Supervised by an occupational therapist
A man in his 20s with a developmental disorder had previously been living in a unit-type (private room) group home, but he had trouble with other residents and had to move out. After that, he moved into a home-type group home, and he no longer showed the stress or mental instability he had previously shown. He gradually began to get used to the people around him, and gradually began to smile and care about others.
The first reason for this is the type of living arrangement. In unit-type housing, residents have fewer opportunities to talk with staff, but in home-type group homes, staff can keep an eye on residents more easily and they can talk more often.
In particular, the group home that this person used had its office on the first floor, which means that the office is located within the residents' living space, meaning that they inevitably spend a lot of time sharing it.
The staff at the residential group home taught the man how to mess around (play), how to laugh, and how to interact with people in a gentle manner, so it is possible that he was able to experience that warmth and his emotional and cognitive functions developed.
Simply put, if a person's environment is suitable for them, they will do well, but if it is not suitable, they will do badly.
This is true not only for people with disabilities, but also for healthy children. When parents ask their children to do something, it is important to determine the strengths and weaknesses of the child based on the number of people they are good at, whether it is one-on-one, a small number of four or five, or a large number, although each parent may have different preferences and activities.
A one-on-one relationship is intimate, and if you get along well it can be fun, but it's rare to find a perfect match. Even adults are happy if they can find two or three people in their lifetime. They can have some social experience, but it's a closed space with no way out.
When there are only four or five children, children are able to interact with the others to a certain extent, but if there is a child they don't get along with, it is a semi-closed environment where they have no way to escape.
In a large group, relationships are weak, but you can choose who you like, and even if there is someone you don't like, you can escape. It's an open place.
I think one way to do this is to conduct group evaluations like this and then make appropriate adjustments to the child's environment.
This is something to consider when getting your child involved in society, whether it be school, cram school, extracurricular activities, playgrounds, etc. This perspective can be applied in any situation. If the environment is not suitable for a child, they will not develop, they will waste a lot of time, and there is a risk that their various feelings, thoughts, and perceptions will be distorted.