Monday 30 July 2012

Flexible Thinking Series 3: Role Reversal

Role reversal encourages children with autism to adopt the role of an inquisitor, cultivating a skill necessary for daily living. The goals are many and include for the child to

1) master confidence in initiating communication instead of being prompted to be engaged in communication
2) develop interest in things and people around her
3) understand social rules and cues that facilitate more spontaneous partaking in activities with peers
4) develop better language skills through verbal and social interaction.
5) develop problem solving techniques by learning to ask questions and by demanding a response for the question posed.

And of course, challenges the child to think from another perspective, in another person's position. Children with autism often have difficulty putting themselves in another person's shoes as a result of rigid thought patterns that rely heavily on routines and structures. It also allows the child to feel a sense of achievement for being able to be in charge in the completion of a task. It puts the child in a limelight without too much expectations placed on them.

Role reversal activities
Mastered tasks. Provide sentence strips as visual cue and script to read from then while delivering instructions to the adult.

Play pretend. Taking turns to tell each other what to pretend. For example, "Mum, pretend that you are a chimpanzee!"

Just like pretend play but this one teaches the child reading skill as well. Have a pile of action verb word cards face down on the table. Take turns to flip one over and then deliver the instruction to the follower, "Dad, sing". Praise each other for the correct action done. Make mistakes sometimes so that the child can correct you, "No, try again".

Asking questions/ playing detective. The "Hide the Treasure" game. Take turns hiding puzzle around the room and asking each other "Where is the puzzle piece"? Praise and reward each other for puzzle pieces found.


There are many other tasks and activities that teach role reversal. Can you think of some? Why not send me some suggestions to my email at davensim@triumphantkids.com?

Also, please do visit my website www.triumphantkids.com and find out more about the services I provide.


Till the next post of the series, with deepest regards,
Daven.



www.triumphantkids.com Email me at davensim@triumphantkids.com


Sunday 29 July 2012

Stories as Learning Resources for Children with Autism

Why Stories are good tools for teaching children with autism?
Stories are like visual cues, providing the children with concrete illustration of concepts and events otherwise too abstract for them to fully understand. For example, someone may not understand why you feel upset about certain issues when you verbally express to them your opinions. However, if you show them a documentary that is engaging to their senses visually and mentally, they may be able to relate to your cause better.

Stories that are interesting and engaging or appeal to the children's interests are likely to bring across ideas and concepts more effectively than traditional classroom methods.
For example, children are seen to be more interactive when presented with medias that are plotted with story lines.

Stories have a structure from beginning to end. This gives children with autism a sense of security and comfort as they are able to witness for themselves the systematic unfolding of events and steps of concepts.

Stories allow children with autism to relate what they have read or seen to their everyday life. As stories present concepts in a more concrete manner, they are able to apply what they have absorbed into everyday living. Studies have shown that children are prone to imitate and learn from visuals and medias (good and bad) that they are exposed to. This is why it is important to write stories that encourage the behaviours you want the child to develop.

Stories provide a platform for children with autism to role play. More and more emphasis over the years have been placed on role playing as a method to learn social skills and communication for children with autism. Stories provide the scripts for such role play.

How to write stories?
One of the more popular story telling tool is the Social Stories created by Carol Grey. There are many websites online and books available on how to write tour own social stories. You might want to check this out. You can also find out more about Social Stories from the official Social Stories website, www.thegraycentre.org.

I usually write my own stories to work with my students. The stories are usually created according to the child's literary and understanding level. Events are laid out step by step to make them earning and understanding concrete for the child. Email or contact me for more ideas.

Stories can be used to target behavioural issues such as the following:

Saying hello
Using the public toilet
Staying calm
Talking politely
Etc...

I am sure there are many behaviours out there that need addressing an stories are indeed a great tool for teaching positive behaviours. No matter where uou are, if you have any questions or need help in developing a story for your child, email me at davensim@triumphantkids.com for a free consultation.

Till then, please visit my website, www.triumphantkids.com to find out more about the services I provide in Singapore.


With deepest regards,
Daven. :)




www.triumphantkids.com Email me at davensim@triumphantkids.com


Autism Support For Parents

From the day your child was diagnosed with autism, it seemed like your world was pushed into an area of disarray from then on. You are suddenly desperately in search of every information and support you could find  not just for your child, but you, and the family. However, you soon realize that despite the vast amount of resources out there, you still find it extremely difficult to get the answers to your burning questions. The most you could get out of are mostly "maybe, perhaps" when what you really want are "indeed, for certain"...

What were some of the concerns on your mind when your child was diagnosed with autism? How did you cope with the unexpected stress that came your way? Were you able to find the support to see you through the times filled with questions and uncertainty? If yes, from where and from whom did you find your support. Do you find that your concerns are less of a stress inducing issue over time. If so, was the support you have been receiving or have received the reason for the improvement in your perspective about autism and your child? If yes, how willing are you to share your experiences with other parents and caregivers so that they can benefit from your expertise?

Support. What Exactly Is It?
We often hear about this term called 'support' and yet we understand so little, and unfortunately get so little of it.

Support is actually a very broad term. When we talk about support, are we talking of emotional support, physical support or program implementation support? Are we talking about getting more information or getting hands on physical assistance? Do you need morale support or financial assistance?

It is really important to know what kind and what level of support each individual needs. Some people just need information while others may need more than just theoretical resources. Some parents may need that emotional support every now and then to let them feel and know that they are going the right direction but other than that are very good at finding and adopting teaching strategies for their children.


How Do We Identify the Kind of Support We Need?
Yet how many parents do go out there to actively seek the support that they need? And how many parents actually dismiss the the importance of having the necessary support, regardless of what kind it is that they need? Also, how many parents actually could identify the kind of support they truly need?

Perhaps it will be beneficial for you to sit down with your love ones and have a thorough discussion with them. Sometimes you may be so overwhelmed with so many things in life that your mind is too busy to ponder over more intimate and personal but nonetheless important issues such a your own well being. Maybe your love ones may be able to pinpoint the kind of support that you are lacking. Or maybe it's the lack of support from your live ones that you feel is lacking.
Once you are able to identify what kind of support do you exactly need, then seeking for that assistance could be so much easier.

Don't forget that there are professionals out there who may be able to help. What about friends or other parents out there with similar problems? With social networking websites such as Facebook, Twitter and the various Yahoo groups, seeking out specific support groups for your needs are made more convenient these days. Also don't undermine the power of familial support. It is one of the best kind of support anyone can get. If you think that you are not getting enough of it, maybe it is time to sit down with them and discuss about the issues at hand.


If you have any questions or suggestions, please do not hesistate to email me at davensim@triumphantkids.com. You can also find out about the services I provide on my website www.triumphantkids.com.

Till the next post, with deepest regards,
Daven. :)


Teaching Students with Autism: In the Classroom

I would like to dedicate this post to the teachers and professionals working with children with autism in the mainstream classroom. While visiting some of my students in school and gathering information from the teachers, one of the main challenges faced by the educators is having the necessary resources they need to support their students with autism. Thus it often appears that the children are not getting sufficient support in the classroom leading to many repercussions such as lack of learning opportunities or the incapability to absorb what were being taught in class.

Why are children with autism not getting sufficient support in class?

1) The class ratio of teacher to students is too big. Many classrooms have only one teacher to usually a class of more than 20 students in the pre primary level and up to 40 students from the primary level onwards! Imagine a teacher having to cope with that many kids at the same time in the span of a day. Although some schools, usually the international ones have one additional co-teacher in the class, the ratio is still too large as teaching resources are distributed equally among all students and not catered to just that one child with autism. Also remember that all children, not just ones with autism have attention deficit problem from time to time. It is indeed exhausting for a teacher to be on a lookout all the time for all the kids under her supervision.

2) Every child with autism possesses different personalities despite having the same diagnosis. Even a special needs teacher needs time over the school year to get to understand the kid she is working with. Also comparing the special needs classroom ratio to the mainstream classroom ratio, the mainstream school teacher has less time and resources to know her student with special needs as well as she may have want to. Furthermore there are instances when a teacher is adept at teaching a particular child with autism but is not when teaching another student with the same diagnosis. This is due to the different learning needs and behavioral patterns of the two children.

3) The demands of integration lies heavily on the class teacher.The mainstream classroom teacher further has to coordinate her efforts to cater to two groups of students - mainstream and special, leading to inequity in the distribution of attention due to the latter group being the minority.

4) Most mainstream teachers are untrained in working with children with autism. Mainstream teachers are usually equipped with the skills and knowledge to teach mainstream students with no particular special needs. It takes more than just a teaching diploma or degree to work with students with autism. Also, working with kids on the spectrum requires at least a couple of years of hands on experience in order to understand and learn about the unique culture of autism.

With the above being said, we must not declare the battle lost because it never is and never will be. There are many teachers who over the years adopted or devised strategies to cope with the demands of teaching and integration. Recently, more efforts have been taken by many school managements to provide learning support to their students with special needs. More teachers are also being sent for training while new job vacancies are made available to special needs aides who will be sent for training if they clinch the job offer. Things are certainly picking up in the area of special needs students' integration into the mainstream school setting.

However, there could still be a long way to go. To ensure that these students have the best support and learning years ahead of them, attitudes and further implementation of feasible strategies to benefit all parties involved (teachers, professionals, caregivers and of course, parents) are important considerations.


To find ot more about the services I provide, visit me at my website, www.triumphantkids.com or email me at davensim@triumphantkids.com.

Till then, with deepest regards,
Daven. :)


Special School for Your Child with Autism

While many parents aim for their children to access mainstream schooling, it is often feasible to consider special needs school as a stepping stone towards that goal.

Why Special School?
Your child will be allocated to a classroom that is conducive for his learning needs. The teacher to student ratio is low, enabling more teacher and student contact which means more learning hours. Your child will also be able to focus better due to lesser distraction as opposed to a large mainstream classroom setting.

The learning goals set for your child are realistic and achievable. As the programs set for your child is individualized, you are assured that she is learning at a pace that she can cope. Placing high expectations on a child may impede learning process as she may feel adverse towards learning in the long run.

The child is gradually equipped with the necessary skills to advance to learning environments that will place greater expectations on her. However, as she is allowed the time to learn and develop the necessary skills while attending special school, she may not find learning as adverse as if she was to be chucked into an environment which she is not ready to be in.

The Stigmas Associated with Special School.

"Special school impedes my child's learning progress".

You will instead be doing a great disservice to your child by placing her in a mainstream setting. Understand why it is difficult for your child to get the support she needs when she is in a mainstream classroom from my earlier post, Teaching Students with Autism: In the Classroom. Furthermore, special school teachers are trained to teach your child with special needs while mainstream teachers usually are not trained in this area. Who will you choose to work with your child? Someone with experience dealing with your child's needs or someone who is unsure of what autism or special needs is all about?

"My child cannot learn social skills in a special school"

Neither will your child be able to learn social skills in a mainstream setting. While integration is greatly beneficial for children with special needs and autism in learning social skills, with no fundamental skills in place, no amount of integration is going to help these children communicate effectively with their peers. These fundamental skills include language, understanding social cues and social rules. Children with special needs ate probably better off learning these skills from special education teachers who are trained and experienced in delivering these lessons. Furthermore, more often than not, your child's peers in the special education classroom may be more likely to communicate with your child in a level that is mutual and patient. Also, there are speech pathologists and psychologists attached to special schools. Your children will be able to access these professional services which most mainstream schools may lack.

"My child won't be able to keep up with his peers of the same age academically if he doesn't enroll for mainstream schooling now"

Children who access the mainstream school through the typical educational pathway are not guaranteed success for everything that they do. The ones who join mainstream schooling at a later age might not lose out as it is very common for people regardless of needs, to complete their tertiary or university education at a much later age than the common standard set. Placing a child in the mainstream school system to fail at every level because she is not ready for it yet is a waste of resources that could be better channel towards intervention services that are more beneficial to the child in the long run.

If parents are still worried about their children's progress or are concerned about the curriculum not challenging enough for their children's development, perhaps they hiring supplementary therapy or tutoring services might be a viable option. Usually these services will target skills that the children are still lacking and thus speed up their learning progress according to their learning needs and coping level.

With all the above being said, integration for the child with special needs into the mainstream environment may be viable in the long term. However, it is always important to measure the pros and cons before making a decision based on fear of losing out. Attending mainstream school can be a very stressful event for children with autism. How they are able to cope with the expectations placed on them and how they react emotionally to the mainstream surroundings are factors to deeply consider.


If you have any suggetions or questions, please do not hesitate to email me. You can also visit my website, www.triumphantkids.com to find out more about the services I provide.



Monday 9 July 2012

Visual Cues: The Misunderstood.

Why do we overlook the importance of visual cues?

Very often we regard visual cues as tools for children who are non-verbal as a communication mean. Many parents may at times feel that it is under the capability range of their children to be using visual cues since they are verbal. Other parents worry using visual cues might slow down or regress their children's language and communication level since they might be over relying on  or too comfortable with visuals rather than speech - "my child may choose to use visual cues instead of speaking".

Yet in my years of working with children, visual cues have often increased desire to communicate via speech or speech has generally improved with expression through the use of visual cues. More often than not, visual cues teach language by encouraging reading and acquisition of knowledge. For example, flash cards are a form of visual cues. We have no qualms about teaching new vocabulary using flash cards or no worries about flash cards encouraging our children to stop talking, do we?


Why are visual cues important?

We take visual cues for granted. Everywhere we go everyday, there are visual cues. Visual cues are there to tell us which bus and train to take to work. Visual cues are there on the road to guide you to drive to your destination safely and on time. Visual cues are in the menu from which you order your food. Visual cues appear at the bottom of the screen of the foreign movie you are watching. How would you feel if all these visual cues are taken away from you? How would you react and what would you do?

Of course that being said, we do not have to enforce using visual cues in everything that we do. It is all about selecting what are needed for specific purposes most of the time. A child who knows how to verbally request for an item does not have to be expected to use a sentence strip to ask for what he wants. But we can make use of sentence strip to teach the child to use longer sentences for requesting, then gradually fade its use away once the skill has become automatic. Just like driving a car, when you first drive to your new home, you might need signs to show you where you are going. But as you become familiar with the route, over time you do not need to rely on the signs anymore. However, the signs will still be there if you ever need it. Thus very often as well, visual cues are used as a form of reminder to what's already known or understood to facilitate communication or expression of ideas and thoughts.

For children who may be easily overloaded on the auditory level, communicating with them using visual cues may help ease the frustration of sensory overload. Perhaps your child has difficulty understanding you because there are too much sound going on for him at the same time you are talking. Having what you are saying to him presented to him visually as well may help improve understanding.

Visual cues teaches literacy skill. Children learn to show interest in reading after they understand that print has meaning to it and that print are explained by the pictures accompanying it.

If the child can read, visual cues such as sentence making strips facilitates learning of language semantics. Even if the child is very weak in literacy, visual cues such as these can advance his reading capacity.

Visual cues are the next best thing after modeling. When it is not possible to model something, visual cues are useful in teaching languages, concept and skills. Visual cues are like instruction manuals to the new equipment you just bought.

Visual cues are also useful as form of activity schedules and reward systems. While it is convenient to negotiate verbally with a child, he may find it difficult to follow up with the rules and consequences which may be too abstract or easily forgotten due to other distractions. Visual cues can function as reminders to what are to be achieved and what will be earned. For more on schedules and reward system, visit my earlier post.


Types of visual cues.


Visual cues come in different forms - pictures, words, a combination of both pictures and words and also in the form of objects. We will be looking more into the different forms of visual cues in an upcoming post.


Till then, if you have any suggestions or questions, please do not hesitate to email me at davensim@triumphantkids.com. Also, please do visit my website www.triumphantkids.com for services I provide in Singapore.


With Deepest Regards,
Daven