CHILD DEVELOPMENT AND TEACHING AUTISTIC CHILDREN IN THE EARLY
YEARS
CHILD DEVELOPMENT AND TEACHING AUTISTIC CHILDREN IN THE EARLY
YEARS
Most parents ask themselves this question, "What can I do to
help my child develop, to grow, to be the best that they can
be?" "What should I teach?" "Do I have time to teach?" The
answer is a simple one: give your child as much play-based
quality time as you can spare.
Teaching Autistic children on a daily basis, I have found
repetitive stories seem to work very well, Most children prefer
Robert Munsch storybooks. I find the reason for this is the
reader can change voice tones and repeat several keywords in the
story that all children and especially Autistic children seem to
like.
In my quest to help child development, I have found that a good
way to do this, is to provide storybooks that are both
interactive and fun, storybooks that help both parent and child
share a "quality time" moment. Not only that, but storybooks
that provide the child's growing brain with sensory input can
help create some of the brain's neural pathways essential to
early learning. The storybook should activate both sides of the
brain (essential for logical and creative thinking), provide
quality parental involvement (a key part to a child's early
learning) and offer a play-based movement activity (to give
sensory input for balanced growth).
Play based activities should be within a child's skill level,
yet challenging enough to push the child to do the best that
they can. Play based activities should ideally feed the seven
senses of taste, smell, hearing, touch, sight, proprioceptive
(awareness of where the body is in space) and vestibular
(balance).
An Important Child Development Skill Your Child Should Not Be
Without. What is this child development skill? - visualization.
Visualization is simply seeing something in the mind's eye; why
would that be an important learning skill? In later life,
imagination, coupled with visualization, is an important problem
solving skill.
In the storybook, "A Walk in the Jungle", the children are asked
to close their eyes and imagine that they are the sun, to
express what they are feeling, what they are seeing and what
shape they are. The children give some very interesting answers,
such as, "I am cold" or "I am hot"; "I am yellow, or black, or
blue", and a myriad of other colours; "I am big, or small", and
any shape you care to name. There is no right or wrong answers,
but it does show how children can see many different things in
the mind's eye. From this starting point, the children go on to
become a tree, the wind or the moon and eventually to imagine
more complex visualizations such as an adventurous journey
smelling flowers or climbing trees. This opens the door to help
children express themselves. Children who are normally quiet
will speak, and voice their opinions, yet another amazing effect
that Story Books That Teach have on child development.
When teaching Autistic children you may have to work hand over
hand (you take their hand and perform the action for them), and
repeat the action until they get it.
A good child development storybook activity should be a sensory,
play-based activity and above all be fun. Story Books That Teach
are an excellent resource both for teaching Autistic children,
and the parent that wants their child to excel to receive the
sensory input that is necessary in the early years, between
birth and seven years of age. To find out more about Storybooks
That Teach, a unique series of products, visit -
storybooksthatteach.com To learn more about special needs
children, visit - paulmackie.com