This is Adina Rich’s second guest blog for AutismSpot. Adina is a mother of three and is the Chief Education Officer at Rich Educational Consulting. You can read her first guest post HERE. We welcome your comments below. Also, we welcome your comments and thoughts on Facebook and Twitter.
HOW TO ENSUSRE THE NEEDS OF YOUR CHILD BE MET IN THE SCHOOL SETTING
By Adina Rich “…People say believe half of what you see,
Son, and none of what you hear.
I can't help bein' confused
If it's true please tell me dear?... Cuz I heard it through the grapevine.”
These are the lines of a popular song from the 60’s sung by the late Marvin Gaye, but could just as easily have been written today about programming for kids with ASD. School districts often have difficulty recognizing what an individual child with ASD needs based upon their observations and parent feedback - not on what they’ve “heard” works with kids with ASD.
Having choices in life is a luxury. Choosing what you will eat for breakfast, what career you will pursue, which friends you will keep up with over time are luxuries that some with Autism will never know. Choices.
Let's consider some of the different parenting profiles that exist and the choices parents make that give them one of these labels. Although this isn't an exhaustive list (because I made it up), it captures a fair amount of the different profiles that represent parenting styles we see every day.
There is the parent that is...
1) over scheduled and likes to tell the world
Friendship is that special connection between two or more people that we all get to experience and enjoy. Making and keeping friends requires the most complex set of skills that we have. As one of my clients said “making friends is easy; keeping them is hard”. Why? Because we have to be able to think about the other person’s needs, to listen to our friends even when we are not in the mood, we have to put up with their ups and downs, we have to support them when they are in need and accept them even when they make mistakes. Friendship needs to be maintained by all parties involved…
All martial arts programs help children improve focus, respect, coordination, and help keep them physically fit. Mark shares what parents should look for in choosing a school for their child. He also discusses on-going instructor training.
Mr. McGee gives you three things to look for in selecting a Martial Arts program. Learn the importance of discipline and how Martial Arts can help children with ASD to gain discipline and patience.
Kate, an experienced Occupational Therapist, shares simple ways to work on balance and coordination at home, and other developmental milestones, by making it fun and relevant to your child's interests.
Repeating play during play therapy reinforces the same play skill or interaction to help the child become comfortable and confident in their new skills.
Laura shares the importance of using Play Therapy in the introduction of new activities, games, and social behaviors that may typically be difficult for a child with Autism. Learn strategies and how to set your child up for success by implementing Play Therapy into your home program.
