In Learning Disabled Children, Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy Improves Anger Management

For children with learning disabilities, there are daily challenges that can often lead to a variety of emotional displays of frustration. As the parent of a child with a learning disability, it is important to know how your child's learning disability may affect psychological health and, ultimately, may affect the relationships established with others.

Expressions and displays of anger are quite common among children with a learning disability. While young children tend to manage frustration a little differently, teens and adults who live with a learning disability often find their frustration is expressed through angry outbursts. Anger management, therefore, is important to the health and welfare of teenagers and adults with learning disabilities.

If you suffer from a learning disability, or you care for a child with a learning disability, the issues involving anger management are important to long term psychological health. In reaching out for treatment options, many therapists agree that cognitive-behavioral therapy provides an optimal outcome. While cognitive-behavioral therapy requires some use of intellect, it would seem that children and adults with learning disabilities would actually find this therapy to be of little value. However, with some modifications to the treatment programs, many children and adults find they can adapt the techniques learned in CBT and, ultimately, control angry outbursts and frustrations.

To prepare effectively for cognitive-behavioral therapy, however, the learning disabled individual must also learn the proper application of relaxation techniques. As a result, the first two to three sessions of CBT may involve relaxation therapy and promote ways in which to relax both in-session and when out in the general population.