WHEN making a home program, it is important to write down your goals. Start simple and small.
For example, you want to improve your child’s bathing skills. Specifically, you see that your child cannot soap his body well. You still help him soap himself and verbally tell him where to soap. To aid him to gain more independence, you create a picture sequence to post inside the bathroom where he can see it to help him remember what parts to soap, so he doesn’t have to depend on your verbal prompts.
Crafting a home program is not just making visual supports. It is making your home conducive to learning.
The first is making a structured environment. It is sectioning your home to help your child identify and recognize their uses and differences, such as the bedroom is for sleeping and the toilet is for toileting. This is important as it will help them in associating things and actions. You can use different curtains or colored tapes to section your home.
Next is establishing a regular structured environment, which is having a daily schedule or routine. Children thrive on routine since it gives them stability and control; increased independence; they understand the success or achieving something; they would eventually have access to a school curriculum; participate in the school community; and decrease their dependence on verbal prompts, questioning, and on their parents, teachers, and aides.
The benefits of a home program are:
1. They can function independently, and they have increased self-esteem and confidence because they can do things on their own.
2. They become productive and self-reliant because they already know what to do based on their routine.
3. The family becomes knowledgeable about the child and can understand the various moods and behaviors.
4. They can participate and integrate with the family and community.
Miss Joyla Ofrecia had this advice as we were ending the webinar:
1. Use clear and positive language
2. Use visual support like pictures and gestures
3. Be consistent
4. Follow through commands
5. Use motivating rewards
6. Give choices
7. Do a win-win situation
8. Be patient and persevere
9. Important
10. No drills
11. Employ incidental teaching
12. Teaching-learning experiences should be naturally occurring
I enjoin everyone to have more compassion and understanding for all children with different abilities.
I would also like to hear the experiences of other parents who have children on the autism spectrum. You may email me at genevieveaiza.delacruz@gmail.com. I am a member of the Autism Society Philippines (ASP), a national non-profit organization dedicated to the well-being of persons on the autism spectrum disorder./PN
