According to a
proverbial saying in French, "The more it changes, the more it remains the
same." Without getting into the philosophical obscurity of the observation, it
is safe to say that change is not always met with an open heart. This is
particularly true within the autism community where even the slightest amount
of change in routine amounts to a lot of confusion, puzzlement and
tantrum-throwing. A majority of children with autism spectrum disorder function
‘normally’ in a cluster of repetitive behavior patterns. Visually oriented as
they are, they can easily identify what’s same
as before and what’s not. In the
words of special educator Richard Schrameijer:
I saw a child of nine refusing to open his book when one of
the teachers started standing at a different part of the classroom. It was not
too much of an irregularity if you ask me, but for the child, it was sticking
out like a sore thumb.
There are plenty
of stories about how a newly refurbished bedroom can send an autistic child into
a sensory overload. Some parents have reported that a mere replacement of room lighting
got their child into a state of shock and sleeplessness. Paul Mercado (name
changed), 12, from Milford, DE, reportedly bit on a large chunk of wood and
bled to unconsciousness after finding that his bedroom light shade was darkened.
So the question is:
how do parents and teachers help special children COPE with changes?
Schrameijer strongly
asserts that change management is possible and very much a necessity. Given
that the purpose of special education for autism is to help foster independence in those affected,
it only makes sense to brace for changes to cope with them. The first rule, he
says, is to make tiny changes in the child’s schedule over a long period of
time. Another important consideration is to have a lot of reinforcements to
help the child cope with a changed perception of his/her immediate
surroundings. Now twist the second rule a bit and reward the child whenever
he/she does something different.
Do you have a
suggestion to share? Send in your comments to info@ilearnnearn.com.
