Peter enjoying his last summer days before school starts
I know a lot of little people who are starting kindergarten this week or next. It’s difficult to process; let alone taking the steps to prepare our children for this next big adventure in their lives. This begs the question: Is my child ready? I think anyone who is heavily invested in a child who is entering kindergarten this year harbors this secret fear.
My grandson Peter is an entering kindergartener. He can write his name; through I’m not confident he knows every letter in the alphabet. He attended an excellent NC PreK program last year and his teachers report that his social interactions and self-regulation skills are fairly spot-on. This is good to hear, since strong social skills and emotional development are so important for kindergarten success.
Still, they’re so little. How much do they really know about the world? Here we are, sending them on their way. I wish you well, Peter, and all your little cohorts too. I wish you all the best.
This cute and to-the-point video shows ten things that are important to keep in mind, whether you are a parent of a child with Autism or you, like myself, work with children on the Spectrum.
It can be easy to forget, so here is a reminder.
1. Children are not "autistic," they have Autism. We work with and love children with Autism. The disorder does not define the child, it is simply part of them and their personality.
2. While you and I may not notice lights, sounds, smells, etc., many children with Autism are over- or under- sensitive to those things. They may be overwhelmed by the buzzing of an air conditioner in another room or by the lights in Walmart. Some children love to cuddle and need that sensory pressure to calm themselves.
3. Don't get frustrated if the child does not listen to directions. They may not understand what you are asking of them. Really get to know your child and understand their individual abilities. Push them to reach their potential, at reasonable increments.
4. Children with Autism think differently than many of us. They are concrete thinkers, meaning that they take things more literally than we might. Saying, "hold your horses" to a child with Autism could possibly confuse them and ask, "Where are the horses?"
5. Young children with Autism have limited vocabulary. While they may have previously had hundreds of words, they could have regressed and are now having a very difficult time expressing their wants and needs to you. Not being able to communicate causes frustration; frustration, just like we feel in the middle of an argument in which the other person does not understand what we are trying to communicate.
6. Again, people with Autism think differently than most of us. Many children on the Spectrum think visually and have a spatial learning style, meaning that they learn better when they can see what is being taught. Repetition and visual aids helps these children understand the concepts that you are trying to teach them.
7. Find each child's strengths, it isn't that difficult. EVERY child has many strengths. Build on what your child can do, in their own special way.
8. Social interactions can be difficult for children with Autism. Encourage socialization and group participation. Teach your young child how to play reciprocally; teach them how to play WITH you, not just alongside you. Use Social Stories to teach your child about specific situations, such as how to start a conversation. You can also use Social Stories to teach the correct solutions to situations that children have difficulty with, such as using the potty or banging their head.
9. Pay attention to your child and their behavior before, during, and after meltdowns. You should eventually be able to identify triggers to those meltdowns. Once you know what is more likely to "set off" your child, you can work to control those factors. Meltdowns typically occur when your child becomes overwhelmed, such as sensory overload. An example would be a child having a meltdown in Walmart due to a combination of the bright lights and loud noise.
10. Children are children and we love them, whether they are our own or they are our students. Make the best out of the gift that you have been given. Imagine your child's potential and GO FOR IT! You are your child's best advocate.
I hope that this video served as a great reminder to you, as it did me.
If you go to you tube and type in the words “babies playing with iPad”, you’ll be able to watch many cute videos depicting children as young as two months old interacting with this relatively new device. What do we know about young children and computers, tablets, etc? Much of this technology is so new that there hasn’t been enough time yet for researchers to arrive at any conclusions. You might say that today’s young children are our “guinea pig” generation in regards to these new technologies. I think it might be good to think about the follow ideas:
1. Is the app developmentally appropriate for your child? (Chronological age and developmental age is not always the same.)
2. Are you interacting with your child while he or she is engaged with the tablet or computer game? It is much more meaningful and more significant to the child socially if your child is also engaging with you while involved with the technology.
3. How much “screen time” is your child exposed to each day? We’re not just talking about the television anymore, because screen time now also includes the computer, the video screen in the car that your child watches during transit times, not to mention your smart phone that you hand the child to keep him/her occupied in the car, the line at the grocery store or the waiting room at the doctor’s office. It all adds up, so please be mindful of how much screen time your young child is exposed to throughout the day.
4. Is stacking blocks from largest to smallest on an iPad game really the same as doing the same activity with real live 3D blocks? Not really. Yes, some of the same problem-solving elements are in effect with both activities, but what about fine motor development and how about the impact that gravity has on the old-fashioned, stack-the-blocks activity? I think that I’m going to defer to the real live version every time.
I’m not dissing technology. I own an iPad, and it sits on my nightstand and plays the sound of ocean waves throughout the night. I couldn’t sleep without it, and I have been known to fall asleep with my laptop on the bed. I’m just stressing that we need to be mindful about all the elements in our environment and the potential impact these influences are having on our children.
