Re: Pretend play

[Guest guest]

Ecki: Tori is just now getting into pretend play, but it took a long time. I

would start and just keep working on it. I would work with her on anything you

she needs practice with. Tori has alot of issues we deal with daily and try to

work on them on a daily basis. One word phrases-trying to get her to use a full

sentence; making right choices & wrong choices (this is great-her new teacher

thought of this one); sharing; taking turns, etc. Whatever you feel will help

her.

Liz-Mom to Tori 7 yrs.

Pretend play

Is it worth the time trying to teach Kayla pretend play? I'd like to

expand her play beyond pushing buttons on her musical flashing toys. I

tried taking all her musical flashing toys away from her a few months

ago, but she mostly just stared at the ceiling, shook her binky in

front of her face, or looked at her hands. She just chews on dolls and

stuffed animals and just bangs or spins legos and Little People. She's

not even interested in puzzles.

The school district can't find an ABA provider and I feel really lost

as to what I should be working on with Kayla.

Ecki

Mom to Kayla (DS/ASD, 4/5/04) and Laurie (PDD-NOS, 7/12/01)

[Guest guest]

Ecki: Where do you live again?

Pretend play

Is it worth the time trying to teach Kayla pretend play? I'd like to

expand her play beyond pushing buttons on her musical flashing toys. I

tried taking all her musical flashing toys away from her a few months

ago, but she mostly just stared at the ceiling, shook her binky in

front of her face, or looked at her hands. She just chews on dolls and

stuffed animals and just bangs or spins legos and Little People. She's

not even interested in puzzles.

The school district can't find an ABA provider and I feel really lost

as to what I should be working on with Kayla.

Ecki

Mom to Kayla (DS/ASD, 4/5/04) and Laurie (PDD-NOS, 7/12/01)

[Guest guest]

Hi Ecki ~

My son is 12. We always worked on playing with him, teaching how to push cars

back and forth, playing with the carpets with roads/towns on, trying to teach

him how to play. It was very difficult, and forever he just didn't care or get

it.

He does now, love to line his cars up on the roads on his play rugs, take

boxes and I cut " doors " in them and pretend it's a repair shop - he has me write

either daddy or uncle on the doors and spends hours lining the cars up at the

box to get fixed. I can't say it's a ton of imaginative play, but it's a huge

step from where we were - watching videos, pushing buttons, etc. - like you

described.

Keep working on it - one day Kayla will surprise you!

Becky

eckidatri wrote:

Is it worth the time trying to teach Kayla pretend play? I'd like to

expand her play beyond pushing buttons on her musical flashing toys. I

tried taking all her musical flashing toys away from her a few months

ago, but she mostly just stared at the ceiling, shook her binky in

front of her face, or looked at her hands. She just chews on dolls and

stuffed animals and just bangs or spins legos and Little People. She's

not even interested in puzzles.

The school district can't find an ABA provider and I feel really lost

as to what I should be working on with Kayla.

Ecki

Mom to Kayla (DS/ASD, 4/5/04) and Laurie (PDD-NOS, 7/12/01)

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[Guest guest]

>

> Ecki: Where do you live again?

I'm in Sullivan County, New York, on the Delaware River near the NJ/PA

border.

[Guest guest]

I have a friend who has 2 older boys with ASD. She lives in Highland Mills,

NY-think it might be Rockland County...can't remember. Maybe she would know of

someone ABA certified. I can email her and check with her.

Liz

Re: Pretend play

>

> Ecki: Where do you live again?

I'm in Sullivan County, New York, on the Delaware River near the NJ/PA

border.

[Guest guest]

Why not join Kayla with her flashing toys? Sit on the floor with her with

one flashing toy. You press the light and get excited about the color,

sound, flashing, whatever and then suggest that she do the same thing.

Imitative play will help her laeearn ato play with others. If you are into

reading, you might want to look at GREENSPAN and his FLOORTIME books.

Severel parents on this list have used this method as a means of reaching

their children and teaching them to reach out to them.

Sara

>

> Is it worth the time trying to teach Kayla pretend play? I'd like to

> expand her play beyond pushing buttons on her musical flashing toys. I

> tried taking all her musical flashing toys away from her a few months

> ago, but she mostly just stared at the ceiling, shook her binky in

> front of her face, or looked at her hands. She just chews on dolls and

> stuffed animals and just bangs or spins legos and Little People. She's

> not even interested in puzzles.

>

> The school district can't find an ABA provider and I feel really lost

> as to what I should be working on with Kayla.

>

> Ecki

> Mom to Kayla (DS/ASD, 4/5/04) and Laurie (PDD-NOS, 7/12/01)

>

>

>

[Guest guest]

Hi, this is the same avenue I had persue for my son to what Sara has

described.

There are some wonderful information under files like

" Home Program Guide Overview " .

1. Floor Time (focused time where you follow your child's lead,

striving to build a sense of pleasure and flow of interaction as you

are wooing, enticing, and flirtatius with your affect and energy).

The list goes on at this yahoo group should you join.

http://health.groups.yahoo.com/group/Floortime/

Irma,18,DS/ASD

[Guest guest]

Is it worth the time trying to teach Kayla pretend play?

Yes, here are some more suggestions in the mean time while the school

works around finding and applying ABA.

If you ever have a chance to review the Out-of-Sync Child revised by

Carol Stock Kranowitz, M.A. and the Out-of-Sync Child Has Fun,

Activities for Kids with Sensory Integration Dysfunction.

There is a wonderful checklist on

http://www.kidfoundation.org/spdchecklist/

Home Activities for Children with Sensory Processing Disorder

http://www.spdnetwork.or/aboutspd/homeactivities.html

What is sensory integration or sensory processing?

Ability to take in information from our bodies and environment,

select the useful information, organize it for us in every day life.

It is a neurological process in which the brain must integrate the

incoming information, and turn messages into responses. (See can of

soda, touch it, anticipate weight, smell it, use it.) Responses to

stimuli on previous experiences and emotional memories.

Senses: Sight: see bright lights, colors, people

Hearing: siren, soft music, voices, teacher's directions

Taste: hot salsa, sour candy

Smell: skunk, flowers

Touch (Tactile): information through skin, from head to toe,

also mouth. Two functions:protection, helps distinguish between

threatening and non-threatening sensations, and discrimination.

Tactile sense affects learning, behavior, and communication.

Vestibular: information through inner ear about gravity and space,

balance and movement, position of head in relation to ground.

Information stays in system 4-8 hours, and influences muscle tone,

language development and verbal communication.

Proprioception: information through muscles, joints, and ligaments,

where body parts are and what they are doing. Proprioception tells us

where our body parts are, and input stays in system for up to 1 1/2

hours.

According to Lucy Jan , PhD, OTR, " the family's quality of life

is significantly affected when a child has SI dysfunction. Parents

are often blamed for child's misbehavior, for not being able to

control the child.

What the child does is the behavior that may be sensory based, but

may look like intentional misbehavior.

You could read up more should you have a chance to review the books

mentioned above.

Keep a behavior journal: Day and time, behavior observed, situations,

what happened just prior? What helped? ABC. Antecedent (what happened

before, what was behavior, what was consequence (what happened

immediately after behavior). Discover a child's sensory needs

(observe child; watch, wait, listen). Identify problems, become a

detective (child's needs preferences). What was going on in child's

life: hungry, tired, family problems? Ask questions, such as what

does ny do at home when....?

Report observations, child may be very different in a group.

(hyperactivity to person is normal 2 year old behavior to another.

Child may not be hyper-sensitive to touch, mother may scold child if

he gets dirty, gets clothes messy.

Never label child aggressive, when child hits another for getting

close to him.

Besides applying ABA/VB for my son this is why I share and get

carried away writing away anything that could possibly help with

something. Implement the sensory diet throughout his day.

What can parents and caregivers do to help children all children and

especially those who have Sensory Processing problems?

Proved a sensory diet of multi-sensory-motor experiences throughout

the day. Why do all children (and adults) need a sensory diet as well

as a nutritious food? In order to attend (stay alert) and do things

throughout the day. There is no cookbook for a sensory diet.

Work with an OT who specializes with SPD to develop a sensory diet.

Use behavior as a guide to sensory input you will need to provide in

sensory diet. Sensory needs change day to day. Write sensory breaks

into child's IEP.

Think about all seven areas of sensory input throughout the day:

hearing, seeing, touching, moving, smelling, muscles, mouth.

Provide variety of activities and time to do them.

Slowly introduce new activities. Recognize child's abilities not

problems.

Never " force feed " . Start activity at child's comfort level.

Supervise, make sure activity is safe and appropriate for child's

development.

Build on child's strengths and interests.

Imitate child's play

Encourage self-help skills

Encourage new sensory experiences, movement, touch

Recognize child's feelings

Set resonable limits: give child sense of control through choices

Respect child's needs even if they seem unusal

To encourage eye contact, hold object child wants up close to your

face

Help children transition: turn off lights, sing songs, prepare

children to clean up,

Hold onto rope if needed to go outside. Let child be at front or back

of line if uncomfortable in middle, let child carry something, carry

heavy object, allow to swing if needs swing a long time to help

reorganize him/herself.

Provide healthy crunchy snacks.

Provide quiet (safe)place in room: (pillows in corner)

Label or shame child.

Talk about him/her in front of him/her.

Compare him/her to another child.

Expect consistency.

Force him/her to participate in an activity.

Irma,18,DS/ASD