Intent to communicate

A good friend of mine shared this phrase with me the other day – I had never heard it…. 

It’s pretty simple and very logical – it is part of generalization but even more basic. 

We teach our children skills according to their assessments but we continually seem to skip the meaning behind those skills. 

The most important and basic skill a child needs is communication.  He needs to understand the effect that communication will bring him.  Teaching communication skills as a standalone skill is insufficient.  The child needs to learn what those skills can do for him – (other than alleviate frustration)

So before we try to move on to more advanced skills, we need to teach the effect of communication and why a child would want or intend to communicate.  When he learns why he should communicate, he then should expand his communication skills (sign language, speech, device, etc…).  When he has learned WHY he should communicate, you have just given him the intent to communicate.  When has learned how to communicate, you have just enabled him to communicate and take part in real life with true intent and desire to communicate.

Communication is the most basic skill necessary for all – and the intent to communicate is one of the first skills that should be taught to any child. Infants communicate naturally through crying.  They cry when they are wet or hungry to let you know that they need you – therefore they have communicated with you.  Older children with limited verbal skills will do the same thing – they will throw a tantrum or scream to get attention – so they already have the innate knowledge that their crying will bring an effect.

As they age, we need to utilize this knowledge by teaching them a form of proper communication (HOW) that will enable them to communicate their need or desire and then provide a desired response..
Once a child realizes that his communication will get him attention and meet his needs (WHY), he will begin to use it more and more.  Communication skills will naturally grow as the child will want to or need to provide more information to get desired outcome.  This is the intent….

i.e.  We teach children to request – “can I have cup” – it needs to go steps further and the child needs to go to a person, get their attention and then request.  Once this is learned and practiced, then the child should learn to ask for juice or desired drink, then drink it, then ask for a snack and so on…  Then you can expand the communication by asking questions like “is it good?”, “do you want another cookie?”, etc….  You can see the natural progression and how intent will naturally grow.  Of course each child may have different needs to be taught but if the desire is there, you can teach it….

Once you have intent – then you will also naturally build social skills – communicating requires socializing….  They go together….  So teach INTENT 1^st!

SIDENOTE:  IDEA law list 3 basic skills that every child is entitled to as part of FAPE – and communication is at the top of the small list!

I am happy to say that more and more I hear people talking about America’s imports from China and the problem it caused for our economy.  My daughter is mortified every time she shops with me – as I look at all the tags and can’t buy 9/10 of the items we pick up…. because they are made in China.  It seems that people are actually starting to understand that purchasing our imports puts people in the US out of work.   The present situation with China has been in the works since the 1980’s.

The present epidemic of the growing population of children with developmental delays is being handled in a similar manner as our trading practices with China.

We are ignoring the long term effect….  pushing it into the corner and ignoring it.

Importers of product are mostly importing for the cheap price….. stuff can be made in China for a small percentage of what it would cost to make in the US.  So – lets make more money ……

Developmentally delayed children – same treatment.  Insurance companies and schools can’t possibly pay for the treatments needed …..  it would lower their income or prevent them from balancing the budget. 

Problem is that some day we are going to have to pay for all of this.  Cutting corners results in an inferior product….  Look at Toyota right now. 

The problems we have now with the epidemic of developmental delays are being pushed into the corner – and eventually they will come back to haunt us…..  They always do….

Everyone needs to wake up – we are just creating our next recession for 2030’s…. we are just setting ourselves up for bankrupting America….  not to mention ruining lives!

Debt to China:  http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_States_public_debt

Cost of raising an autistic child – per CBS broadcast:  http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2009/06/21/eveningnews/main5101691.shtml

Are vaccines responsible for autism?

Maybe it just causes the complete breakdown of the immune system (which is in the gut – where Dr.Wakefield found the problem)

Maybe the immune system breakdown further aggravates the body causing developmental issues…..

maybe there is more …..  

Do they REALLY think that all of these people are making this stuff up – that after the MMR and the complete break down of the immune system is purely coincidental….?????????  I still remember the 2 days following the MMR shot with my son…..   it was terrifying….   he got sooooo sick soooooo fast!   and it continued…

The naysayers should walk one day in our shoes ……. or better yet, our children’s shoes!

it is that time of the year when all of our special education teachers are sent to meeting after meeting…

Well, here in NY, if the teacher is in meetings, then she isn’t teaching…..   and if the school doesn’t hire a substitute teacher, then they are breaking the law!

So, document when the teacher isn’t there…..  hold on to this information and use it when necessary, like when they are trying to decide on services for your child and are arguing with you….

So now the CDC has recognized this – so when will all of the doctors and government officials recognize it and possibly think about why this increase and how to deal with it – today and in the future.

Our children are our future – who is going to care for these children in the future.  Parents cannot afford to help their sick children now!

Where is this coming from – could it possibly be the increased reliance the country has on “automation”  increasing the use of chemicals – importing products from China that are not required to meet any type of production standards – stressing our childrens immune systems before they even leave the hospital, adding drugs and preservatives to our foods, etc…

Some of the doctors and school administrators are saying that the public is overdiagnosing the children simply to obtain educational services for them!  Of course – that is what the parents want – their child to be labeled a “special needs” child and receive services that require their child to work for hours every day!  not be a child and play with other children…..

I have come to the point where I cannot even read the paper anymore – All of this talk cannot be be truly objective until you have opened your eyes and accepted what people affected by autism are going through.  Like the saying goes “Walk in my shoes”  ……  I guarantee if they walked in our shoes for one week or even a day, their opinions would be very different!

And I could go on and on…..  but I won’t!

05-somebody-to-loveI continue to work on lesson plans and new ideas for this blog…  but I thought for today I would write something a bit less serious…  As a parent with a special needs child, my life is always so serious and I am rarely able to let my mind relax as it is so filled with “to do’s” for obtaining all medical and educational treatments that my son needs…. not to mention social skills activities…. 

It all gets to be so overwhelming so I decided that I would share with you what Brett is doing today….

Many of you know Brett’s background and how multiple professionals in different fields told me pretty much that he was hopeless…. along with many other negative opinions and advice.

Brett

But today, Brett is at diving camp…..  yes – springboard diving.  Brett is a nationally ranked diver – he placed 5th in the nationals last year at age 10.  He went to diving camp last week on Wed – today is his 5th day – he has learned 4 new dives – he is training with ex-olympic coach Dick Kimball.  Last night he called me and told me about his new dives….

He began diving at around age 5 – during a time in his life when he was immersed in watching video – and he was watching the diving olympics – an old tape we had when Greg Louganis was in the olympics.  This was the beginning of his diving – yes… he learned to dive from video.  For information on Video modeling seehttp://www.watchmelearn.com/video-based-teaching.shtml

Anyways – Brett is having a phenomenal time at camp – and he is excelling – something I was told he would NEVER do…

If you want to view some clips of his diving, the link below shows some of his diving from almost 2 years ago.  I will be sure to post new video very soon! 

I just want you all to know that there is hope…. and don’t let anyone tell you there isn’t.  It is summer now, try to relax a bit, enjoy your child for who he or she is, and put the serious business of caring for a special needs child in the back of your mind for a bit ….  it will be there tomorrow or in August or September waiting for you.

I need to do the same thing!  Enjoy my children!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J0nBatn5vUo

Scientific studies have proven that developmentally delayed children who lack training in social skills and social communication will likely continue to be deficient in these skills throughout adolescence and adulthood.  Furthermore, many high-functioning individuals with PDD will be unable to find employment that match their intellectual abilities or maintain a job due to impaired social skills (Rumsey & Hamburger, 1988).

Lack of social skills in adolescence can lead to problems such as fewer friends, lonelier than typical peers and less satisfying relations (Bauminger & Kasari, 2000).  Other issues include bullying, lack of self confidence, lack of self esteem, depression, activity exclusion, drug abuse and more.  Adults lacking social skills may likely experience similar emotional issues.  These problems can include fear or anxiety of relationships, lack of friends and loneliness, lack of a support network……  ultimately leading to depression and other emotional problems.  Emotional problems steer these individuals down a path that is ultimately self-destructive.  When this happens, these individuals are no longer ABLE to contribute to society and then become a burden to society via unemployment, substance abuse, etc…

Addressing the issue of social skill teaching in schools through a pervasive program will teach ALL children social skills.  This requires a program to be implemented throughout the school environment, not take place in one self-contained classroom. 

Students receiving social skills programming in their usual classrooms had substantially more favorable outcomes than students who received services in a pull-out setting (The study, “A Meta-Analysis of School-Based Social Skills Interventions for Children With Autism Spectrum Disorders,” was published in this month’s Journal of Remedial and Special Education. Coauthors are Jessica Peters, Lauren Benner, and Andrea Hopf). 

Source:  http://www.dancexm.com/kelli/index.php?c=viral&m=index&id=8fbf968b111556800e09c90494efcdc7

Children with developmental delays usually lack social skills and need to be taught appropriate behaviors, interpretation of social cues and environments, appropriate response to these cues and ultimately an understanding of the social world they live in.  Typical children need to develop an understanding of others, develop an acceptance of their differences and ultimately acquire the skills necessary for them to appropriately deal with such social differences in a non-abusive and non-threatening manner.  This requires changing behaviors.

For behavior modification to be effective, it needs to be embedded in the child’s day – this requires it to be part of the curriculum at school where a child spends the majority of his day.   The problems that society face as a result of social deficits are not going to go away.  They are actually much more likely to increase exponentially based on the rise in the incidence of autism and developmental delays.  This is a big RED flag to teachers, parents and society…  as today’s problems will grow to be tomorrow’s bigger problems.  Just look at the deficit.

The choice is ours – do we foster social growth in children today by providing the tools necessary for the children to be confident, happy adults?  Or do we sweep the problem under the rug, ignore it now and hope it goes away?  Ignoring this problem will cost society dearly….  Think about it.

And one more thought….. The Stimulus ARRA 2009 funds were provided to:

Provide intensive district-wide professional development for special education and regular education teachers that focuses on scaling-up, through replication, proven and innovative evidence-based school-wide strategies in reading, math, writing and science, and positive behavioral supports to improve outcomes for students with disabilities.

Source: http://www.ed.gov/policy/gen/leg/recovery/factsheet/idea.html

American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009: IDEA Recovery Funds for Services to Children and Youths with Disabilities
April 1, 2009

1.    Maybe a good source for funding an effective social skills program through the professional development of special education and regular education teachers….

In today’s society, we generally rely on professionals for answers and for guidance on how to teach a child.  We receive medical reports, educational assessments and scientific data to answer this question.  Then a method of treatment and teaching is formulated.

The problems are:

1. Reliance on data that may or may not be accurate.  Test/assessment results are only as reliable as the methods used to administer the test. In other words, the test results are only as good as the test delivery method.   As an example, if you assess a deaf child by asking auditory questions, your results will indicate a very low functioning cognitive ability.  If you assess the same child by using a method of communication the child can comprehend, you will get VERY different results.
2. Scientific information used may not be current with today’s science and the data are only as good as the knowledge, experience and skills of the person doing the interpretation.  Medicine is a science that relies on scientific proof, history and independently verified results.

            When making a decision about how to educate a child, do we analyze the brain     connections being built when a child is provided with a sensory stimulation?  No!

            Do we base our selection of materials to provide to a child based on brain wave     activity? No!

            We don’t have either of these available. So, basing our education decisions on       what we do know is obviously insufficient.

1. Treatment/teaching methods are usually formulated based on what we have available to us or what we know is available. Educational placements are usually based on what is available, not what is needed.  More insufficiency.
2. Grouping children by learning disabilities does not provide all children the opportunity to learn: yet one more insufficient element in our decision.

In summary, when determining whether a child can learn and how the child learns, we are relying on data that may not be accurate or up-to-date, and educational opportunities that are insufficient or inappropriate for the learner. The result is bad decisions.

It sounds so complicated…  In many ways, it is complicated but it doesn’t have to be and it shouldn’t be.  Society and time have created pathways we use when deciding whether a child can learn.   But as we all know, existing pathways may not be the fastest or most efficient ways to get to a designated place.  Often they will not allow us to get there at all. 

Many children are able to follow existing paths and learn effectively.  For these children, the established paths are sufficient.  For many other children, however, the paths are not sufficient nor will they reach the destination.  Learning and the complex job of teaching requires us to get off the path and figure out another route to reach the destination.

What does this mean?  It means we have to look past the test results, the assessment results and the inventory of teaching tools available to us, and look at the individual child and how that child learns.  Next, we need to determine what means are needed to teach this child.  What we find will allow us to create a new individual path for learning. It will create new experiences and learning opportunities for EVERY child.  These new pathways will benefit all children, not just the children in need.  Every child will experience new things and maybe even learn about how people are different and learn and experience differently.

The child who can’t understand what you are saying will understand if you show him. The child who can’t understand what you are showing him will understand what you are saying.  The child who can’t understand what you are saying or showing will understand what you are doing. The child who can understand what you are saying, showing and doing will gain a much more comprehensive understanding when saying, showing and doing are combined.

We must provide each child with the best available means and delivery to maximize his learning.  Use the information and tools you have but realize that they may not be sufficient to make an accurate decision about a child’s ability to learn.  Look past the assessments, tests and resources and determine what the individual child needs and then provide the tools to the caregivers, the parents and the teachers.

Can this child learn?  The answer to this question is YES.  What a child learns, how a child learns and how much a child learns depends on YOU!  YOU are every member of society. At some time, in some manner, YOU influence decisions about a child’s life, about education, about science and about opportunities.  The opportunity to learn is a right.  It is your duty and my duty to provide this opportunity.