One of the strategies for Autism that The Son-Rise Program uses is joining the child's exclusive and repetitious activities (isms). Some children flap, some spin in circles, some recite lines to movies.
There are many different isms and we all have them. For example, I like to listen to the same songs over and over again on my IPod, I soothe myself with the sound and the rhythm and become absorbed in the music.
I think if I were an autistic child, I'm pretty sure it would be lying snugly under a soft blanket like a cocoon. What is your ism?
I agree that we all have ism's, I have several like fiddling with my bottom lip while I am thinking, or a girlie one - twirling my hair around my finger, or tapping or drumming my fingers on the steering wheel while I am driving. But also musical ones like singing a small piece of a song over and over because I like the tune - my favourite at the moment is a song called little Spanish Town which has some great Chromatic intervals in it. But the interesting thing apart from the singing which my children get irritated with, nobody cares about the rest, they are considered 'socially acceptable' behaviours, so why does society draw a line and then label spinning or rocking or endless discussion of one topic 'unacceptable'. That's why I love the Son Rise program because we take away the line and don't judge, My son Jordan has this cool ism where you put your hands together palm to palm then you open your wrists so you can look in - it is the most amazing visual effect - it's like looking in a cave, also your hands are different colours as the one on top is black and the bottom one pink!! How cool is that!!! I am so lucky to see these things - the judgers will never see that wonder of the hand-cave!! I love the isms
ReplyDeleteLove hugs and smiles Alison Taylor