Being the supervisor of an ABA program is a huge responsibility. We have to make sure that our clients with autism are being served to the best of our ability and knowledge. We need to be concerned that the curriculum we provide for them is specific enough to meet their individual needs while being broad enough to cover the range of skills that they need to acquire. I was recently reminded though that, to parents, sometimes the little things matter most.
There are some things that parents of neuro-typical children may take for granted. Some things we don’t have to teach our children, but if we do it may take only the briefest of instruction. We may only have to show our children once how to open a door or throw something in the trashcan. They will probably learn to do many things just by watching us and will not need any teaching at all.
Many of these things don’t come easily to children with autism and require intense step by step teaching. A parent came to me with a request this last month to teach their child to do something “simple” that I may never have thought of on my own. She wanted her daughter to be able to blow out the candles on her cake for her 7th birthday. Think of it: Six cakes, six parties, six photographs have all gone by without her daughter being able to participate in something so brief but yet so meaningful.
We needed to start with her just learning to actually expel air from her lips. Once that was accomplished we taught her to imitate us when we blew. Then we taught her to sustain the blow for longer and longer periods and to blow on our finger held up like a candle. Today we brought out the actual candles. We had to teach the concept of blowing it out so that the flame disappeared as well as how not to touch the flame or get too close. By the end of the day we were able to show her mom that she could indeed blow on her own until all seven candles were extinguished. I can’t wait to see the picture that will soon be taken for the first time at a very happy birthday party!
