Author: Patricia Lopes | Apr 16, 2016
Zeb (name changed) is a 3 year old boy with autism who is attending the Asha Program for children with autism and their caregivers. At first, he hid behind his mother, clinging to her when anyone approached him. Mum complained that Zeb can, but very rarely speaks to her in three word sentences. Sometimes they threaten him because they want him to speak. During “work-time” it was noticed that Zeb enjoyed doing inset puzzles. To encourage his social communication, Zeb’s mother was informed that she should have the puzzle pieces in her control and get Zeb to request for them while looking at her.
The first time that Zeb’s mother tried this, he threw a huge tantrum. Mum was told to ignore his behavior. Once he calmed down (which took a while) Zeb was encouraged to communicate by holding up the puzzle piece and waiting expectantly. By demonstrating the technique to Zeb’s mother and supporting her as she persisted in behavior management. He did his activities with cooperation and a smile on his face. Last week when I asked him for some grapes from his tiffin box, he gestured by tapping the ground to communicate that he wanted me to sit down next to him after which he handed me some grapes. He has now been paired with another child to do turn taking activities like passing a ball. When he is faced with a new demand, Zeb cries and puts his head down on the floor for the first few activities. Mum has learnt to ignore his behavior. He then slowly sits up and starts participating in the task.
Zeb has been attending the Asha program for the last two months and now he enjoys sitting on the rocking horse, jumping on the trampoline and balances himself well on the balancing board. He is discovering the pleasures of socialization!