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April, 2006
Tips for Parents
by Becky Lowe
Social
Activities.
This month I thought I should talk about how to get
your child involved in social activities. Since our
kids tend to play independently, it is important to
set up situations for your child to have the
opportunity to interact with their peers. Here are a
few ideas:
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Lunch Buddies! This is implemented in school.
One time per week during lunch, an aide or
teacher takes Katie to a separate table. She
brings along three of Katie’s peers who have
strong language skills. The aide or teacher
initiates conversation and prompts Katie to
participate. This gives Katie an opportunity to
know more about her peers and her peers will
hopefully learn something from this experience.
-
Social Group! The Guidance Counselor sent home
notes to several of Katie’s peer’s parents
asking permission to pull their child out of
recess one time per week. During that time, the
Guidance Counselor sets up conversation and
opportunities for natural socialization. Katie
has become friendlier with her peers and will
initiate greetings and will even approach them
in other social settings.
-
Girl Scouts has allowed Katie to be involved
with her peers and earn rewards for
participating. Katie joined Girl Scouts in
Kindergarten. She started out as a Daisy. I am
one of the leaders and help organize activities.
In Kindergarten, we met once per month and now
that she is a Brownie, we meet twice per month.
The other leader and I plan the meetings so that
all of the girls can participate. Katie has
earned several badges and she enjoys the
meetings. Since it is a challenge to have her
sit still, I bring the token board and some
small candies to encourage her to participate.
Katie’s twin, Jacob, is in Cub Scouts and I have
noticed that there are several boys in his pack
with autism. Of course, if you choose to have
your child in scouting, you will need to be very
active in their den or troop. My co-leader has
known Katie since she was three and is very
understanding. You may not find the right group
the first time you try, but it is worth it!
-
Dance Class! As a mom of a beautiful girl, I
really wanted her in dance class! I dreamed of
her on stage at her recital….oh I can go on and
on. So, I began calling different dance studios.
I spoke with several owners and I finally found
the right one. She told me she had worked with
children of all ability levels and agreed to
teach Katie privately until she was ready to
participate in a dance class. Once Katie was
ready for the regular class, the teacher brought
in an older student who prompted Katie during
class and kept her on task. At the end of the
second year, Katie was in the dance recital! I
was so proud of her and her teacher fell in love
with her!
-
Thanks to Tracy’s advice, I found myself an
older Girl Scout who wanted to volunteer by
playing with Katie. Since a lot of Katie’s time
is spent with adults, it is important to have
her with children as much as possible. This girl
observed Katie with one of her home tutors for a
few sessions. She jumped right in and played
with her doll house and asked her questions and
Katie really enjoyed it! Our Girl Scout come
over once a week and she and Katie have tea
parties, play dolls and enjoy each other. (One
of the best parts about this idea is that it is
FREE!!!)
Since this month, there are several holidays I
thought I would just remind everyone that the
holidays are stressful for us, the parents, and for
our special kids! If your child has never sat at a
church/temple service, don’t expect them to do it!
If your child has never been to an Easter Egg hunt,
don’t be surprised if he or she finds and collects
ALL the eggs! If you are going to be visiting family
or friends, let them know what your child needs. I
am sure that they will be accommodating! Most
important, enjoy your child and have fun!
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