Summer Goals

I have taken a few weeks off from blogging working on other projects. One of those has been building my knowledge on executive functioning. I have had a lot of interest in this subject because of my son's weaknesses in managing his belongings over the years. When he went to away to college last year, he received weekly executive Functioning support. It has made such a difference. 

Over the last few years I have been able to attend some executive skills trainings. I started about three years ago attending Minnesota Autism Society's training by Jill Kuzma. Since that time I have read and listened to anything I could find on this subject. Recently, I was able to attend a seminar led by Sarah Ward. It was truly a game changer for me.

Over the next several weeks, a summer goal is to help students and parents understand how executive functioning affects life more than one would think. Summer is such a great time to work on this area because the schedule is more laid back and no pressing academic demands. It will be fun to see the gains and how they help once the fall schedule and schoolwork begins.

Next week, we'll jump into helping your child remediate some lacking skills in this area.


- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad

It's All About the One That's Loved

This month, I see a lot of posts to express the fact it is autism awareness month. I know there are tons of disabilities with awareness days and months but autism is the one in my life. It affects me as a mom of a young man who was diagnosed on the spectrum just about 14 years ago. I have spent many days praying for him, learning strategies and attempting to use those strategies to help him. I've cried many tears on his behalf. I've tried lots of things. Some have worked, some have not. He has made some amazing progress through the years. I'm not finished. I am learning new ways to help him develop his own abilities. 

 

Interestingly, I have made many mom friends who walk a similar path. Our children have different needs. As mothers, we have different passions. Some love one autism organization and another mom doesn't want anything to do with that group. As with anything else in life, opinions differ on views of autism. There is definitely a"spectrum" of thoughts regarding this diagnosis by parents.

Some parents are politically involved. Others organize fund raisers. Still others start support groups for parents. My passion is working with children who have autism and helping families develop a lifestyle that helps them progress. I believe the day-in day-out life of a family affected by autism is a key to progress.

I have to admit, I don't get involved in some of the controversial discussions that are appearing online this month. I have found that I have to concentrate on my passion and calling in autism. Others may have different interests as an autism parent. I have a strong conviction that my calling is not anyone else's. It is important that I give other autism moms the freedom to pursue their passion and calling. No one needs to be me and I don't have to do things just like someone else. This is true in all of life. It is also true in the world of being a disability mom. Allow yourself the freedom to be yourself while doing the same for your friends.


- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad

Routines

I love spontaneity but too much drives me crazy! I need a little bit of it along with a lot of routine.  If this is true for me as a neuro 

-typical adult, It is really true for a child who has some learning differences.  Why?  

1.  I have more life experiences than a child so I know what to expect in a variety of situations so veering away from a routine doesn't create confusion and stress.  

2.  A child with learning differences needs a way to predict what will come next.  A routine that is practiced over and over helps this child to know how to  do this.  It lowers anxiety and builds confidence.  

3.  Children with learning differences often struggle with putting events, objects and people in categories.  The ability to categorize can be seen as a file folder of information stored in the brain.  This enables working memory to work smarter rather than harder when asked to retrieve information.  Routines help a child store information of in a "file folder."

   

So let's get started!  Many children have a hard time learning routines if they are only present through verbal prompting.  A visual routine enables a child to have a lasting reminder of what to do next.  This enables the child to internalize the elements of the routine and develop independence.  

A visual routine can come in lots of forms:  a picture schedule with or without words, a schedule app, a list of words on a white board or a sticky note.  The visual routine displayed may require a response like a ✅ or pulling off a Velcro schedule piece and placing it in a "all done" compartment.  A visual routine will look differently depending on various criteria like age, communication or academic ability. 

The important thing to remember teaching a child routine is that he/she needs to understand and connect to the way it's presented.  Teaching routines requires a significant amount of effort but it does pay itself forward.  

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad

Motivation: Key to a Child's Progress

Motivation is a key to helping any child to push through to the next big thing. This is not only true for children with learning differences, it's ESSENTIAL! But how do I motivate a child who does not want to try new things? Great question! One problem: there are as many answers as there are children. With that said, there are a few principles from the study of behavior that are helpful.

1. A child with a learning differences often needs an external motivator. It would be great if she wanted.to learn to tie her shoes because she is self motivated and wants to do it herself. That would be nice but it doesn't often happen with this child.

2. First....Then. Is often a great strategy. IF you try to tie your shoes 10 times THEN you will be able to use your Leapster toy for five minutes. This encourages perseverance when a child wants to give up. Perseverance is vital if she is going to learn non-preferred tasks that are difficult for her.

3. Find a very strong motivator for the child to earn. This motivator may wane in its power to get this child to persevere and work hard. If this happens, a parent needs to find a new motivator. Some children need frequent tweaks to this. It is often called a reinforcer. It may take work finding the "right" reinforcer now. Just because it works now doesn't mean it will last for long. If it ceases to motivate, find a new reinforcer that's more powerful.

4. Isolate the reinforcer. If it is the most motivating thing for this child, he can only have access to it by doing the hard thing that is being asked. If he has access to the reinforcer any other way, it loses its power to motivate in this situation. If the reinforcer is 5 minutes playing his favorite video game, he should only be able to play this game by doing this skill. If he has 15 minutes on this game after school then it will not be as motivating.

I would love to hear from you about things that have worked in motivating your child. Please share comments and questions.



- Posted using BlogPress from my iPa

Writing a Thanksgiving Social Story

As discussed in previous days, holidays are tough when parenting a child with learning differences.  I have plenty of “things that went wrong” stories at holiday celebrations.  Let’s not concentrate on those because I bet you do too!  Let’s concentrate on planning for a better time!  Below is a format for writing a easy social story for a holiday event.  

On _________________    morning we will get up, get dressed, eat breakfast and then leave for _______________  house.  We will ride in the car for one hour.  It will go fast because we will watch__________________ in the van on the way there.  

When we arrive at ________________ house, we will get out of the car and go into the house.  We will go upstairs to ______________ bedroom and I will start a video for you to watch with a snack.  Your cousins__________, _____________, and ___________  will watch the movie with you.  We may need to stop the movie before it’s done but I will give you a warning before I stop it.  After we eat lunch, you will be able to come upstairs and finish the movie.  

When it’s time for lunch, Dad will come get you and bring you to the kitchen.  We will stand in a circle and hold hands and pray.  Mom will sit with you in the kitchen and dad will get your food.  Dad will sit with you while mom gets her food.  When you finish your food, you can go upstairs and finish the movie with your cousins.  

When the movie is finished, we will leave to go home.  You can play on the IPad on the way home.

What Does "Pay Attention" Mean?

Have you ever told your child to “pay attention?”  I know I have?  What’s wrong with that statement?  First, if your child is more literal in his  understanding of language, he may not “get” what “pay” attention means?  Even if he understands what this phrase means he may not have any idea how to do it or when he must do it.  So how do I quit wasting my breath and help my child to increase his attention?

First, I need to understand what activates attention.  Here are some things that attention includes

1.Sustain attention and filter:  maintain alertness, filter out distractions that compete for attention, resist distractions.

2.Shift attention:  if attention is shifted too quickly, distraction occurs,  if attention is shifted too slowly, inattention occurs, if individual is unable to shift attention, he   perseverates and is rigid thinker.

Strategies to try:

 Use fill in blank with in conversation, worksheets and reading to help the child narrow down what he must listen and pay attention in order to get the answer.

·       Explicit teaching about ignoring: when, how, who and when not to.  Ignoring takes perspective taking, social filter and frustration skills. Practice ignoring.  Teach self- monitoring.

·      For difficulty in shifting attention, give a warnings-we will have to transition to the next station in 3 minutes.  Use a timer that gives a visual and auditory cue when it’s time to transition.  A transition card or object helps some children especially if they are young.

Attention is an executive functioning skill.  I’ve probably frustrated my son many times by attempting to help him in ways that “don’t help.”  These ideas are just a few to get you started with strategies that may be more effective than “Can’t you pay attention to what you are doing?” 

Behavior Basics #5 Prepare, Prepare, Prepare!

Prepare, Prepare, Prepare.  That is my number 1 rule of parenting a child on the autism spectrum.  How!  Rehearse what will happen in public/social situations. Explain what will happen at school, church, health care providers, grandparent’s house, birthday party.  Explain, roleplay, read books, write social stories, have siblings help.  Whatever you can do to prepare your child for anything that has elements that are not always predictable, do it.

A few helpful hints

1.Explain the  scenario (include as many details as you can think)

2.Share what to do if the plan changes (if it snows, we will do……instead of …..

3.Share:  SOMETIMES THE PLAN CHANGES 

4.Give him the plan in a visual format

5.Check for understanding by asking him questions

These steps won’t ensure success.  The likelihood is much greater, though. 

 

Overload

Have you ever felt like your child was doing ok considering all that was going on around him?   Then the “bliss” came to a screeching halt.  The meltdown or shutdown started and there was nothing you could do to stop it.  Why do certain things overload some children and what can we do to help them before overload occurs.  Over the next four Tuesdays, we’ll look over some areas that can cause overload and some strategies that might help.

1.     Noise

2.    Tactile/Texture

3.    Verbal Processing

4.    Visual

Let me know if you have other areas that cause overload in the form of a meltdown or shutdown.  Let’s explore them and see if we can find some solutions.

 

Calendars and Visual Schedules

When we talk about visuals, here are some things to remember. 

  CLEARLY DEFINE WHAT NEEDS TO BE DONE. If your child is young then this will be much easier to do.   The older the child is, the more finesse is needed.  We need to look at this from a big picture and a small picture standpoint.  I could help by looking at your child’s  schedule and homework for the week and/or month and developing a calendar.  If his learning style is more visual, a calendar is much more important.  This will help him “see” what is coming up and that he has 2 tests, an English paper and a social studies project due during the week before spring break.  If he “sees it”  it is amazing how much easier it is to get many children to comply.  If he’s not “buying,” little progress will be made.     This is something an adult may need to do for him for a while.  The goal will be to transfer it to him to maintain eventually but that probably isn’t realistic in the beginning.    

TIME EACH ACTIVITY including preparation (when do I need to start getting ready for soccer if I leave at 5:00.)    This helps the child to stay on track and learn how long typical activities take.  This will bring lots of benefit including less conflict.

 USE WEEKLY SCHEDULE during a planning time once a week.  This planning time is essential to make sure everything on the schedule for the coming week has been adequately communicated or changed.  This time will help the schedule to work and cut conflicts down if everyone is on the same page and understands the expectations associated with the schedule.

Structure and Predictability: People

Last week we looked at structuring the home environment to help a child predict what will happen next.  Structure and predictability must be found in people that the child inacts as well as the physical structure of a room or home.  People will never be as predictable as “things” can be.  There are a few ways that will help individuals become more predictable to others. 

 It’s important to remember that the result of structure is to enable others to predict how we will respond and act in common situations. This is achieved through adults that have a calm demeanor. The adult must be organized enough to have the margins to be flexible.  I can’t stress this enough. Flexibility comes through maintaining some margins in your schedule and responsibilities.  If the adult is stressed, no flexibility will occur.  Flexibility with consistency in patience, calmness and follow through is necessary. Organization and flexibility:  together, a winning combination.

 

Structure and Predictability Part 1

 Today, we will begin to set the stage for accommodations and strategies for many diverse learners.

We want to look at structure and prectability. Structure is the manner something is built or arranged.  Predictability is the ability to know what will come next.   Learning different children need a framework to give them the ability to predict what will happen. Why? It lessens anxiety, increases productivity and helps fill in the gaps with any deficits in organizational and executive skills.

Structure and predictability are achieved through various ways but we will consider the first today; organization of the physical environment. A schedule that is visually displayed helps a child predict what will happen and when. It takes away the anxiety of "what do I have to do?" It communicates information in a way that is a lasting reminder of what to do.

   For free resources online, check out my pinterest boards of visuals.

http://pinterest.com/rsonepiece/visual-supports/
http://pinterest.com/rsonepiece/labels-visual-directions/  http://pinterest.com/rsonepiece/sharing-the-agenda/

Verbal instructions often get lost as the instructions "evaporate in the thin air" with no lasting reminder of what is coming. Other visuals can help communicate expectations, rewards and consequences in a way that brings understanding. 

Designated work areas also provide a structure of what will be done in a certain location. This will decrease negative behavior once the structure is learned. The structure provides a framework were learning happens easily. Think of it as when we teach the "structure," the child is learning "how to learn.'  He must learn the structure before he can learn skills.