Good Sound/Bad Sound?

From Jack: Hidy-ho Son-Rise amigos!

I hope you are all having amazing, exciting, dynamic and thrilling adventures in your playrooms around the world - here at the Autism Treatment Center of America we definitely are!

This week we have the CUTEST little boy here for the Son-Rise Program Intensive and, wow! Does he have the greatest isms! He loves numbers, math, spelling, dancing and... grinding his teeth! This one got me thinking... I used to really HATE the sound of teeth grinding (I remember my little brother used to do it when he was a baby) but here, with this boy, I am so fine with the sound. In fact, I love it! You know why? Because if I can choose to love anything a child does, then I can choose to love ANY sound!

So often we are sold beliefs about "good", "bad", "fun" or "painful" sounds. How many times have we seen people wince when someone screams, or heard someone say how they hate the sound of nails on a chalkboard or a certain genre of music. We are encouraged to believe that the sound CONTROLS how we feel. I know this is utterly untrue.

Try this out - take a sound you may previously have decided not to like (your child crying, workmen drilling the road outside) and find ONE THING to love about it. Find one thing about that sound that is fascinating and unique. Is it the way your ears vibrate? Is it the after-sound - the way your ears ring? Is there are special rhythm to it? Can you even detect a faint tune that only you can hear?

Now, think what a gift it would be to your child if you decided to love EVERY sound they make in the playroom - crying, screaming, laughing, shouting... yes, even teeth grinding! There is nothing your child can do that you can not love :)

With excitement and joy for all of you

Jack