It's fall y'all!
Fall is one of my favorite seasons, and I believe we can officially start celebrating everything fall has to offer right after Labor Day. With all the flavors of pumpkin spice and cinnamon, activities and festivals, colors and clothes, what's not to love?
After the heat and humidity of August following a long and sweaty summer, it's hard not to pine after the cool, crisp weather that fall has to offer. At least for me, I find myself counting down the days until I can walk outside without melting! But, with anything in life, good things come to those who wait. Learning patience is a fundamental skill we need to develop as we interact with the people around us.
One occurring behavior I see that a lot of families with young children face is a lack of patience. Many kids struggle to wait. I want it and I want it now is their rule of life! Parents do their best to lovingly teach their kiddos the importance of waiting, however it doesn’t seem to get better over time for our kids with Autism.
That's why for Training Tip Tuesday this week, I decided to talk about teaching patience. Inspiration for this blog post came from Autism Speak's article 'Autism and Teaching Patience' which is linked below.
It talks about how a lot of kids with autism are visual learners, meaning they absorb information best through sight. This applies to teaching patience as well. Usually, we tell our kiddos 'wait, 20 minutes, later', etc. However, these are auditory signals which are harder for our special needs children to understand. By changing the approach we use to teach patience from listening to seeing, we are teaching to our child's needs making it easier for them to grasp the concept.
The article mentions several ways to teach patience visually. Wait cards, calendars, visual timers, and choice boards just a few of the methods that can be adapted to your families' individual needs. If your child lacks patience, or the ability to wait, then this article is for you!
If you have any questions or would like some advice about helping your kiddo learn more patience, please reach out to us! We would love to connect you with a Behavior Analyst. Or, if you have something you would like us to address in a blog post we are here to help!
