I knew Blake was a visual learner when he was very young. He was non verbal until he was three and a half. When he was almost two the therapist that was coming to the house kept mentioning how smart he was. Of course being a first time mom I knew my child was smart but I wanted her to prove it to me. She proceeded to write a word on the little whiteboard she carried around with her and he would sign it in sign language. It was AMAZING!!!
From then on we worked mostly with visual prompts to help Blake on a daily basis. He learned how to wash his hands with a picture schedule. He learned all of his Dolch words with flashcards and he learned how to talk with pictures I took with a camera. His language exploded and we were so happy.
Sunday, July 12, 2015
Friday, July 10, 2015
My Boy Blake
My eldest son Blake has Autism. He was diagnosed very young, at fifteen months old. Blake just turned twelve on Tuesday and as I look back on his life I can see how different it has been from a "typical" child. I have two other boys not on the spectrum.
Autism is a mystery. There is no explanation as to how a child gets it or why they do. There is also no known cure.
I have spent the last eleven years trying to figure out what makes Blake tick. Why he does the things he does and how to teach him the necessary skills he will need in life to succeed. It has not been an easy road for either of us.
I was an ABA (Applied Behavior Therapist) for four years helping other children on the spectrum learn. I studied ABA and took the exams to become board certified.
That left me with a lot of guilt as a mom to be away from my child while I taught other kids so I stopped. All I was really trying to do was to find a kid like my own so I could teach him the same way. As the saying goes "if you have met one child with Autism you have met one child with Autism". No two are alike.
The Autism symbol is a puzzle piece. The pieces all fit together but no piece is the same as the other.
In this blog I want to show you how Blake learns. Maybe just maybe there is someone out there who can relate? I may just find that puzzle piece after all!
Please view the introductory You Tube video on visual learning.
Autism is a mystery. There is no explanation as to how a child gets it or why they do. There is also no known cure.
I have spent the last eleven years trying to figure out what makes Blake tick. Why he does the things he does and how to teach him the necessary skills he will need in life to succeed. It has not been an easy road for either of us.
I was an ABA (Applied Behavior Therapist) for four years helping other children on the spectrum learn. I studied ABA and took the exams to become board certified.
That left me with a lot of guilt as a mom to be away from my child while I taught other kids so I stopped. All I was really trying to do was to find a kid like my own so I could teach him the same way. As the saying goes "if you have met one child with Autism you have met one child with Autism". No two are alike.
The Autism symbol is a puzzle piece. The pieces all fit together but no piece is the same as the other.
In this blog I want to show you how Blake learns. Maybe just maybe there is someone out there who can relate? I may just find that puzzle piece after all!
Please view the introductory You Tube video on visual learning.
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