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Attention, Focus and Transition Issues... Many parents have observed that their children are very focused in particular tasks but could care less about others. In addition, moving from one task to the other appears to be particularly difficult with the autistic child. Again, this can be explained based on issues of the part versus the whole. Children focus on tasks that provide for them control and predictability and avoid those tasks that do not provide that all necessary "order fix". My section on the importance of LABELING everything shows how labeling can greatly help with transition and attention issues. I found in working with Zachary, shifting tasks became easier the more I understood the true underlying issues and that in actuality, allowing for a shift in task was more a matter of using the right words and cues and teaching "words to cope" such as "all done" to move from one task to another. As a parent, I learned to use those things I knew helped to my advantage... things like labeling everything, hand over hand techniques, verbal prompts. For the autistic child, the less downtime, the better since downtime allows them to revert to non-productive stimulatory type activities that teach nothing new. For the autistic child, rest is indeed work, and if not done properly, downtime can simply allow the child to slip further and further into his own world. For more on this read my section on: Rest And The Autistic Child - When Rest Is Work Too! Downtime needs to be used for ordering activities that provide a lesson (i.e., spelling, math, reading, etc.). Even a video story can provide a sequencing lesson via its storyline. :o) The key is to show the child the lesson in everything...to make even leisure time productive. For example, when watching a video, a parent could bring attention to the fact that a duck laid an egg... then, the duck sat on the egg... after that, it hatched and finally, the duckling went for a swim with its mom. I found Zachary had more issues with sequencing at a younger age... now, he is slowly enjoying more and more in terms of actual storylines. As a parent, I've learned what things I must be there to help with and what tasks Zachary can work on by himself and that has been key to keeping both of us sane. Word selection is also very important in helping with transition issues. For example, I would not say: "Let's go practice writing". It was better to say, "All done... let's write Zachary" or something else that was very specific. This allows Zachary to complete the initial task as well as visualize the upcoming task. This simple, yet very specific phrase provides the closure of the first task, and the labeling, order and predictability Zachary needed to transition smoothly to the next. :o) |
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