It is not easy to communicate with people who cannot express themselves freely due to a mental disorder, however experience and practice are essential to improve. Here are some useful tips to communicate in such a context effectively and without problems.
Steps
Step 1. Keep your voice calm and low
Raising your voice does not serve to make you understand better.
Step 2. When choosing to adapt the language to a certain "age group", consider the mental age of your interlocutor, not the chronological age
Remember: this is a person with a mental disorder, but not a five-year-old who knows a limited vocabulary.
Step 3. Do not cover your mouth, as the interlocutor may need to watch your lips as you say the words
Some people need it to better understand what is being said.
Step 4. Do not reproduce the way your interlocutor pronounces the words, mistakenly assuming that they understand you better
You will not be clearer, but you could confuse the listener or hurt their sensitivity.
Step 5. Do not contract the words, but try to articulate them well, especially the endings
Sometimes, these people struggle to understand when one word ends and the next begins. If you notice that your interlocutor is in trouble, pause a little between one word and another.
Step 6. Whenever possible, choose simple words rather than complex terms
The simpler the sentence, the more likely it is that it will understand you. For example, it is better to use "large" rather than "enormous", the verb "to do" is certainly more understandable than "to manufacture".
Step 7. Avoid making complex speeches that are beyond your interlocutor's understanding
Use simple constructions made up of subject, verb and complement. If the person in question has a mild mental problem he may be able to grasp more complex constructions, with coordinated and subordinate propositions.
Step 8. Make eye contact with the person you are talking to
Let her know that you care about what you are saying. While they may rarely return your gaze, let your body language show them your interest in what they say.
Advice
- The key is patience.
- Remember that you need to listen and observe the person you are talking to. In some cases, when you talk to a person who has problems, it is necessary to learn to understand the way he expresses himself, just as if it were a kind of "dialect". You need to be ready to change the way you communicate without forgetting to show respect.
- The most important thing is to treat your interlocutor with respect and compassion. He is not inferior to you: he feels emotions, just like you, and can perceive an unpleasant or superior tone. After all, he has more experience than you from this point of view.
- Ask him a few questions. "Have you already tried it?", "Do you ever feel so happy or angry?", I chose strawberry, what is your favorite flavor? Such questions help a mentally retarded person to better understand the situation by connecting your experience to their life.
- Don't lose your patience. If this happens, try to reassure your interlocutor, specifying that he has nothing to do with it and, perhaps, explain to him why you are angry.
- The person you are talking to is not stupid, but they face challenges that you will never be able to fully grasp. He tests himself every day to "work" like you. She is different from the others, but she doesn't deserve to be ridiculed.
- Try not to think that he has a mental problem, so you will be able to establish a friendship more easily.
