Involve Me
One of Will’s great passions is fishing. He loves it! When he first started in early elementary school, he needed help putting bait on the hook, learning to cast and untangling the fishing line. Since he was motivated to keep fishing, he kept learning. Now, as a young man, he has learned everything to the point where it is automatic for him. He doesn’t even need to think about it. He knows.
For special needs kids, the road to automaticity won’t usually be so direct, but the methods are still the same. Involve them in the baking. Help them stir, hand over hand if needed. Keep including them in activities you’re doing at home. Ask the school to include them in classroom activities and games.
We all learn best by doing. We experience the challenges associated with a task, we sometimes fail, but we come away with ideas about what we might do differently next time. It isn’t always easy, but we need to involve our kids to help them learn.
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About the Author
Erica Mauro is a mom to two teenage boys, Will who is neurotypical and Michael with Autism and cognitive delays. She holds a BA in Psychology from Colgate University and a Masters of Psychology in Education from Columbia Teacher’s College. Before staying home with her children, she worked as an elementary school teacher. For five years, she served on the Board of Directors of the Molly Ann Tango Memorial Foundation, a charity dedicated to enriching the lives of children with special needs. In partnership with her husband Dave, she aspires to parent by using daily life as an opportunity for therapeutic intervention, seizing on real experiences as opportunities to build skills and strategies for Michael in a joyful, loving home environment. On the tougher early days, she just tried to get everyone safely to bedtime and start fresh in the morning. *wink* 
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