Tips to handle menstrual hygiene in girl child with special needs

Staying on top of your girl’s personal hygiene every day is important. Introducing a routine centred around personal hygiene will set the stage for personal care during menstruation too.

This article is based on the presentation above that talks about the tips to handle menstrual hygiene in a girl child with special needs.

Start at the beginning

• The first step in preparing your child to manage menstrual  hygiene effectively is to teach her self care and day to day grooming skills.
• This will help them to menstruation care routine better.
• Make sure:
  • They can shower on their own
  • They can use the bathroom and clean after themselves
  • Wash and dry their hands independently each time they use the bathroom
  • Change their undergarments everyday
  • Dress themselves

Body Health: Deworming

• All school going children should be dewormed every 6 months, in order to prevent any infections or deficiencies, caused by poor absorption of food.
• This is an effective and recommended practice.
• It is a simple and safe procedure, where the prescribed oral medication can be consumed by the children.

Body Health: Yeast Infections

Yeast infections may occur when immunity is low and may affect the bladder or uterus

Itching , burning sensation during urination, cloudy white discharge may show yeast infection.

If symptoms last longer than 2 days, it will be helpful to seek medical advice

Supportive strategies

Visual Aids

Using visual aids to explain the different steps involved in care during menstruation is a highly effective method.

It can also be used to explain how to take care of the health and hygiene of their private parts, such as:

• Do not manipulate your genitals. Wash your hands before and after,
• Do not insert anything into the private parts

Sensory sensitivities

Many children may have increased sensory sensitivities, therefore care should be taken to consider this while taking care of your child. 

Do not use excess detergent or antiseptics while washing their clothes in order to prevent any adverse reactions to the skin.

Taking care

Teach the child appropriate practices such as changing undergarments and the menstrual pads twice a day

Do not scratch or itch. It may lead to infections or injury 

Modeling

Children learn by imitation, practice good hygiene so that the child can see and lear from you.

Staying on top of your girl’s personal hygiene every day is important. Introducing a routine centred around personal hygiene will set the stage for personal care during menstruation too.

You may download this presentation to understand some basic, everyday practices that can go a long way in promoting a personal care hygiene routine for your girl child. It becomes important to learn some tips to handle menstrual hygiene in girl child with special needs.

How to help your child understand and handle menstrual blues, and learn some occupational therapy hacks for menstruation. What can you do to ensure the best care for the child and the family? You can also check out the video on What is occupational therapy?

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DISCLAIMER: Please note that this guide is for information purposes only. Please consult a qualified health practitioner for safe management.