Tuesday, July 7, 2009
So What is Joint Attention???
So what is joint attention? Joint attention occurs when you reference an object, person, or thing, (pointing, looking) drawing the child’s attention, and the child is able to refocus on that same object, person, or thing with you. Joint attention is one of the most important aspects of autism treatment. If you are caring for a child with autism, or whom you suspect has autism, it is highly recommended you get a professional therapist, specializing in autism to help the child, family and you. There are some simple things you can do to help children with autism. Encourage them, teach them to ask for things they want or want to do and then whenever possible and appropriate, quickly meet those requests. Encourage reciprocal communication (i.e., you make a request and they respond appropriately, they make a request, you respond, and then they make a request for more). Remember communication can be something as simple as glances, pointing, signs, or words; though you would not want to let a child capable of asking with words get away with a simple glance.
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14 comments:
I talk to my four year old on the phone a lot. It's pretty difficult at times. When ever I ask him what he's doing or what he did that day his response is ALWAYS "I'm not doing anything" or "I didn't do anything." I try to throw hint words to help him with expressing his self so then he can explain but it doesn't work. His aunt or some one else has to tell him what he did for the day in order for him to tell me. Is that just because he's four and needs some time to learn how to communicate better or is he not being taught properly how to communicate?
my four year old and i often talk abotu school. sometimes he makes sense sometimes he does not. I find lots of times when he is frustrated he resorts to tantrums and hitting.. what can i do to avoid his frustrations?
How is his speech in general? If it's ok for his age, then help him slow down. Ask questions, perhaps sit him on your lap or cuddle next to him while asking him about what happened. If he shows signs of frustration, calmly ask him questions to help clarify. As he sits on your lap or close to you, be sure you are calm and breath slowly and deeply. That will also help to calm him.
Can a child have both autism and aspergers?
I've worked with a child with autism at grade school. He gets real frustrated while playing with others, then fights and hits a lot.
The other classmates are afraid to play with him. How can I help?
Is he getting services? What state or country do you live in? How old is he? That will tell me a lot about your options.
Technically, though I disagree with this, Aspergers is no longer a diagnosis. Everything has been classified as Autism Spectrum Disorder or ASD.
this is Connie again. The age of the student is 6 years old and lives in north Idaho. And yes he gets services through the public school system, and it is helping.
He may also be eligible for services through the developmental disabilities program. Here is the link: http://healthandwelfare.idaho.gov/Medical/DevelopmentalDisabilities/ChildrensDevelopmentalDisabilityServices/tabid/1017/Default.aspx
If he is not getting services, the family wants services, and they have any problems, let me know. Send me an e-mail and I'll help them.
In our classroom setting, we always make a point of establishing early on in the year a signal from teacher to students, either audio or by hand signal, to gain attention. Is there study material available to show how this applies to larger groups rather than just two-gaze partners?
This is very clarifying on how to communicate. I work with one year olds and we work very hard on beginning to use words or signals to communicate wants or needs.
Hypothetically, if a child is speech delayed (ie: a four year old speaking like a very young 2 year old) and is diagnosed with ASD but is still high functioning, when you ask them to do something/not to do something/it's not okay to do this/etc. are they still capable of understanding you even if their communication skills aren't there all the way? Or can ASD delay brain development to that extent? I know it's different with each child, I'm not looking for a diagnosis, just curious as to the majority of children diagnosed.
They are capable of understanding...however that may not be the right question. Were you "heard" may be a better question. Did they actually hear you. Sometimes people with ASD have so much going on, so much information they are attempting to process at the same time it is difficult to filter out everything else and focus on your message. You may need to minimize the distractions and do something to make sure you have been "heard." I would recommend working with an OT who understands sensory issues and ASD.
Joint attention is what i based my classroom adjustments for. My co teacher knows i have a background in Special needs children. We have developed a coassociation with our children. we take turns in engaging the children in various activities. buttoning, lacing, drawing, directions, dancing, singing. if any of the activities stand out in social or developmental deficiencies we log the activity and the action we observed. these logs are kept in strict confidentiality. if we see a repetitive behavior that meets any target sign for the spectrum we notify our director who looks over the documented information and runs it across our local special needs professional.
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