Children during the early years of autism Part 2
BROWNSVILLE - Nelly’s parents, Theresa and Jim had a 3-year-old daughter with autism. The child was nonverbal. She had difficulty focusing and was becoming increasingly aggressive. Her parents were concerned about her cognitive delay and her frequent tantrums. As she grew older, Nelly’s parents would try to guess what their daughter wanted to help her calm down. It wasn’t an easy time for anyone in the family, including Nelly. The parents were happy when she reached age 3. She was able to start the preschool program for children with disabilities (PPCD).
Nelly initially liked the idea of going to school. There were lots of new things to explore and play with. During the first few days of class, she would run from one thing to another. However, as the staff began to introduce Nelly to a schedule of activities, she began to escalate in unacceptable behavior.
The teacher in the PPCD unit recognized that Nelly had missed several developmental stages in her cognitive growth. Her lack of ability to communicate was creating behavior issues. Plus, the little girl’s short attention span made it difficult for her to gain academic skills. The teacher realized that it would take time, possibly years to move her through several missed stages. Plus, Nelly’s extreme sensory needs caused the child to become over stimulated and frustrated.
Consistency had become an important issue along with tight structure not just at school but the home, too. Nelly needed to learn how to focus through interactive play and picture communication. At the beginning, it was no surprise that Nelly’s aggressive behavior increased when she was placed on a daily schedule. The teacher knew Nelly’s behavior had to get under control for her academic growth. The girl needed predictability and structure. Change wouldn’t be easy for Nelly but it would get better over time.
Nelly’s life during PPCD was series of ups and downs. The teacher and staff did interactive play with her on the floor while working on academics. Nelly’s occupational therapist placed a weighted vest on the child for short periods to help give more body awareness. Weights were briefly placed on Nelly’s ankles to give her a sense of space and balance.
Speech therapy was a challenge at the beginning as the child’s behavior needed to be brought under control. Applied Behavioral Analysis (ABA) and PECS (Picture Exchange Communication System) were all introduced during her early years at school.
Over time, the girl began to calm with interactive play and sensory time. Some days were still challenging, but the good days were becoming more frequent. The parents were open to trying different therapies with their child as they began to see small steps of progress.
Jim and Theresa also consulted with the girl’s pediatrician to discuss the child’s health needs. Ultimately, after a lot of reflection, Theresa and Jim chose medication to help improve the child’s focus and behavior. It was a long road of planning between the teacher, the occupational therapist, the speech therapist, the pediatrician, the parents and most importantly Nelly.
Nelly was slowly changing. By the time she reached first grade, she moved on to another classroom. There again was a tight daily schedule that included a variety of teaching methods.
The center focus in the unit was with the DIR/Floortime Therapy Model. This particular model was an umbrella that included other teaching methods for children with autism, such as TEACCH, LOVAAS, ABA, and PECS. Then, a surprise happened one day when the teacher was using the PECS program with a storybook written by Eric Carle.
It was déjà vu once again. Nelly was discovering communication just as several other children had before her with a simple visual graphics of a storybook called Brown Bear, Brown Bear, What Do You See? but more about that next week.
Autism is a sensory perception disorder that ranges from mild to severe in nature. For some children the steps toward change can be very slow. For others, communication may start out slow and suddenly take off. Nelly was just beginning to walk through the door to better communication. Next week: Nelly discovers communication.
Pamela Gross Downing, a special education teacher can be reached at downpamg@aol.com.
IF YOU ATTEND
On Nov. 10-12, 2011: Diana Henry’s Tools for Tots and Sensory Integration Workshop at Hilton Garden Inn, South Padre Island.
Contact lynette.benavidez@unitedwayrgv.org or (956) 548-6880 for more information.
