When an individual who is profoundly mentally handicapped is taught in a one-on-one manner, his specific needs are more easily taken into consideration. If a teacher must try to juggle teaching a classroom of other students while tending to the need of the profoundly mentally handicapped individual, she almost always can't give the individual the specific attention he requires, reducing the effectiveness of the lessons overall and likely proving less successful in her attempts to educate the individual.
To ensure that one-on-one work has a purpose, individuals who work in this manner with profoundly mentally handicapped individuals should always start by setting goals. Because the child is being taught in isolation, these goals should be tailored to his existing skills and reflective of his abilities. For example, if the child cannot write any letters, a goal may be for him to learn to write the letter "A" even if the rest of his same-age peers have long progressed beyond this goal. By setting goals, the educator in question can ensure that he is working toward some specific end, making the educational efforts more effective.
Profoundly mentally handicapped children often respond best to reward. When working one-on-one with students of this type, teachers must take care to celebrate any successes the child has, regardless of how small these successes may be. By celebrating these successes and praising the child the teacher cannot just form a relationship with the child but also likely increase the child's natural motivation to learn.
In some set-ups, one teacher alone takes on the task of educating the profoundly mentally handicapped child himself, while on others the duties are shared. If more than one teacher is working with the child in a one-on-one setting, communication is key to success. By communicating with each other regularly, these educators who share the task of teaching the child can ensure that they are working as a collaborative unit toward common goals and that they are all aware of any important progress the child has made toward growing.