Motivation and understanding

"If you want to build a ship, don't drum up people to collect wood and don't assign them tasks and work, but rather teach them to long for the endless immensity of the sea." - Antonie de Saint-Exupery.

Again this speaks to The Son-Rise Program, taught here at The Autism Treatment Center of America. The Son-Rise Program is about building a true and strong desire within a child who has Autism or Aspergers to really WANT to connect with another person. No just look a someone because they have been told to, but because they desire the warmth and connection you get when you do this with another human being.

So many parents say to me that their children do not generalize the skills they learn at school to their home or outside environment.

We do not find that with The Son-Rise Program. We find that children on the Autism spectrum can generalize the interactive skills they learn during their Son-Rise Program. This is because their skill comes from a deeper place within that child. Not only are they motivated to use this skill, but they want to and understand why it is useful for them to do so.

Whoever we are, whether we have special needs or not, we only consistently do something when we are motivated, and understand why and believe that it is helpful for us to do so.