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Welcome. . .
Whew! I have been super busy during the past week,
preparing something special for you. We had a
chance to do an audio recording of the program I
presented during the Visual Strategies
on
TOUR.
That means the people who didn't get to attend will
have a
second chance to get this valuable
information. See the box
below for more details.
This month's article was inspired from a letter I
received from a Mom. It's a common problem we all
can have. And I presented a set of solutions we
all can do.
Read on . . .
With warm regards,
| YooHoo . . . Where Are You? |
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I received a letter
Dear Linda: At our last parent support meeting we
went around the room and found that every parent had
difficulties getting their child to answer to their name
when called. We have kids on all levels of the
spectrum and the problem seems to be across the
board.
How can we teach our kids to visually or verbally
respond? We want to address this especially when
they cannot be seen (i.e. in another room, or around
the corner in a store, or behind a rack). Do you have a
strategy for getting them
to respond?
Sincerely, Jane
Well, Jane . . . You aren't alone.
This is an excellent question. It's a topic that is
important for
safety and sanity.
This is a great example of a situation that occurs
frequently.
We expect a specific behavior from a
child, but probably we
don't really teach
the behavior we want
in a consistent, systematic way.
Here's a way to think about it
Teaching your child to respond to you is teaching a
little routine. I am recalling a phrase I use in a lot of
my workshops. Here it is:
It's easier to teach a new routine
than it is to change an old behavior
So, a way to approach the problem is to think about
teaching
a new routine.
First think about the steps in the routine
Step One: Call the child's name
Think about how you call.
- Do you just call Johnny's name?
- Or do you call "Johnny, where are you?"
- Or do you call "Johnny, come here!"
Step Two: The child responds
How do you want him to respond?
- Do you want him to call "What?"
- Should he answer, "I'm here!"
- Is it better if he walks over to you?
Step Three: You reward the child
for
responding
- Is verbal praise rewarding enough?
- Does he need a visual or tangible reward for
responding?
Next . . . TEACH the routine
The next step is actually teaching the new routine.
There are lots of tools and techniques to do this.
Which ones you use will be determined by the child's
age and skill level. Some children may need one or
two kinds of lessons. Some may need more.
Consider these:
- Create a game where you call the child's
name and he responds. Then you give him the
reward. Start out where you are close to each other.
Once he knows how to respond, turn around so you
can't see him, or broaden the distance so he is farther
away or behind a piece of furniture or in another
room.
- Engage another person to play the game
with you. That person will model the appropriate
response and prompt the child to respond in the
expected way.
- Create a little video to watch. Record lots
of situations where someone is calling and someone
else is answering. Watch the video.
- Write a Social Story about answering
when someone calls your name.
- Create a rule card that says "When
someone calls your name you need to _____."
Generalization
Just because you teach a skill successfully at
home . . . it doesn't mean the child will respond
appropriately at the store or someplace else away
from home. Keep teaching in a variety of locations.
A few more thoughts
When teaching a new skill, you have to practice it
frequently enough for the child to really master it.
Once the skill is mastered, you need to continue to
use it often enough for that child to remember.
P.S.
This non-responding thing is a problem for lots of
children (and spouses, too). The difference is that
those other children (and spouses) seem more
responsive to correction or encouragement to
respond. If not, you may need to TEACH them too.
Copyright © 2008 Linda Hodgdon
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| Did YOU Miss the TOUR? |
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We took the Visual Strategies on TOUR
program to
over 25 cities across the US. Did YOU miss the
TOUR?
I heard from lots of people who wanted to attend and
they couldn't because of schedule or location
or lots of those other life things that get in the way.
Then I started to get letters that said, "When are you
going to come back?" Someone attended a program
and told a friend who didn't come. Then the friend
experienced remorse for not coming and contacted
me . . . yada yada . . .
Then one day I had one of those DUH
moments. Why not
record the program? So that's what we did.
Now you have one more chance to hear the great
information that was shared at that program. Get your
own set of Audio CDs from the TOUR.
Just click below for more information. Please don't
wait.
QuirkRoberts Publishing will only be
printing a limited number of sets of this CD program.
|
| ASQ: Your Go-to Resource |
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Autism Spectrum
Quarterly is the MAGAJOURNAL®
Why do we call Autism Spectrum Quarterly (ASQ)
the magajournal®? Because it combines the best
of both worlds:
- high-interest articles from parents and
professionals
- cutting-edge information that can
help you translate
research into effective
intervention practices
In fact, ASQ is rapidly becoming the go-to
place for the best information on the important
subjects and critical issues that
affect individuals
with ASD of all ages, and their families.
Now
there are two more great reasons for subscribing to
ASQ -
brand new columns by
Dr. Teresa
Bolick,
well-respected psychologist and "guru" regarding
issues affecting teens and young adults with Asperger
syndrome and
Dr. Barry Prizant,
speech-language pathologist extraordinaire, and
co-author of the SCERTS intervention model.
Also a new column with a brand new focus on world
activities and events in Spotlight
Internationale.
And if all of that isn't enough, you'll also enjoy our
up-to-the-minute NewsBriefs that keep you current in
the time it takes to drink a cup of coffee!
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| About Linda |
|
|
Linda Hodgdon, M.Ed., CCC-SLP is a
Speech-Language Pathologist and a Consultant for
Autism Spectrum Disorders. She is the author of the
bestseller, Visual Strategies for Improving
Communication, one of the most recommended
books in the field of autism.
Internationally recognized as a powerful and
informative speaker and consultant, Linda has
presented her insightful and dynamic workshops to
audiences of educators and parents worldwide.
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