 |
Main Menu |
|
|
 Home Community Members options Search Web
|
|
|
|
|
Survey |
|
|
How many children are on the spectrum in your family?
|
|
|
|
|
News
|
Invaluable Solutions : Teaching Tips for Children and Adults with Autism
|
|
|
Posted by sylvia on Saturday, December 17, 2005 (16:03:43)
Autism.org
By Temple Grandin, Ph.D.
Good teachers helped me to achieve success. I was able to overcome autism because I had good teachers. At age 2 1/2 I was placed in a structured nursery school with experienced teachers. From an early age I was taught to have good manners and to behave at the dinner table. Children with autism need to have a structured day, and teachers who know how to be firm but gentle.
Between the ages of 2 1/4 and 5 my day was structured, and I was not allowed to tune out. I had 45 minutes of one-to-one speech therapy five days a week, and my mother hired a nanny who spent three to four hours a day playing games with me and my sister. She taught 'turn taking' during play activities. When we made a snowman, she had me roll the bottom ball; and then my sister had to make the next part.
At mealtimes, every-body ate together; and I was not allowed to do any "stims." The only time I was allowed to revert back to autistic behavior was during a one-hour rest period after lunch. The combination of the nursery school, speech therapy, play activities, and "miss manners" meals added up to 40 hours a week, where my brain was kept connected to the world.
1.) Many people with autism are visual thinkers. I think in pictures. I do not think in language. All my thoughts are like videotapes running in my imagination. Pictures are my first language, and words are my second language. Nouns were the easiest words to learn because I could make a picture in my mind of the word. To learn words like "up" or "down," the teacher should demonstrate them to the child.
For example, take a toy airplane and say "up" as you make the airplane takeoff from a desk. Some children will learn better if cards with the words "up" and "down" are attached to the toy airplane. The "up" card is attached when the plane takes off. The "down" card is attached when it lands.
2.) Avoid long strings of verbal instructions. People with autism have problems with remembering the sequence. If the child can read, write the instructions down on a piece of paper. I am unable to remember sequences. If I ask for directions at a gas station, I can only remember three steps. Directions with more than three steps have to be written down. I also have difficulty remembering phone numbers because I cannot make a picture in my mind.
3.) Many children with autism are good at drawing, art and computer programming. These talent areas should be encouraged. I think there needs to be much more emphasis on developing the child's talents. Talents can be turned into skills that can be used for future employment.
4.) Many autistic children get fixated on one subject such as trains or maps. The best way to deal with fixations is to use them to motivate school work. If the child likes trains, then use trains to teach reading and math. Read a book about a train and do math problems with trains. For example, calculate how long it takes for a train to go between New York and Washington.
5.) Use concrete visual methods to teach number concepts. My parents gave me a math toy which helped me to learn numbers. It consisted of a set of blocks which had a different length and a different color for the numbers one through ten. With this I learned how to add and subtract. To learn fractions my teacher had a wooden apple that was cut up into four pieces and a wooden pear that was cut in half. From this I learned the concept of quarters and halves.
6.) I had the worst handwriting in my class. Many autistic children have problems with motor control in their hands. Neat handwriting is sometimes very hard. This can totally frustrate the child. To reduce frustration and help the child to enjoy writing, let him type on the computer. Typing is often much easier.
7.) Some autistic children will learn reading more easily with phonics, and others will learn best by memorizing whole words. I learned with phonics. My mother taught me the phonics rules and then had me sound out my words. Children with lots of echolalia will often learn best if flash cards and picture books are used so that the whole words are associated with pictures.
It is important to have the picture and the printed word on the same side of the card. When teaching nouns the child must hear you speak the word and view the picture and printed word simultaneously. An example of teaching a verb would be to hold a card that says "jump," and you would jump up and down while saying "jump."
8.) When I was a child, loud sounds like the school bell hurt my ears like a dentist drill hitting a nerve. Children with autism need to be protected from sounds that hurt their ears. The sounds that will cause the most problems are school bells, PA systems, buzzers on the score board in the gym, and the sound of chairs scraping on the floor. In many cases the child will be able to tolerate the bell or buzzer if it is muffled slightly by stuffing it with tissues or duct tape. Scraping chairs can be silenced by placing slit tennis balls on the ends of the legs or installing carpet. A child may fear a certain room because he is afraid he may be suddenly subjected to squealing microphone feedback from the PA system.
The fear of a dreaded sound can cause bad behavior. If a child covers his ears, it is an indicator that a certain sound hurts his ears. Sometimes sound sensitivity to a particular sound, such as the fire alarm, can be desensitized by recording the sound on a tape recorder. This will allow the child to initiate the sound and gradually increase its volume. The child must have control of playback of the sound.
9.) Some autistic people are bothered by visual distractions and fluorescent lights. They can see the flicker of the 60-cycle electricity. To avoid this problem, place the child's desk near the window or try to avoid using fluorescent lights. If the lights cannot be avoided, use the newest bulbs you can get. New bulbs flicker less. The flickering of fluorescent lights can also be reduced by putting a lamp with an old-fashioned incandescent light bulb next to the child's desk.
10.) Some hyperactive autistic children who fidget all the time will often be calmer if they are given a padded weighted vest to wear. Pressure from the garment helps to calm the nervous system. I was greatly calmed by pressure. For best results, the vest should be worn for twenty minutes and then taken off for a few minutes. This prevents the nervous system from adapting to it.
11.) Some individuals with autism will respond better and have improved eye contact and speech if the teacher interacts with them while they are swinging on a swing or rolled up in a mat. Sensory input from swinging or pressure from the mat sometimes helps to improve speech. Swinging should always be done as a fun game. It must NEVER be forced.
12.) Some children and adults can sing better than they can speak. They may respond better if words and sentences are sung to them. Some children with extreme sound sensitivity will respond better if the teacher talks to them in a low whisper.
13.) Some nonverbal children and adults cannot process visual and auditory input at the same time. They are mono-channel. They cannot see and hear at the same time. They should not be asked to look and listen at the same time. They should be given either a visual task or an auditory task. Their immature nervous system is not able to process simultaneous visual and auditory input.
14.) In older nonverbal children and adults touch is often their most reliable sense. It is often easier for them to feel. Letters can be taught by letting them feel plastic letters. They can learn their daily schedule by feeling objects a few minutes before a scheduled activity. For example, fifteen minutes before lunch give the person a spoon to hold. Let them hold a toy car a few minutes before going in the car.
15.) Some children and adults with autism will learn more easily if the computer key-board is placed close to the screen. This enables the individual to simultaneously see the keyboard and screen. Some individuals have difficulty remembering if they have to look up after they have hit a key on the keyboard.
16.) Nonverbal children and adults will find it easier to associate words with pictures if they see the printed word and a picture on a flashcard. Some individuals do not under-stand line drawings, so it is recommended to work with real objects and photos first. The picture and the word must be on the same side of the card.
17.) Some autistic individuals do not know that speech is used for communication. Language learning can be facilitated if language exercises promote communication. If the child asks for a cup, then give him a cup. If the child asks for a plate, when he wants a cup, give him a plate. The individual needs to learn that when he says words, concrete things happen. It is easier for an individual with autism to learn that their words are wrong if the incorrect word resulted in the incorrect object.
18.) Many individuals with autism have difficulty using a computer mouse. Try a roller ball (or tracking ball) pointing device that has a separate button for clicking. Autistics with motor control problems in their hands find it very difficult to hold the mouse still during clicking.
19.) Children who have difficulty understanding speech have a hard time differentiating between hard consonant sounds such as 'D' in dog and 'L' in log. My speech teacher helped me to learn to hear these sounds by stretching out and enunciating hard consonant sounds. Even though the child may have passed a pure tone hearing test he may still have difficulty hearing hard consonants. Children who talk in vowel sounds are not hearing consonants.
20.) Several parents have informed me that using the closed captions on the television helped their child to learn to read. The child was able to read the captions and match the printed works with spoken speech. Recording a favorite program with captions on a tape would be helpful because the tape can be played over and over again and stopped.
21.) Some autistic individuals do not understand that a computer mouse moves the arrow on the screen. They may learn more easily if a paper arrow that looks EXACTLY like the arrow on the screen is taped to the mouse.
22.) Children and adults with visual processing problems can see flicker on TV type computer monitors. They can sometimes see better on laptops and flat panel displays which have less flicker.
23.) Children and adults who fear escalators often have visual processing problems. They fear the escalator because they cannot determine when to get on or off. These individuals may also not be able to tolerate fluorescent lights. The Irlen colored glasses may be helpful for them.
24.) Individuals with visual processing problems often find it easier to read if black print is printed on colored paper to reduce contrast. Try light tan, light blue, gray, or light green paper. Experiment with different colors. Avoid bright yellow--it may hurt the individual's eyes. Irlen colored glasses may also make reading easier. (click here to visit the Irlen Institute's web site.)
25.) Teaching generalization is often a problem for children with autism. To teach a child to generalize the principle of not running across the street, it must be taught in many different locations. If he is taught in only one location, the child will think that the rule only applies to one specific place.
26.) A common problem is that a child may be able to use the toilet correctly at home but refuses to use it at school. This may be due to a failure to recognize the toilet. Hilde de Clereq from Belgium discovered that an autistic child may use a small non-relevant detail to recognize an object such as a toilet.
It takes detective work to find that detail. In one case a boy would only use the toilet at home that had a black seat. His parents and teacher were able to get him to use the toilet at school by covering its white seat with black tape. The tape was then gradually removed and toilets with white seats were now recognized as toilets.
27.) Sequencing is very difficult for individuals with severe autism. Sometimes they do not understand when a task is presented as a series of steps. An occupational therapist successfully taught a nonverbal autistic child to use a playground slide by walking his body through climbing the ladder and going down the slide. It must be taught by touch and motor rather than showing him visually. Putting on shoes can be taught in a similar manner.
The teacher should put her hands on top of the child’s hands and move the child’s hands over his foot so he feels and understands the shape of his foot. The next step is feeling the inside and the outside of a slip-on shoe. To put the shoe on, the teacher guides the child’s hands to the shoe and, using the hand-over-hand method, slides the shoe onto the child’s foot. This enables the child to feel the entire task of putting on his shoe.
28.) Fussy eating is a common problem. In some cases the child may be fixated on a detail that identifies a certain food. Hilde de Clerq found that one child only ate Chiquita bananas because he fixated on the labels. Other fruit such as apples and oranges were readily accepted when Chiquita labels were put on them. Try putting different but similar foods in the cereal box or another package of a favorite food. Another mother had success by putting a homemade hamburger with a wheat free bun in a McDonald’s package.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Read More... | 1 comment |   |
|
|
|
|
Invaluable Solutions : Teaching Independence
|
|
|
Posted by sylvia on Saturday, December 17, 2005 (13:07:03)
Whig.com October 2005
By Holly Wagner
Kelle Schlueter's students sit on a striped rug, singing and clapping.
"Good morning to my friends," she says. "It's gonna be a great day."
It's a typical elementary school scene, except only five students are in the classroom. Each child has an adult sitting with them, prompting the claps with gentle nudges or physically moving the child's arms. The students, ages 5-7, exhibit a wide range of demeanors, from quiet and disengaged to verbal and restless.
Schlueter leads a communications disorders classroom in its first year at Monroe School. Four of her students have autism, and one has Fragile X syndrome, a mental impairment that can include autism.
Autism is a complex developmental disability that typically appears during the first three years of life. It is the result of a neurological disorder that affects the normal functioning of the brain, particularly the areas of social interaction and communication skills.
These students are hypersensitive to the stimulus of everyday activities and have difficulty processing information. They can be overwhelmed by ordinary sights and sounds, and their reactions may include verbal outbursts, repetitive anxious motions or tantrums — "meltdown," Schlueter terms it.
Her goal is to help these children learn to function in a classroom environment so that they may be mainstreamed into the school system.
SETTING THE SCHEDULE
Structure is an important part of every classroom, but it's particularly important with these students. Controlling their environment helps them focus on a task and learn.
Setting up the day's schedule is the No. 1 priority of Schlueter and her team of paraprofessionals. These trained aides, and other specialists who work in the classroom, provide an adult-student ratio of one-to-one or better.
The children are learning the classroom routine with cues — visual, auditory and physical. Every moment of the children's day is programmed, and "pictures" are the primary tool.
Plastic boxes filled with 2-by-2-inch laminated symbol pictures, accompanied by the word that describes them, refer to every aspect of the school day. The pictures are tucked into envelopes on the walls near activity centers and stuffed into the pockets of the teaching team's aprons. Velcro dots and strips to hold them are glued to doors and walls.
"These children learn visually," Schlueter said.
When the children arrive at Monroe, Schlueter and her staff meet them at the school doors and accompany them to the classroom, where they are urged first to their schedules.
The schedules are held in colored plastic folders posted on a cabinet just inside the classroom door. Each child has his own color that is a visual cue throughout the day. The folders contain Velcro strips on which are stuck pictures that represent the day's activities. Some children can only process one or two activities, while others can view the whole day in pictures.
"These children need to know what's going on," Schlueter said. "The schedules teach independence."
The first picture in the top row is "breakfast." The children head to a crescent-shaped table where trays holding tiny round waffles and a small cup of syrup await them. Beside their tray is their "menu," another colored plastic folder.
"Many of the children have issues with food and eating," Schlueter said.
At the bottom of their menu is a long rectangular card with a Velcro strip. Pairing a card that says "I want" with a picture of a bottle of water, a glass of juice or a milk carton, they learn to make choices and the appropriate way to initiate conversation and requests with the teacher.
"Kelle, I want juice," Stevie says, holding out his card with the appropriate picture. He immediately receives the juice, accompanied by praise: "Good talking, Stevie."
The children also learn to sit quietly and wait — both very difficult tasks for them. A silent timer gives them a visual presentation of how long before the breakfast activity is over.
As breakfast ends, the children are handed a colored card or "ticket" with their name on it. This is their cue to return to their schedules to find out what they should do next. They deposit the name card in an envelope next to their schedule and remove the next picture — time to move to the rug for singing.
Near the music rug, a basket holds textured plastic cushions and "manipulatives," soft squishy items the children can hold and squeeze. A restless child given one of the cushions may be distracted enough by sitting on it that he can be still as long as necessary. The manipulatives serve the same purpose, giving the child something to distract them physically long enough to concentrate on the task at hand.
After singing, the children are directed to a variety of activities. Cole sits with Schlueter at a small table where three "tasks" are waiting for him.
First, he inserts small, colored square and round blocks into the top of a red plastic container. "Finished," Schlueter says, and he sweeps it off the table into a basket waiting nearby.
Next, a sheet of paper is placed before him on which are dots to trace to write his name. He responds by grasping the pencil and covering the paper with circles and random marks.
"Kelle will help," she says, putting a new paper before him and holding his hand with the pencil to trace the letters as she recites each one. She helps him peel off a sticker to decorate the page, and then that too is swept into the basket.
"Finished."
The next activity is puzzles. A plastic strip shows a picture of three colored puzzle pieces joined in a row, and Cole has to duplicate the picture with the puzzle pieces before him. Cole waves his hands and intones, "m ... m... m... m... m."
Schlueter moves his hands to help him manipulate the puzzle pieces, then replaces it with another three-piece puzzle, this time patterned. Again, she moves the puzzle pieces along with Cole's hands.
The lesson ends with a story book. Cole flips through the pages, pointing and humming.
That activity ended, Cole's ticket directs him back to his schedule.
TAKING A SENSORY BREAK
The OT, or occupational therapy, room is a favorite with all the children. The communications classroom is smaller than most classrooms at Monroe. Part of it is partitioned off for the sensory room. The light is dim as the fixture is covered with a dark cloth that allows some light in, but it eliminates the flicker of fluorescent bulbs, which disturb some children.
A low platform hangs from the ceiling. The room has cushions, an inflated trampoline and sensory-related toys. Each child meets daily with the occupational therapist, but at any time of the day, their appropriate request for time in the sensory room is honored. For children with sensory dysfunction, it provides a place away from the structure and schedules of the classroom where they can let off steam, be physical and reorganize.
The children's individualized education plans call for a "sensory diet," Schlueter said. "It gives them a sensory break, a time to release anxiety."
Occupational therapist Laura Smith accompanies Cole inside, then presents him with the "choice board" with pictures that represent the activities in the room.
"I want swing," she says, reading the cards he chooses.
Cole sits on the swinging platform, and Smith sits cross-legged on the floor before him, holding his stockinged feet.
"One, two, three," she counts. "Let's go."
She pulls him forward and lets him swing gently back. Cole squeals with delight. As she repeats the activity, talking in a calm, even tone, Cole hums and squeals, twisting his hands back and forth. He leans forward in anticipation of the swinging motion and laughs.
Smith encourages him to try the swing lying on his back and his stomach, changing the activity in response to Cole's reactions.
He runs over to an inflated trampoline, with motions that are awkward and stiff. He tries to straddle the waist-high handle, then runs back to the swing.
Smith encourages him to count along with her, to repeat the word "twist" as she rotates the swing gently. "Good eye contact," she praises.
Before leaving the room, Cole lays down on a lightweight mattress stuffed with soft foam, and Smith folds it over him and presses gently.
These activities help calm him and "reorganize his sensory system," Smith says.
Cole has come a long way in the first few weeks of class, Smith explained.
"He was able to walk out on his own," she said. "He wouldn't walk out the door three weeks ago."
SOME KIDS ARE DIFFERENT ... AND THAT'S OK
While waiting for music class, the children line up on colored paper feet taped to the floor. They walk with the paraprofessionals to the music room and sit on rug squares before the rest of the class enters.
Kindergartners who join them pay little attention to Schlueter's students, even though Dino occasionally calls out, and Cole gets up and walks about the room. Schlueter leads him back to his seat, at one point physically restraining him by wrapping her arms and legs about him. He calms enough to sit on his own, chewing on a large green circle with the word "WAIT" printed on it.
"The other kids are very, very accepting," said music teacher Jean Murray. "When we were growing up, we never saw these kids."
"All the teachers at Monroe have been very good" about helping their students accept this group, said Monroe principal Kristen Kendrick. She previously taught special needs children and was instrumental in bringing the communications disorders classroom to Monroe.
Each teacher has a copy of the book "My Friend with Autism," which they have read aloud to their students. "It helps them understand why some of these students act differently sometimes," Kendrick said.
The children play together at recess. Some of the students with autism sit with other students at lunch now because they've developed friendships.
The goal is to mainstream the special needs group, but the lessons go both ways.
"(The students) are being exposed to children who are different," Kendrick said. "It gives us a good opportunity to talk about accepting people who are different from us. ... (They're) seeing that some kids do things differently, and that's OK."
Kendrick believes Monroe is the perfect place for Schlueter's class.
"It's so nice to hear the parents feel so gratified, that they feel this is an appropriate placement for their child," she said. "It's overwhelming. There's a lot of emotion involved."
'IT'S UNREAL HOW FAR HE'S COME'
Jessica Hueber calls the classroom "awesome" and "one of a kind." Her adopted son, Andrew, was born with Fragile X syndrome. He takes the bus daily from Payson to Monroe School, accompanied by DeeDee Barker, a paraprofessional who stays with him in the classroom.
"It's quite rare for the area that Quincy Public Schools has taken the initiative and realizes the need for something like this," she said. "When I found out about it, I got goosebumps and started crying. It was just incredible. Other families I know of have to advocate really hard for their children's needs. (At Monroe, they) even asked my input for ideas.
"From early on, I was part of the team."
The positive attitude of the teachers, their evident desire for the children to succeed rubs off on the kids, Hueber said.
Andrew's self-esteem has improved, he's happier and he looks forward every day to going to school. Hueber has developed a schedule for Andrew at home and communicates regularly with his paraprofessional and Schlueter.
"It's unreal how far he has come," she said. "His verbal skills have just blossomed."
FILLING A VOID
Julie Schuckman, director of Early Childhood Education for the district, said the district saw a need for such a classroom for children transitioning into kindergarten. Now the Early Childhood and Family Center has a similar classroom serving nine children with autism this year. In the past, these children were moved into trainable mentally handicapped (TMH) programs in the various schools.
"There's such a wide range of individuals in the TMH classroom that it's hard to focus on an individual with autism," said Schlueter, who taught in the TMH program for five years.
Amy Leebold, autism coordinator for the district, said more than 40 children in the school district have autism. Her position was created to serve as a central contact for district officials, teachers and parents involved with this rising number of special-needs students.
The classroom at Monroe provides a seamless transition from preschool to elementary school. However, what happens when these children reach fourth grade, and when more children need to enter elementary school, remains a question.
"(The Monroe experiment) is fairly expensive for serving five children with their special needs," Leebold said. "Teachers have to be adequately trained, there's a lot of funds (for materials), a lot of dedication, a lot of hours.
"There's no way to predict the future, how many children will need this kind of room. ... We'd like to be able to have as many spots as necessary. My job is to advocate for them. If we need another room, the district, the board office, they will decide whether the need really exists or look at other options."
School districts are mandated by the state to educate all children in the least restrictive environment possible. When the team of the parent, teacher and specialist creating an individualized education plan for a special needs student decides something is needed, districts are responsible for providing them, said Kevin Cory, the district's director of special education.
"It will be the goal that as needs grow, the special education federal funds will move in to support this effort" which serves the entire county, Cory said.
That Leebold's position and the communications disorders classroom exist at all show the district is "truly dedicated at looking at what's best for serving our children with special needs," Leebold said. "They really listened and understood that we need to do something here for these kids to get the best education they can. ... (They) understood how deserving they are to have a chance like everybody else."
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
comments? | |
|
|
|
|
Invaluable Solutions : Building sensory communication with your child
|
|
|
Posted by sylvia on Friday, September 30, 2005 (11:53:15)
SheKnows August 2005
By Kerstin Potter MS OTR
Our children are giving us clues all the time; we just need to learn to read them! By opening our eyes to the world of sensory communication, it is hoped that this article has provided some ideas to help you and your child understand each other in new ways.
Sensory Preferences:
Jessica is four and likes to rock; if not involved in other things, she sits in a corner holding her favorite toy and sways back and forth. Billy is three and likes smells; rather than greeting a person by making eye contact, he will reach for the clothing and sniff it. When Jamie, five years old, is asked to attend to a table-top activity, he responds by flapping his wrists and waving his arms. Luis, at six, can't stand to be touched; if another child brushes against him, he throws himself into a beanbag chair and covers himself with a blanket.
Why are these children doing such unusual things? While parents and experts agree that many of our children with Autism-related conditions show unusual behavior, there are various interpretations as to why. Some will call these behaviors "maladaptive" and will aim to eliminate them through behavior training. Some believe that the child is seeking attention, and will ignore them.
Professionals using a sensory processing/integration approach, however, interpret the behaviors as a language which children use to communicate their wants and needs to those around them. If we can learn this language, we can start building new ways of communicating with our children.
Each of us has a unique way of taking in sensory information from the world around us and from within our bodies, so that we can interpret what is going on, and relate to the world. As babies, most of us enjoyed the touch and smells of our parents, and the sensation of movement as we were being rocked or driven in a car. We loved feeling our limbs move and spent hours kicking our legs in the air. We then added the ability focus on sounds around us, distinguishing voices, recognizing music, and knowing to ignore background noises.
While we could always see, we gradually used our vision more effectively to identify the world out of reach, - people, toys, and the exciting sights on a stroll to the park. This last sensation, vision, proved to be so good at providing important information that we focused on this more and more, using vision as our primary conscious means of learning about the world. Therefore, visual input became a priority; eye contact became essential for communication, recognizing letters for learning, and watching our step for safety.
Children with Autism have their own priorities. They may prefer the sense of smell over vision, like Billy, who would rather smell than look at a person. Or, like Jessica, they would much rather rock back and forth than attend to what is being said, since the sensation of body movement really feels good to them. While this may look unusual to the outsider, it provides us the opportunity to understand our children better.
As parents and teachers, we need to recognize these behaviors as expressions of preferred sensory channels, and use them to build our communication, in other words, develop our skills at speaking "Sensorish". The child is saying to you: "This is my language; this is how I relate to the world."
What you can do:
How can you use "Sensorish" to communicate?
First, sharpen your observation to recognize the preferred channel. What arouses your child's interest? What does she do to comfort herself? We already identified that Billy's channel is the sense of smell, and Jessica's the feeling of movement. Here are some other examples: A child who likes to hop up and down may need some trampoline time with you, a child who scratches or hits himself may ask to be held closely or be massaged.
Once you have identified the preferred sensation, there are two ways in which you can begin to use this, by "switching channels", or by "coupling channels": By "switching channels", you may move your communication to the child's preferred channel. If Billy would rather smell than look, let's provide him with interesting smells when you play with him. You can use different aromatic essences, creams, magic markers with fruit smells, or add aromas to toys by spraying them with essential oils, etc. (of course, check out any allergies before using this, and use only if the child is not mouthing toys). You may be surprised by your child's level of interest, attention span, and motivation to participate in play with you.
By "coupling channels", we describe the process by which you combine the child's preferred channel with another channel. If Jessica would rather rock than listen, let's combine the two. Tell her stories, or sing songs, while she is in your lap in a rocking chair, or in a swing. Gradually, you may find that you can reduce some of the movement, and she may show more interest in just listening.
Now that you know what sensory input "turns your child on", you may also use sensory activities as a reward for a difficult task, for example, application of special skin cream after washing hands independently. And finally, you may choose to just spend some special one-on-one time with your child engaging in activities in the sensory language that you both understand.
Sensory Diet:
While vision appears to have become the dominant "sensory channel" in our society, it is important to remember that we continue to use all of our other senses. In fact, it is essential that we all get a balanced "sensory diet" every day. For instance if we sit still all day long in front of a computer, we will feel the need to stretch and "feed ourselves" the sensation of limb movement through a brisk walk of work-out in the gym.
On the other hand, if we take in too much of a particular sensation, such as the overwhelming visual stimuli of rush hour traffic, we may have to - once we get into the driveway - digest the experience by closing our eyes and tuning everything out.
Children with Autism often live with an imbalance in sensory diet. Because of the unique way their nervous systems identify and interpret sensation, they may react differently to sensory experiences than you would expect. Jamie, whom we met at the beginning of this article, may not be getting in enough sensation to keep him in an alert state. When he is confronted with a task that requires attention, he may flap his wrists and wave his arms to "wake himself up".
Luis, whom we also met earlier, perceives being touched lightly on the shoulder as very irritating, and even threatening – more sensation all at once than he can handle. The intensity of this experience is comparable to our hearing chalk squeak on the blackboard – it stops us in our tracks and we will do anything to make it go away! If we watch our children carefully, we can find clues as to what they have figured out to balance their sensory diets. Some have ways of alerting themselves, so that they can be ready to interact.
Some have identified ways of "make it go away", and to calm themselves down. Unfortunately, many of these behaviors appear unusual to the outsider and are disruptive to other children, and some are even harmful (such as head banging, or pulling hair). Therefore, based on the clues they give us, we need to offer our children alternate means of providing themselves the sensory input they need to balance their diet.
What you can do:
Observe what your child does when he gets upset or overwhelmed, identify the sensory channel that works for your child, and think of ways to provide the desired "sensory food". Let's look at some examples by starting with Luis and Jamie:
We have heard that Luis likes to throw himself in a bean bag chair when he is touched. Aha! Now we know it is the deep pressure sensation that helps Luis "erase" the bad feeling of the initial touch! We can now provide that sensation in more appropriate ways; through deep bear hugs, by teaching him how to "rub himself down" using a terry cloth, or by providing a heavy "comfort jacket".
Jamie, as we have observed, likes to flap his wrists and wave his arms when he is asked to do table-top work. Now we know that pressure and movement to the joints makes him feel more alert. We can offer him squeezable toys, such as stuffed animals or balls, provide play dough or thera-putty, or ask him to help with household activities that involve pushing or pulling heavy objects, such as setting up furniture, pulling a garden cart, or taking the garbage can to the curb.
Here are some other examples:
Does your child bang her hands against her ears? She may be overwhelmed with sounds and benefit from ear muffs that block out noises. Does he run into a corner and hide his face? He may need a quiet area, such as a refrigerator box with pillows, to "regroup". Does he pull at his hair? He may need intensified tactile sensation, such as a body rub or a "brushing down".
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
comments? | |
|
|
|
|
Invaluable Solutions : Ideas on Autism: Building sensory communication with your child
|
|
|
Posted by sylvia on Saturday, August 06, 2005 (11:09:35)
PregnancyAndBaby.com
By Kerstin Potter MS OTR
Sensory Preferences:
Jessica is four and likes to rock; if not involved in other things, she sits in a corner holding her favorite toy and sways back and forth. Billy is three and likes smells; rather than greeting a person by making eye contact, he will reach for the clothing and sniff it. When Jamie, five years old, is asked to attend to a table-top activity, he responds by flapping his wrists and waving his arms. Luis, at six, can't stand to be touched; if another child brushes against him, he throws himself into a beanbag chair and covers himself with a blanket.
Why are these children doing such unusual things? While parents and experts agree that many of our children with Autism-related conditions show unusual behavior, there are various interpretations as to why. Some will call these behaviors "maladaptive" and will aim to eliminate them through behavior training. Some believe that the child is seeking attention, and will ignore them.
Professionals using a sensory processing/integration approach, however, interpret the behaviors as a language which children use to communicate their wants and needs to those around them. If we can learn this language, we can start building new ways of communicating with our children.
Each of us has a unique way of taking in sensory information from the world around us and from within our bodies, so that we can interpret what is going on, and relate to the world. As babies, most of us enjoyed the touch and smells of our parents, and the sensation of movement as we were being rocked or driven in a car. We loved feeling our limbs move and spent hours kicking our legs in the air. We then added the ability focus on sounds around us, distinguishing voices, recognizing music, and knowing to ignore background noises. While we could always see, we gradually used our vision more effectively to identify the world out of reach, - people, toys, and the exciting sights on a stroll to the park.
This last sensation, vision, proved to be so good at providing important information that we focused on this more and more, using vision as our primary conscious means of learning about the world. Therefore, visual input became a priority; eye contact became essential for communication, recognizing letters for learning, and watching our step for safety.
Children with Autism have their own priorities. They may prefer the sense of smell over vision, like Billy, who would rather smell than look at a person. Or, like Jessica, they would much rather rock back and forth than attend to what is being said, since the sensation of body movement really feels good to them. While this may look unusual to the outsider, it provides us the opportunity to understand our children better.
As parents and teachers, we need to recognize these behaviors as expressions of preferred sensory channels, and use them to build our communication, in other words, develop our skills at speaking "Sensorish". The child is saying to you: "This is my language; this is how I relate to the world."
What you can do:
How can you use "Sensorish" to communicate?
First, sharpen your observation to recognize the preferred channel. What arouses your child's interest? What does she do to comfort herself? We already identified that Billy's channel is the sense of smell, and Jessica's the feeling of movement. Here are some other examples: A child who likes to hop up and down may need some trampoline time with you, a child who scratches or hits himself may ask to be held closely or be massaged.
Once you have identified the preferred sensation, there are two ways in which you can begin to use this, by "switching channels", or by "coupling channels": By "switching channels", you may move your communication to the child's preferred channel.
If Billy would rather smell than look, let's provide him with interesting smells when you play with him. You can use different aromatic essences, creams, magic markers with fruit smells, or add aromas to toys by spraying them with essential oils, etc. (of course, check out any allergies before using this, and use only if the child is not mouthing toys). You may be surprised by your child's level of interest, attention span, and motivation to participate in play with you.
By "coupling channels", we describe the process by which you combine the child's preferred channel with another channel.
If Jessica would rather rock than listen, let's combine the two. Tell her stories, or sing songs, while she is in your lap in a rocking chair, or in a swing. Gradually, you may find that you can reduce some of the movement, and she may show more interest in just listening.
Now that you know what sensory input "turns your child on", you may also use sensory activities as a reward for a difficult task, for example, application of special skin cream after washing hands independently. And finally, you may choose to just spend some special one-on-one time with your child engaging in activities in the sensory language that you both understand.
Sensory Diet:
While vision appears to have become the dominant "sensory channel" in our society, it is important to remember that we continue to use all of our other senses. In fact, it is essential that we all get a balanced "sensory diet" every day. For instance if we sit still all day long in front of a computer, we will feel the need to stretch and "feed ourselves" the sensation of limb movement through a brisk walk of work-out in the gym. On the other hand, if we take in too much of a particular sensation, such as the overwhelming visual stimuli of rush hour traffic, we may have to - once we get into the driveway - digest the experience by closing our eyes and tuning everything out.
Children with Autism often live with an imbalance in sensory diet. Because of the unique way their nervous systems identify and interpret sensation, they may react differently to sensory experiences than you would expect.
Jamie, whom we met at the beginning of this article, may not be getting in enough sensation to keep him in an alert state. When he is confronted with a task that requires attention, he may flap his wrists and wave his arms to "wake himself up".
Luis, whom we also met earlier, perceives being touched lightly on the shoulder as very irritating, and even threatening – more sensation all at once than he can handle. The intensity of this experience is comparable to our hearing chalk squeak on the blackboard – it stops us in our tracks and we will do anything to make it go away! If we watch our children carefully, we can find clues as to what they have figured out to balance their sensory diets.
Some have ways of alerting themselves, so that they can be ready to interact. Some have identified ways of "make it go away", and to calm themselves down. Unfortunately, many of these behaviors appear unusual to the outsider and are disruptive to other children, and some are even harmful (such as head banging, or pulling hair). Therefore, based on the clues they give us, we need to offer our children alternate means of providing themselves the sensory input they need to balance their diet.
What you can do:
Observe what your child does when he gets upset or overwhelmed, identify the sensory channel that works for your child, and think of ways to provide the desired "sensory food". Let's look at some examples by starting with Luis and Jamie:
We have heard that Luis likes to throw himself in a bean bag chair when he is touched. Aha! Now we know it is the deep pressure sensation that helps Luis "erase" the bad feeling of the initial touch! We can now provide that sensation in more appropriate ways; through deep bear hugs, by teaching him how to "rub himself down" using a terry cloth, or by providing a heavy "comfort jacket".
Jamie, as we have observed, likes to flap his wrists and wave his arms when he is asked to do table-top work. Now we know that pressure and movement to the joints makes him feel more alert. We can offer him squeezable toys, such as stuffed animals or balls, provide play dough or thera-putty, or ask him to help with household activities that involve pushing or pulling heavy objects, such as setting up furniture, pulling a garden cart, or taking the garbage can to the curb.
Here are some other examples:
Does your child bang her hands against her ears?
She may be overwhelmed with sounds and benefit from ear muffs that block out noises. Does he run into a corner and hide his face? He may need a quiet area, such as a refrigerator box with pillows, to "regroup". Does he pull at his hair? He may need intensified tactile sensation, such as a body rub or a "brushing down".
Summary
In this article, we have looked at using sensation as a way to increase our communication with our children. Identifying the preferred sensory channel can help us develop skills in "Sensorish". By either "switching channels" or "coupling channels", we may discover new ways to make contact. By observing a child's reactions to overwhelming stimuli, we can help him develop safe and effective coping mechanisms.
In summary, our children are giving us clues all the time; we just need to learn to read them! By opening our eyes to the world of sensory communication, it is hoped that this article has provided some ideas to help you and your child understand each other in new ways.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
comments? | |
|
|
|
|
Invaluable Solutions : Controlling self-injurious and assaultive behavior in autism
|
|
|
Posted by Sylvia on Tuesday, January 06, 2004 (12:50:06)
Bernard Rimland, Ph.D.
Nothing is more difficult for the parents of autistic children to tolerate than self-injurious and assaultive behavior (SIB/A).
SIB/A behaviors are unpleasant to observe, to think about, or to discuss, but they do exist, and must be dealt with. Some autistic children hit their heads against walls or floors so hard that they have fractured their skulls, detached their retinas, or caused deafness.
Others hit themselves with their fists or their knees so hard that they have broken noses, deformed ears, and even blinded themselves. Some children bite themselves and others, and hit other children and their parents with such violence they have broken bones.
The first approach, when one is confronted with SIB/A, is to try to determine why the child is engaging in those activities. Is it pain or frustration that is causing the child to strike out at himself or at others? One nonverbal child was severely self-injurious from age 2 to 18, when it was discovered that he had been suffering from a very painful mastoid infection.
Many medical examinations had failed to disclose this source of severe pain. Try to find a physician who is the parent of an autistic or other handicapped child to do an extremely careful medical exam to determine if there is a cause of pain underlying the intolerable behavior. Tim Buie, M.D., has found that undetected stomach pain has caused SIB in his autistic patients.
A good deal of time and attention have been devoted to methods of dealing with these terrible problems, including:
1.Behavior modification using positive enforcement only. This approach is certainly to be recommended if and when it works, but there are many instances when it does not work. A review of the literature by the Association for Persons With Severe Handicaps (TASH) found that positive reinforcement is effective approximately 60% of the time. We are concerned with the other 40%.
2. Aversives. While many people are ideologically opposed to aversives, a blue-ribbon government panel investigated this problem and concluded that there were many instances where aversives were the preferred approach, in those many cases where positive reinforcement does not work.
3. Drugs. Many drugs, including most recently Naltrexone, have been partially effective in some cases. However, most drugs bring about their own problems, which are by no means trivial.
4. Correcting body chemistry, through the use of nutritional supplements, or by detoxifying the body of toxic elements such as mercury, is an under-utilized alternative.
Detoxification: Amy Holmes, M.D., who has treated many hundreds of autistic children for mercury poisoning, reports that while the best improvement in terms of speech, sociability, cognitive gain, etc., is seen in the younger children, teenagers often show a marked and very welcome reduction in SIB/A when the mercury is removed.
Vitamin B6 and magnesium, and DMG (dimethylglycine): Over the past 40 years I have encountered a great many cases of severely SIB/A individuals who have responded wonderfully well to nutritional supplementation, particularly high dose B6 and magnesium, and DMG. Surprisingly, these improvements have been seen not only in autistic individuals, but in girls with Rett syndrome and boys with Fragile X syndrome, as well as children with Angelman syndrome. A few sample cases:
Case 1: Anthony, an 18-year-old autistic man in England, was so violent that he had to be institutionalized. At the institution he broke seven windows in three minutes, and tried to attack women sexually, requiring severe restraints. Drugs did not work, and his mother, who runs an organization to support research in autism in the U.K., contacted me for help. I suggested high-dose vitamin B6 and magnesium. The result was miraculous.
When Anthony was taken on a train trip, his parents forgot to bring along the vitamins. The next day, he again became “a raging beast.†I was invited to speak at the institution where Anthony resided, and took the opportunity to meet him and discuss his case with the staff. All agreed that Anthony had shown remarkable improvement when given the high-dose vitamin B6/magnesium.
Case 2: Some years ago I was asked to speak in Caracas, Venezuela, by Dr. Lilia Negron. Dr. Negron introduced me by telling the audience, and me, about an autistic young man whose mother had come crying to Lilia’s office trying to get help for her son. He was about to be evicted from the third mental hospital, since even massive amounts of drugs did not control him, and he was too violent to be kept in the hospital.
Dr. Negron tried the B6 and magnesium as a last resort. The young man calmed down quickly. Dr. Negron reported at the meeting that she had recently visited the family, and had found him to now be a pleasant and easy-going fellow who sang and played his guitar for her.
Case 3: The boy’s mother told me that he was considered to be the most severely self-injurious and assaultive autistic person in her state-a very large state. Nothing would stop his self-injurious behavior. The drugs he was given had such an adverse effect on his heart that increasing the dosage would probably kill him, yet his self-injurious behavior continued. The mother was so distraught that she had seriously considered killing both her son and herself because she could no longer tolerate the situation.
She tried the B6 and magnesium, with incredibly good results in a short time. She was elated. However, she called me back a year or so later to tell me that he had started hitting himself again. I suggested she switch to P5P, a different type of vitamin B6, rather than pyridoxine hydrochloride, since that might make the difference. I have not heard from her whether that change helped. Research is needed.
Case 4: Michael was a 180-pound, 18-year-old autistic young man who had broken his mother’s jaw and beaten his father so badly that he had missed work for several days. The police had been called on a number of occasions, when he flew into one of his rages. Ed Kitt, the principal of the school in Las Vegas that he attended, told the family to contact me for advice.
I suggested the B6 and magnesium, as well as DMG, and the results were nothing short of miraculous. Michael’s very good and pleasant behavior has continued now for a number of years. He continues to take massive amounts of B6 and magnesium (1500mg of B6, 700mg of magnesium) and 18 DMG tablets per day. The father told me that these nutrients are expensive, but he is glad to pay for them. They are less expensive than the drugs he had been buying, and certainly much more effective, safer, and more helpful for his son.
Rett’s Syndrome: Several years ago I received a phone call from a mother telling me that her teenage Rett’s syndrome daughter was gouging her eyes, and hitting herself very severely, with great likelihood of bodily damage. I suggested the B6 and magnesium, and DMG.
Several months later I got an excited phone call from Kathy Hunter, president of the Rett’s Syndrome Association, who told me about a Rett’s syndrome girl who had been severely self-injurious, and had been helped enormously with nutritional supplements. She gave me the mother’s phone number. When I called, it turned out to be the mother whom I had spoken with earlier.
Angelman’s Syndrome: A number of mothers who had attended a convention of the Angelman’s Syndrome Association called to tell me that they had been told of an Angelman’s child who had been hitting himself, scratching and biting his mother, and generally being quite aggressive. DMG brought about excellent results, so other mothers also tried DMG and got the same results.
I asked them the name of the national authority on Angelman’s and wrote to that physician, asking if he would be willing to collaborate on a study of DMG’s effects on self-injurious behavior in Angelman’s syndrome. I have never received a reply.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Read More... | 7 comments | |
|
|
|
|
|
Latest: 
New Today: 0
New Yesterday: 0
Overall: 11466
Members: 0
Visitors: 16
Total: 16
1: