, empathy, respect and compassion. Speak their language And feel their hearts

Practice but Be Real Children don't like hypocrites and fake people. Be sincere with them! In their eyes, your qualifications don't matter, they only look at your heart. They are little angels, treat them the way they deserve to be treated. There is no room for favoritism and discrimination. Children are born equal Whatever your method is Make them feel special

Just Look into their Eyes Children don't fake their emotions. Whatever they feel in their hearts, it shows in their eyes. Surveys and interviews are just tools to make them feel heard and valued but what you read in their eyes is all that matters. Be their hope Be their loyal friend

Children Are Good Teachers We can learn a lot from children, all it takes is honesty and patience. Children are like books, they bring happiness, curiosity, suspense, and a lot of lessons into our lives. Like flowers They beautify our existence

As an autistic person with ADHD, and a parent of adult autistic children, I’ve travelled through many of the life stages other parents and professionals are at. I’ve worked in social care and education so my experiences are a mixture of personal and professional. In the training room, I give insights of autism and ADHD from an inside perspective. “This is what it can be like.” I make suggestions that are obvious to me, yet haven’t been considered by others. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve heard: “We never thought of it like that!” That’s because it’s important to see an issue or situation from the perspective of an autistic person.