My Autism Insights

It’s great to be in sync with service providers without even knowing it.  Apparently Gus’s Occupational Therapist (OT) has been teaching him to tie his shoes.  For a child with a short attention span and trouble with fine motor skills and coordination, this can be a difficult life skill to learn (tying in general, not just shoes).  Gus had said a while back that he would learn to tie them by the time he turns eight.  Well, that’s coming up pretty quickly, and he might just do it!

I know there are a few strategies used to teach kids to tie shoes .  We’re using the single loop method.  We tried bunny ears, but that just didn’t work for some reason.  Some people use elaborate stories, but ours isn’t too complex.  He sings She’ll Be Comin’ Around the Mountain while he’s tying, which is a double edged sword - he gets the gist of the story, but he also loses focus because of the singing.

1. “She” is on a train coming around the mountain.  So we need to make the train tracks.  Make an X with the laces.
2. The train goes through the first tunnel. Take the tail of one lace, through the tunnel and then pull them apart.
3. Make a mountain.  With the dominant hand, make a single loop and hold in place.  (I find that Gus sometimes forgets to hold onto the loop.)
4. Now the train goes around the mountain and through another tunnel.  Take the straight lace around the loop, and then push from the middle through the second tunnel.  Pull the loops apart.

It’s not a foolproof method, but he’s getting it.  Because he tends to learn well with a musical component (musical intelligence) the song does it for him, but use whatever works for your child.

Has your child learned to tie shoes?  If so, what method worked for you?

Now that we’re well into autumn, here are a few things that could be fun to try with your special needs child:

Apples and pumpkins are in season!  Take a trip to an orchard if one is accessible to you.  Then, after the fun of picking fruit, you might be able to use that sense of accomplishment to entice your sensory defensive child to touch…pumpkin guts!  Eww!  Seriously, if your child has tactile sensory issues, touching something gross that he/she actually picked and worked to obtain might help get past the hump.  If not, it’s okay, you do the scooping then use one of those carving kits to work with the outside of the pumpkin.  Poking holes around an outline can be great for fine motor skills.  I’d avoid the sharp instruments, though.  If carving is still not an option, how about painting faces on little pumpkins?  That could be appropriate for children who have trouble differentiating emotions.  Let’s not forget about the apples!  How about making an apple pie with a homemade pie crust?  For a child who can tolerate the sensation and needs to strengthen fine motor muscles, kneading dough is fun and the end result is delicious.  Cooking is also an essential life skill.

Autumn is also a nice time for outdoor sports like cycling, hiking, or running.It’s neither too hot nor too cold, and in many places, the scenery is pretty breathtaking.  If you’re in an environment where the seasons don’t change, you can still enjoy being outdoors.

Finally, one of our favorite Halloween season movies is Spookley the Square Pumpkin.  The first time we watched it, I noticed that Gus became very quiet and serious.  It’s about a pumpkin that is different and is shunned by most of the inhabitants of his farm.  He has a hard time fitting in, but in the end he finds acceptance.  It’s a sweet movie with a nice message (in my opinion) for typical and special needs kids alike.

Is there something special you do with your kids during the month of October?

As I was randomly looking netsurfing for something to blog about today, I came across an interesting site: Retrain the Brain .  I’m always on the lookout for ways to help Gus build his focus without medication so the headline “Get Kids Off Ritalin” caught my eye.  The theory behind this program is to teach Palmer method penmanship (remember that??) along with special music to develop the left (analytical/reasoning/executive function) brain.  It seems to make sense to me, but I don’t have $90 to spend on a handwriting program.

So I went and did some research on the Palmer method and found a free version of Palmer’s Penmanship Budget .  We’ve also been trying having Gus do his work with headphones on and his teacher sent home a copy of the CD they use in class.  I think another experiment is on order.

Best case scenario,  the combination of music and handwriting practice will help him.  Worst case scenario, he’ll get some extra practice in an area he needs it.  Nothing to lose.

If anyone has any experience with this theory or with that particular program, I’d love to hear more!