Hi all,

Last week I attended the Asia Pacific Autism Conference and one of the big take-home messages (which I am always going on about) was “how important it is to fit the therapy to the child rather than the child to the therapy”. This is incredibly important and also a great way of distinguishing good quality therapy from more generic approaches that may not be effective, or sustainable.

As you may know, I strongly believe that every child’s intervention plan needs to take into consideration the unique and individual differences of the child with autism. But what is equally important and often overlooked, is that the intervention must also take into consideration the values, circumstances, and lifestyle of the FAMILY for it to be most effective and sustainable.

This is why I love carrying out sessions in my client’s homes, because I get to know the family dynamics very quickly and how I can help incorporate therapy that respects the core values of the family, into their day-to-day activities.

This is important so that the family is strengthened and motivated by the therapy, rather than feeling like it is putting too much strain on the family unit, which can often be the case where families are also caring for other siblings who also have very individual needs. If therapy can be incorporated into your normal daily activities rather than being thought of as something else that you have to try to fit into your day, you will be much more motivated and inclined to do it regularly and consistently.

I chose to write about this today because I went to see a lovely family on the weekend who live in a two bedroom apartment with their four children and two grandparents. One of the children, Oliver, has been diagnosed with ASD. It is often not possible for this family to carry out extensive one-on-one therapy with their son because of the simple day-to-day demands of raising four children. Therefore it is critical that the therapy with their son is organised in such a way that fits in with the whole family.

They love to go to the park as much as possible so that the kids have an opportunity to run around and to get some fresh air and sunshine. The father told me that he tries to work on Oliver’s social and communication skills while they are playing on the swing, which is great. However as Oliver gets better at expressing his desires on the swing, saying things like ‘more’, ‘push’ and ‘higher’, he will eventually reach a limit of things he can talk about that relate to swinging on the swing. So in order to keep building his vocabulary and language skills he needs to be doing a range of different activities.

So I suggested that the father take a bag full of toys with them that he could use to play some simple interactive games (e.g: bubbles, balloons, a sheet/blanket, musical instruments) at he playground so that he can create some more opportunities for Oliver to expand his language. The father thought that this was a great idea and it would also take some pressure off the family by incorporating the new games into their time at the park.

I give you this example because it’s important for therapists and families to be creative and to ‘think outside of the square’ when working out how to incorporate therapy into the child and family’s everyday life. If doing therapy at the same time and in the same place on the same days every week is difficult or simply isn’t happening, then get creative and take your therapy with you! There’s no right or wrong, just endless possibilities!

Best wishes on your journey
Monique

P.S: If you have any thoughts or stories to share about this week’s article please leave your comments in the box provided below.

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Often organisations and professionals that work with your child with autism may pride themselves on the fact that they work collaboratively and holistically with the other service providers in your child’s team.

Though I must admit that this statement confuses me a little and I will tell you why…

I think that when most professionals say this they mean that they ‘discuss’ their therapy goals with the other professionals or therapists who are working with your child.

This might sound ideal but unless all the team members are actually implementing the treatment goals in the SAME way, the child’s program will not be consistent and can often be very confusing for the child.

What you need to keep consistent in your child’s program is the ‘therapy style’ or the way that you and your therapists interact with your child when you are working on these goals.

Generally, the ‘therapy style’ should not change, no matter what goal you are targeting (i.e. a behavioural versus a relationship building style). Otherwise, each of your child’s team members will have a different way of interpreting how the therapy goals should be implemented.

Example:

Lets say that the treatment goal is to increase the range of foods that your child enjoys eating. This goal is very general and can be approached in so many different ways.

If we are using more of a Behavioural treatment approach, then you might expect the child to try a little bit of a new food and then be rewarded by a treat, or a more motivating food item.

If we are using more of a ‘Relationship Building and Developmental approach then we understand that there might be some sensory issues and or social/emotional issues that are underpinning this challenge. Therefore we might first spend time treating the sensory processing issues as well as building up the positive memories associated with mealtimes to reduce some of the child’s anxiety.

So it’s absolutely crucial for everyone in the team to be aligned with not only the ‘goals’ but HOW the goals will be implemented, right down to the interactional style! Otherwise the team won’t be working collaboratively or holistically.

However this is not always possible, because all professionals have their own way of working and therefore may not always agree on the ‘best’ approach.


Therefore I’ve put together some important things that you should think about when working with your child’s team or when seeking the right professionals to help your child…

1. It is important to surround yourself with a team of professionals that are closely aligned with their delivery of therapy and have a similar treatment approach. Often it is useful to find a team that regularly works together with clients.
2. Parents and carers are always at the center of their child’s program. They are the only ones who have regular contact with every member of the team. Because of this you are in a unique position to act as the coordinator of your child’s program. So it is really important to know as much as you can about what is happening in their program so you can share the information around the team and ensure that each of the professionals is using a similar therapy style and striving for the same developmental goals. The benefits of being able to take on this role will be invaluable to your child’s progress.
3. Not only is it important that the team of professionals are working together, but that any other significant people in your child’s life are also involved in the training (e.g. grandparents, aunties, uncles, siblings etc). For example, on Tuesday night one of my clients asked me to do a training session with the grandparents because they spend a lot of time with Christopher. The grandparents found this so useful that at the end of the evening they asked me when the next session would be! So don’t underestimate how much other people would like to get involved in your child’s program.
4. Video cameras are a great way of trying to get consistency in your child’s program. Many of my clients videotape me during our sessions because at the end of the session I express my thoughts to the camera so that other family members and professionals can hear about what I am targeting in therapy, and more importantly HOW I am doing it. This can be a great way to help everyone work more collaboratively.

So the question I’d put to you is…

Is your team really working collaboratively??

I’d love to hear your answers. Please leave your comments below.

Happy Connecting!
Monique

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Howdy all,

This week’s tip as the subject says is a quickie, but a goodie

Have you ever noticed that after your child has been jumping on the trampoline, swimming, swinging, playing chasings or basically just moving around that they are a lot more talkative and chatty, or if your child is not talking yet that they are playing around with their vocalisations more?

Well there is a reason for this…

Movement stimulates the language areas of the brain.

This is one of the BIG reasons why I incorporate a lot of movement activities into my therapy sessions with the kids. In fact, with one of my clients, Max, I used to carry out his entire session on a platform swing! This is simply a swing with a large flat base.

We used the swing with Max because:

1. He enjoyed it, so it was very motivating for him
2. The back and forth movement of the swing was very calming and organising for his nervous system which helped get him into a good state for learning during the session.
3. The movement stimulated the language areas of his brain.

So very quickly the swing became an important part of our sessions and a critical element for maximising the productivity of our therapy time! Consequently it also helped Max learn at a much faster pace!

BUT I’m not suggesting that you rush out and get a platform swing!

Because that is not the point of this week’s tip…

As I often say, every child with autism or aspergers is so unique and needs strategies and therapy techniques that are going to work best for them. So while the swing worked well for Max, it may not be an effective strategy for another child.

What I really want you to take away from this week’s tip is that…

Understanding your own child’s unique nervous system is so crucial for selecting and carrying out an effective treatment plan for them.

Just because something worked for another family or is very popular or has a slick marketing brochure does not mean that it will be an effective intervention for your child!

Over the years I have heard stories from many of my clients of how they spent months or in some unfortunate cases even years trying different treatments and therapies with little or no measurable progress.

But trust me, when you get it right (or even close to right) you’ll definitely know it!

Your child will absolutely love what they are doing and the leaps and bounds they make with their development will knock your socks off!

So just some more food for thought.

Please share your story
Have you had an experience with a program or intervention that for whatever reason was not as effective as you had first hoped? If so, please share your story with us below. You will really be helping other families understand the importance of knowing their child and discovering the most effective intervention for them.

Like more help?
If you would like more help learning about all of the individual characteristics of your child’s autism so you can feel empowered and confident to make the best decisions for their treatment, then please take a look at our Home Training Program.

Till next week!
Monique

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Hey all,

Welcome again to our new readers out there!

Apologies that I wasn’t able to send out my regular weekly tip last week. I was fortunate to have a few days off with my family which was a very nice break.

This week I thought I would share with you a new and slightly ‘nutty’ therapy idea that I only trialed for the very first time this week. Because each of the children I treat are so unique, I’m constantly testing and trialing new therapy strategies to find out what works and what doesn’t in order to get the breakthroughs and results that families are desperate to see.

So I really wanted to share this one with you because it worked wonders for this client of mine, Sam.

It still blows me away how incredible it is that such a small change in therapy can make such a huge difference.

Sam is a visually distracted 5 year old boy with autism. He interacts and communicates very well but the moment that something catches his eye he is compelled to go and check it out. This can be very frustrating when we are trying to work on his ability to maintain attention and develop a great connection with him. Sound familiar?

To address this we needed to somehow get rid of all of the clutter in his play room to minimise as many distractions as possible. But as most of you will appreciate, mess and clutter are a natural part of having a child and you can’t simply lock everything away in a big box every time your child gets distracted by something new!

In Sam’s case this was no different. It simply wasn’t possible to have a room in his house completely clutter free… so we needed to think a little creatively….a little outside the box

The solution was simple but effective.

We decided to use a TENT!

Yes a tent! One of those very large, light weight, collapsible sunshade tents that you might take to the beach, that you can just spring open anywhere.

We faced the opening towards the wall and filled it with comfy pillows so that it was a fun, enticing and reassuring place to spend time in. Sam loved it! And better still he was able to concentrate and focus on a single activity for nearly twenty minutes without being tempted by all the other objects in the room.

Previously without the tent his best time had only been about 5 minutes.
So a 400% improvement… not bad for a few minutes of creative thinking

It really was the perfect solution.

To be honest, I was blown away with this dramatic improvement and you can be sure that I will be remembering this therapy idea for many years to come!

Till next week.
Happy Connecting

Monique

P.S For many, many more great therapy techniques and ideas just like this one, please check out my Autism Essentials DVD Training Program.

P.P.S Got any terrific ideas or tips that have worked with your child?? Please leave us a comment below.

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People are often curious what is the ‘secret to my success’ when working with children with autism and I reply by saying… “I always work with the strengths and motivations of the children I treat.”

Working in this way is a ‘no brainer’ to me and it puzzles me why more professionals do not work in this way.

It doesn’t matter what your child is motivated by, you can always use this to build other areas of development. Let me give you an example…

Yesterday I was treating a boy that really enjoyed carrying around his plastic cup and spoon. He tended to do this a lot, and his mum Mary was frustrated because she wanted him to put down the cup and spoon and play with her.

I said to Mary “Could you please bring me another cup and spoon?”. I then started to join Matthew banging the cup and spoon together because I knew that he really enjoyed interesting sounds. Instantly, I had a beautiful connection with Matthew and we were both enjoying the interaction.

After we did this for a little while I started to tap the metal spoon on my teeth (another interesting sound for Matthew), and sure enough he started to copy this with a big smile on his face. We spent the next 20 minutes playing together, finding all the other things that created special sounds.

So we were having a lovely time, but what was Matthew learning??… Good question… and the answer is, an enormous amount, and I’ll tell you why.

Matthew has language but he only uses it to request things that he wants. This is great, but the majority of the time we also use language to comment and share our thoughts, ideas and feelings with others. How unfortunate would it be for Matthew to only use his language to request for his needs and wants in life! Mary so desperately wants him to share so much more with his language, like what he did at preschool for the day. I couldn’t agree with her more!

‘Sharing’ thoughts and ‘sharing’ emotions are prerequisites for ‘sharing’ our language. If you think about it, a 12 month old child before they start using their language effectively will share their thoughts and emotions by pointing things out, smiling, eye gazing, bringing objects to you to showing you, etc which are all foundations of sharing thoughts and ideas. When that child is ready to really start using their language, they will already have developed the skills to be able to share things like what they did in their day or to show-off when learning to ride a bike etc.

This type of ‘sharing’ is one of the core deficits in children with autism, but it is certainly possible for them to develop these skills.

Getting back to my session with Matthew…

My goal was to demonstrate to him that I am a fun play partner who is really interested in ‘sharing’ in his world and also that it’s fun and safe for him to ‘share’ in my world. So by playing with the cup and spoon and remaining very goal focused, we were in fact ‘moving mountains’!

I recommended to Mary that she have a listen to my audio recording “7 Steps to Unlocking Your Child’s Social Skills” to learn more about effective ways that she could carry out this type of therapy with Matthew.

Discovering what really makes your child ‘tick’ and joining them in their world is such a powerful technique and relevant for children right across the autism spectrum.

Just remember that by staying focused on your goals it doesn’t matter whether you are playing chasings, bubbles or engaging in some imaginary play with cars, trains and animals. All that matters is that the play is motivating and energises your child!

Best wishes
Monique Simpson

P.S: Please leave any questions or comments below

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