Loading ...When the brain/body is in a state of stress and self-protection, safety and security will win every time. It doesn’t matter what mom or dad, or the teacher, or the therapist wants a child to do when the priority is survival. Many children I work with, who have been given labels such as “Autism”, “Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder” (ADHD), or “Oppositional Defiant Disorder” (ODD) are functioning from a place of chronic stress and self-protection. This can be quite a challenge for those of us who want to facilitate healthy development, competence and cognitive discovery for kids with neurodevelopmental differences. After all, how can one think about learning or socializing if you can’t block out the itchy tags and socks, the noxious odors, the piercing sounds in the environment? If the lower brain signals *ALARM*, the higher brain is less available for problem-solving, reflecting and communicating.
If you have received a HANDLE program for your child, then it is likely you’ve been explained the ins and outs of his perplexing behaviors, and you may have been told that some of these behaviors are really his way of taking care of himself. Some children have such a need to protect themselves, it may mean you have to be a little creative to provide the organized, non-stressful movement activities given as part of your HANDLE program. So how exactly do you do that?
1. Incorporate activities into your normal routine and don’t make a big fuss about it. There’s nothing worse than announcing to a suspicious child “Okay, come over here, it’s time to do your HANDLE activities now!” This is sure to result in a game of chase for the child who is uncertain of your motives or who does not yet know what to expect (particularly if the activities are new). Instead, you can build some activities into the routine – for example, give everyone a Crazy Straw at mealtimes (not just your child). This also makes the activity inclusive of the whole family (but remember to take any precautions that your Practitioner shared with you).
2. Use Mental Rehearsal. If your child absolutely refuses to participate in certain activities, try doing them on yourself as he watches you. The process of observing actions triggers the same neurological pathways as actually performing the action. This is why elite athletes use video modeling to enhance their performance, and studies have shown that when a monkey watches another monkey eat a banana, the brain of the observing monkey lights up in the same areas that are activated when actually eating a banana. If your child likes to watch video, you might experiment with filming the activities and see if he takes interest.
3. When all else fails, try some activities while your child is asleep. Because many HANDLE activities organize from the cranial nerves (going from the body to the brain), they do not require conscious participation. See if you can get away with doing a few activities for your child as he falls asleep!
Do you have any other ideas? Please share!
My name is April Choulat and I am an autism specialist. I offer consultation to families who want to develop home-based programs for their child with autism or related developmental differences . I tend to gravitate toward approaches that are respectful of the child, recognize the critical role of parents, and work on goals in a developmentally appropriate manner. I appreciate research and I also know that innovative approaches that really work take time to study. If I see real-world results in my clients I am quick to investigate new approaches and learn as much as I can. I believe this is necessary to stay on the cutting edge of autism treatment.