Autism Treatment Center of America Forum

[Sab]

Hi everyone! Hope alls well. Ok so i finally got down to doing my first ever sonrise session with my son. We are waiting on an extension to have a proper playroom so i have started by using my lounge but its not really working cuz Adam knows where his toys are (battery operated, not allowed!) so he kept leading me by the hand to the toy cupboard and getting upset that i wouldn't comply. Still i did get some good eye contact and he is non verbal YET but repeated the odd word after me only once so i am pleased!

[BeckyDamgaard]

Hello!

My name is Becky and I'm a Son-Rise Program Teacher. Good for you doing your first Son-Rise session with your son. It's exciting that you are building a new playroom for him where many beautiful things will take place! We are cheering you on all the way!

We suggest that you remove the batteries from the toys you mentioned for the time being and actually have the toys available to him without the batteries. It's going to be incredibly useful for your son, as children with autism already have a hypnotic personality that leans towards repetitous, predictable activities and any battery operated/electronic toys will fuel that part of him. The other reason why it's useful is that we want to be as user-friendly to him as possible so if we take the things he loves away from him then his experience of people will be one of them not being as attractive, thus sending the opposite message to him that we want to.

When you are ready to do this, I would explain to him when it's going to happen and the confidently and lovingly thow the batteries away and give supply him with the toys.

Warm regards,

[Sab]

Hi Becky!

Thanks for your informative response! We are still waiting to get council permission regarding the extension but we are all set to go and i am continuing to do an hour a day with Adam in our lounge. He is making good progress with lots of improved and sustained eye contact and he is learning to look at me when he wants my attention. He has even repeated the odd word after me but only once! I have a second child also on the spectrum but not as severe as Adam but we have seen massive changes in her since putting the battery operated toys away. She is engaging more with us. Actually i don't think they have even missed the electronic toys because we replaced them with more interactive toys and they love them! We have also cut down on having the TV on.

I wanted to ask you though, we have a trampoline and the kids love it but how can i use that interactively as Adam can spend hours jumping on it alone and also he loves looking at books but its one of his isms and he points at things and wants me to say what they are so should i continue because that is still interactive although he doesn't look at me and finally when he leads me by the hand should i praise that as it is still an initiation on his part and then tell him that if he uses the word i can understand better? Is that ok?

Sabiha.

[BeckyDamgaard]

Hi Sabiha,

Wow, you have been doing amazingly! Well done you! Yes, I agree with what you are doing! We do want to give control and show our children that we are user-friendly, attractive individuals who are easy to be with.

It sounds like with the books, your son is engaging you in a repetitious game. This would be a time to include some kind of challenge for him and see if he is open to it. I might ask him to look at me, as I say and point to each picture of the book, or to say the word "Read" when he takes my hand and shows me what he wants. You can also build from the book by acting out the pictures, singing about them or reading the word in different, fun character voices. If your son is rigid and controlling around it and insists that you read it in the same way each time and doesn't respond to the requests you are making, then he is not as connected and therefore not available to be challenged at this time, in that case, I would go with him and read it in the way he wants until he is more connected and open.

With the trampoline, are you able to get on the trampoline with him and bounce him higher? if so, then I would do this for a while and then work on language or eye contact as suggested before. If he doesn't need you at all and is happier bouncing by himself then join him by pretending to bounce on your own trampoline, My guess is that he is craving some sensory stimulation and it's helping him to regulate his sensory processing system. If you are not designating specific one to one Son-Rise time with him at this time then it's fine to leave him jumping by himself.

Warm regards,