Everyone doesn't Care
Penny Rogers3 min read
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That is the newest concept that we are trying to teach Logan. Have you ever tried teaching abstract social nuances to a child that can't comprehend the gray areas of life? It is not a walk in the park, believe me. Oh, and you have to try to do it as non verbal or as declarative as possible. So, I can't tell him what to do. I have to try and set it up so he makes the discovery himself. For my next trick, I will juggles 8 balloons filled with acid while singing the national anthem. lol
You mustn't think that I am unhappy with the newest work. I am beyond ecstatic that Logan is progressing so well. In a few years, he will completely caught up with his peers and he will be able to fulfill whatever purpose God has for him. I just wish I had some inside information about how his brain works. Just a peek.
This month, we will work on showing Logan how to monitor his conversations to know when it's appropriate to stop or to respect other people's feelings. To put it bluntly, Logan needs to learn when he has answered the question appropriately and given enough information. He also needs to learn that sometimes you need to let other people answer even if you know the answer.
Logan has a phenomenal memory. He can look at something one time and remember it forever. This is perfect for Scripture memorization or rote facts. The problem lies in the fact that if he knows the information then he wants to tell it to you. All of the information about that subject that he knows. Can you see where his photographic memory serves him well here?
On a side note and I am totally showing my age here. Do you remember the mailman , Cliff, on the show Cheers? He always had some obscure fact about something in the conversation like when beer was first developed or who was President when someone was born? That is Logan.
Unfortunately, not everyone is interested in knowing everything. Some questions are ok being answered yes or no. To top it off, we don't want him to appear to be a know it all. Other children are not going to want to hang out with him if he makes them feel stupid. We are NOT asking him to pretend to not know the answer or to act stupid. We are trying to get him to notice others in the conversation and determine if he has given enough info or if they are truly interested in hearing more.
To set this up, we will run around the yard clucking like chickens. lol I just wanted to see if you were still reading the post. Here's what we are really doing:
- framing (we are going to pick a topic that Logan is really interested in and teach him how to notice when he has given enough info. When he is starting to go overboard, we could sigh loudly or say " I'm bored" or generally act disinterested. It is considered successful if he picks up on it and stops. Ultimately, we want him to reference us and notice on his own without the exaggerated antics.
- videotaping it and showing it back to him to see if he can pick up on the cues. We then discuss it together.
- Use episodic memory later and help him to see how he can use it in other situations like Sunday School
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Article by
Penny Rogers
Just a Florida homeschooling mom attempting to navigate autismland with my teenage son with autism and the rest of my goofy family. We love Jesus and live gluten free . One kid with celiac and one gluten free for his autism. We utilize the Charlotte Mason approach mixed with lots of field trips as well as jaunts to Walt Disney World. Just sharing my adventures to make you feel better about your family and maybe learn a thing or two that helps !
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