A Quickie but a Goodie!

Howdy all,

This week’s tip as the subject says is a quickie, but a goodie 😉

Have you ever noticed that after your child has been jumping on the trampoline, swimming, swinging, playing chasings or basically just moving around that they are a lot more talkative and chatty, or if your child is not talking yet that they are playing around with their vocalisations more?

Well there is a reason for this…

Movement stimulates the language areas of the brain.

This is one of the BIG reasons why I incorporate a lot of movement activities into my therapy sessions with the kids. In fact, with one of my clients, Max, I used to carry out his entire session on a platform swing! This is simply a swing with a large flat base.

We used the swing with Max because:

He enjoyed it, so it was very motivating for him
The back and forth movement of the swing was very calming and organising for his nervous system which helped get him into a good state for learning during the session.
The movement stimulated the language areas of his brain.

So very quickly the swing became an important part of our sessions and a critical element for maximising the productivity of our therapy time! Consequently it also helped Max learn at a much faster pace!

BUT I’m not suggesting that you rush out and get a platform swing!

Because that is not the point of this week’s tip…

As I often say, every child with autism or aspergers is so unique and needs strategies and therapy techniques that are going to work best for them. So while the swing worked well for Max, it may not be an effective strategy for another child.

What I really want you to take away from this week’s tip is that…

Understanding your own child’s unique nervous system is so crucial for selecting and carrying out an effective treatment plan for them.

Just because something worked for another family or is very popular or has a slick marketing brochure does not mean that it will be an effective intervention for your child!

Over the years I have heard stories from many of my clients of how they spent months or in some unfortunate cases even years trying different treatments and therapies with little or no measurable progress.

But trust me, when you get it right (or even close to right) you’ll definitely know it!

Your child will absolutely love what they are doing and the leaps and bounds they make with their development will knock your socks off!

So just some more food for thought. 🙂
Please share your story
Have you had an experience with a program or intervention that for whatever reason was not as effective as you had first hoped? If so, please share your story with us below. You will really be helping other families understand the importance of knowing their child and discovering the most effective intervention for them.
Like more help?
If you would like more help learning about all of the individual characteristics of your child’s autism so you can feel empowered and confident to make the best decisions for their treatment, then please take a look at our Home Training Program.