- Mayuri Ramdasi
- 12 Jul, 2023
The right way to teach "CELEBRATIONS" to our autistic child.
Today, I am going to talk about celebrations - celebrations of events, success, and achievements. They are integral parts of our lives.
Do we really celebrate our child's success or achievement every now and then? No, we don't. Why? Because we expect our child to achieve something. The expectation could be related to their daily routine, academic achievements, or other performances. If our child doesn't meet those expectations, we tend to ignore celebrations. We don't celebrate at all. But that's not right; we need to celebrate and appreciate even if it is a small achievement.
For children with autism, it is necessary to compliment them on every little thing they do. This will motivate and encourage them to perform more. Our main goal is to instill speech and language skills in our autistic child, and I will tell you how to implement that through celebrations.
Every child loves to go to a party, whether it's a birthday party or a house party. However, for an autistic child, there could be behavioral issues where they struggle with the surroundings, the noise, and the crowd. The child might become cranky and irritable. To avoid such issues, we can create a pretend event at home to improve their socialization.
Let's create a small, family-centric event like a birthday party for our child. The enthusiasm for the celebration should start in the morning, where you talk to the child about their birthday celebration in the evening.
To have a birthday party, we will go through the tasks step by step. The first step is giving invitations to the family. When inviting family members, make sure to vary your intonation and use your motherly touch. Since you will be inviting on behalf of the child, especially if they are non-verbal, you will need to use different tones. Let's start by inviting Daddy: "Daddy, today is my birthday, please come to my birthday party" with a joyful tone. Then, you can go to Grandpa and say, "Grandpa, today is my birthday, please come to my party" with an even happier tone. Similarly, you and the child will go to other family members and invite them to the party with a joyful tone. Remember not to keep the tone monotonous and always use intonations.
The second step is decorations. You will need various decoration materials for the birthday, such as balloons. Use different types of balloons and involve the child and other family members in the decoration process. The decoration of the party should be enjoyable for the child, and they should feel joy knowing that everyone is decorating for their birthday party.
The third step is cutting the cake. Since it's a pretend party, you don't need to buy or make a real cake; a pretend cake is sufficient. Now that all the guests have arrived, it's time to cut the cake. Support the child in holding the knife and cutting the pretend cake. When they cut the cake, sing the happy birthday song and give lots of appreciation and blessings.
The fourth step is music and dancing. Every family member should celebrate, sing, and dance simultaneously, hugging and cuddling the child. You can also help your child dance or show them the steps of the dance. Enjoy the birthday party together. This will help the child understand what a celebration looks like.
In conclusion, I would like to say that we should celebrate our child's every small achievement. We shouldn't wait for them to achieve something big. Be happy with every small thing the child does. And when they don't remember their past achievements and happiness, remind them. Also, don't forget to use intonations, interjections, and varying tones to convey your feelings and emotions to an autistic child. Monotonous speech doesn't help them understand what is going on.
Share Post:
