Comments on: Supporting Toddlers with Autism by Changing OUR Behavior

By: Dana Childress, M.Ed.

Dana Childress, M.Ed. — Wed, 11 Mar 2015 11:59:17 +0000

Yes, Ingrid, I agree! Our behavior is really the only thing we have any control over. I love how you write about inviting the child but being okay if he doesn’t accept the invitation. There are probably many things we can do to help a child be more successful by US being more mindful of how we approach him, how we use our voice, our body position in relation to where he is, our language, etc. Thanks for adding your insights to the blog!

By: Ingrid Oude Vrielink

Ingrid Oude Vrielink — Wed, 11 Mar 2015 10:57:53 +0000

I like that: changing our behaviour. Because it’s the only thing we really cán do! Make the conditions better for the child to learn. And being very aware of that what we think may not be the reality. I think that you can have any goal you want as long as you don’t need it to be achieved now. Then you can invite the child (for example to look at you)and give him a lot of opportunities to practice. As long as you’re okay with him ‘not accepting’ the invitation.

By: Dana Childress, M.Ed.

Dana Childress, M.Ed. — Mon, 02 Mar 2015 19:23:38 +0000

In reply to Lisa kelly.

I wonder the same thing about goals that include eye contact. Maybe an alternative would be to write an outcome that the child will respond to his name (or communication bids etc.) and list a few examples of how – like by moving his body, looking in the speaker’s direction, making a sound, etc. Maybe we don’t have to be so specific as to “work” on eye contact. Believe me, I’ve done it with many children and now I look back and I don’t think it was particularly functional to be focused on on eye-to-eye contact. Thanks for adding to the discussion, Lisa.

By: Lisa kelly

Lisa kelly — Mon, 02 Mar 2015 19:11:06 +0000

Thank you for this, it was very helpful. We often write goals that include eye contact and maybe that is not the best way to go about things. I really liked the suggestion of sitting next to the child instead of always facing them which could be too much. I feel like I also see these same behaviors (decreased eye contact, increased movement) in very active toddlers with increased sensory needs/impulsivity. They may be listening more than we think but also become overwhelmed with too much eye contact…