Uniquely Human

I just finished listening to Barry Prizant's book, Uniquely Human: A Different Way of Seeing Autism. Although I have read multiple articles and receive his newsletter from his SCERTS program, it is my first book by him that I have read. Again I am awed by how challenging it is to deeply read an audiobook. I feel that it is important to engage in this exercise periodically because it creates an understanding with students who use audiobooks as a compensatory tool. If they multitask, as I frequently do when listening, it is not high quality information learning.

Dr. Prizant weaves his years of experience through his book as anecdotes to support his ideas rather than listing research article after article. This makes the book very readable. 

His primary assertion is that there are no "autistic" behaviors, merely human behaviors that are engaged in with an intensity or beyond an expected time. When my son bounced at the arrival of his birthday guests, he was engaging in behavior typical of a toddler, not a middle schooler. When a child rocks to calm himself, he is doing what many do, but perhaps more vigorously or more publically than we might. When a child engages in self-injurious behavior (SIB) because he is overwhelmed, he is aggressively combating the overstimulation by blocking it out the only way he knows how- SIB. We need to modify the environment to reduce the stress rather than try to target the SIB for extinction.

He reminds us that people on the spectrum may experience past events almost the ways a person with PTSD might- full of emotion and experience. A bad experience once, can lead to extreme anxiety about that situation again. That anxiety can lead to outbursts that are seemingly "out of no where" until some careful and thorough detective work reveals the underlying cause. Then, just like a person with PTSD, we cannot eliminate the brain's instinctive response, but we can slowly buffer the traumatic experience with more positive experiences and self-talk. 

He reminds us that each person is developing throughout their life. There is no age beyond which a skill cannot develop. We should not be looking at an average development curve, but an individual one and celebrate the gains each individual makes.

His target audience is caregivers. He is offering a comforting viewpoint that their children are "normal" but on a different trajectory that some others. He recommends finding support howsoever it helps- books, therapy groups, parents of people with autism groups, whatever works for each individual. His book is also for professionals. It urges them to find compassion and look at the strengths of each individual rather than the deficits. He reminds them to understand the monumental task a caregiver has and to remember that they are doing the best they can in that moment. My son had a 1:1 aide with him throughout his schooling. He came home and there I was without that support. There were times when he was young when he had to come to the bathroom with me because I could not trust him with his little sister while I took two minutes out. Teachers recognize that the children in their care go home to their parents at night, during vacations, and the summer. They relish their time away from their jobs. Parents do not have the luxury. Even when their child is at school, they are on edge about how their child is doing and will they get a phone call about some issue. They are in for the long haul. Sometimes their stress says they cannot be the best they would like to be.

The last chapter in the book is a FAQ section. It provides sensible, down to earth answers to some of the most common questions that Dr. Barry is asked.  A nice way to wrap up the text. I would highly recommend this text.

Tips for a summer of play

When my children were in elementary school, I heard an administrator say that gifted kids and kids with disabilities were the same, and our school met the needs of all children. I could not even think of where to begin to address this statement. Yes, gifted is officially a component of special education, but in New York, like many other states I suspect, there is a special certification for special education but only an endorsement for gifted. There is a vast array of assessment, reporting and service delivery requirements for special ed, but none for gifted. The common catch-all term- differentiation- that we use to explain how we meet the needs of diverse students with the classroom does not eliminate the need for special education placements, but gifted placements are, in many places unheard of. All that being said, both groups do share the need for adjustments to be made to the curriculum  to truly benefit from school. Differentiation does meet the needs of many students within the classroom.

When I picked up Parenting for High Potential this month, June, I read an article that highlighted some other commonalities between the two groups in their article by Leigh Ann Fish and Patti Ensel Bailie, "Getting Gifted Kids Outdoors: Tips for a Summer of Play." We have lots of evidence that a lack of unstructured and outdoor play produces a range of potentially negative outcomes from childhood obesity, increased diagnoses  of ADHD, reduced empathy and diminished creativity. Benefits of having kids put down their devices and going out into the world to play include:

• improved social skills- it provides opportunities to be alone, as well advancing "interactions with others and build[ing] resilience in social situations by allowing children to practice social skills" (p.6).
• enhanced emotional well-being- can offer a break from the anxiety of trying to be perfect, allowing children to calm down and relax as well as persevere to overcome obstacles.
• More risk-taking, resilience and grit- when tasks are too easy, kids cannot develop resiliency. Outside they can push physical limits and repeatedly try something until they get it.
• better physical health- gifted children (and many with disabilities) are "asynchronous in their development, their intellect may outpace their physical maturity, leasing them to struggle with fine and gross motor abilities" (p. 6). Many with disabilities struggle with physical development as well. Getting outdoors can improve eating and sleeping schedules as well as eye health and immune systems. This is true for all kids!
• Greater curiosity , creativity and imagination- outdoor environments provide a variety of challenges that require thoughtful decision-making. 
• reduction in ADHD symptoms- for children with overexcitabilities pent up energies can be released in safe ways. Regular aerobic activity can help children with ADHD better control their behavior.

All of these things apply to kids in general, not just gifted ones. Stereotypical gifted kids who are bookworms or computer geeks, are not alone in spending hours on devices. This phenomena is epidemic in our youth who can barely leave their phones for a few moments. we need to get them to leave their tech and do something.

What to do if your kid doesn't want to go outside- and many don't. Fortnite is far more attractive  for many kids than a playground. Some of the author's suggestions include getting out there yourself. I would add that we need to model all the behavior we want our kids to engage in. We need to put down our devices and interact with nature and our kids. If we have our nose in our cell phone, so will they. If we express curiosity about what type of bird, flower or tree that is, our kids are more likely to similarly wonder and investigate. If we read trail markers, our kids will get into the habit of doing so as well. Get kids dressed for the activity- boots, hats, waders are important. Many kids suffer with sensory sensitivities- wet clothes may be problem- have spare dry ones,  gloves may insulate kids from touching things that are overwhelmingly slimy or scratchy. Incorporate tech- take pictures, geocache, identify species. You can even set a time limit. This week you need to go out for at least 5 minutes before lunch and 5 minutes before dinner. Next week we can increase the time. Withhold those devices. My favorite idea was the parent who changed the wifi password every day and the child had to earn it. Apps can limit device time- but again, be wary of your modeling.

These are such genuinely great ideas for all kids. send them out to play. It will be good for them.