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Q&A session 1 with
the Director of The Son-Rise Program®,
Bryn N. Hogan.
Topic: Structured Play
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Q: Hi Bryn,
I often visit The Option and Son-Rise web sites and
have enjoyed the Q&A Sessions. So here is our question.
I am a volunteer. I work with a girl named Jade. I love
my sessions with her 5 times a week. At one of our meetings
we discussed the use and choice of Jades' toys. Jade
is still very much at the joining stage, however she
is becoming more and more sociable as time goes by.
Her eye contact is excellent and she is now beginning
to initiate other kinds of contact. What kind of toys
could we use to further Jade's language and interactive
skills? Also Jade's mother, Becky, and I were talking
today during my feedback and we wondered if you could
explain what Bears means when he talks about "structured
play" in "Son-Rise: The Miracle Continues"?
Love and happiness to all at The Option Institute,
Kim
A: Dear Kim,
Wonderful to hear from you. I remember Jade, (as you
know, my daughter has the same name) and her family
well. Please send my love to them all.
What we have seen is that the most important aspect
of the playroom as you know, is less "what toys" and
more "how to use them". It would be helpful to know
what toys you are currently using and how Jade is doing
at this point (regarding language, eye contact and attention
span in games) in order to better gauge suggestions.
Some overall suggestions:
- dress up items
- perhaps 1-2 simple board games
- dolls
- physical toys (hoops, balls, balance beam, swing,
ball toss, bowling pins/balls, etc)
- face paints to use on her and you
- crayons/paper/chalk board
I would imagine you have some of these items already.
Then, you could at your next group meeting, together
as a team - take each item and come up with lists of
new ways to use them, and new games you can play with
each one. Then, you can type them and post them in the
hall outside the playroom. Each person can pick different
ones every time they go in to be with her. So many teams
have found this to be an extremely helpful tool to help
get the creative juices flowing, as well as helping
you to work together and to see how many ideas you do
have (always keeping in mind - how can we use these
and create an INTERACTIVE game). Let us know how this
works, or if you want more help.
Warm Regards,
Bryn Hogan
I hope that as the weeks
progress, I will have ample opportunity to answer all
the questions from everyone who is wanting support.
For me, this is another rare and unique opportunity
to offer our support and guidance to those who want
help. Thank you all for making this exciting exchange
possible through your participation. Please know you
can contact us by telephone to speak to a staff member
if you have more questions. Call us at: (413) 229-2100
Q&A Session
1
Intro to Q&A Session
1
Throwing
and Screaming
Consulting
on a 6th Grade Autistic Child
Son-Rise: The Miracle of Love Movie
Structured
Play
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