Onions and Popup Ads

The First Layer
Working with Pamela feels like peeling back the layers of an onion sometimes. Last month, we agreed with our consultant to continue working on expressive gestures as a long-term project and to start working on a short-term objective like calling joint attention. Initially, I summarized this short-term objective in this way:

Simply put, when Pamela wants to point something out to me like a toy at the store or the truck that went off the side of the road, she needs to make sure that I am looking in the right direction! She needs to stay calm and help me redirect my focus until I am turning my attention to the same thing as her.

The Second Layer
In working on this objective, we discovered that Pamela's ability to have joint attention was not always consistent. So, I peeled back the layer from calling joint attention to sharing joint attention and altered the goal somewhat:

My objective was to focus on experience sharing by focusing on being together more than the activity itself. We are solidifying experience sharing before transferring more responsibility to Pamela in calling joint attention.

Pamela can share experiences beautifully on her terms. Tuesday, she came up to me with a crocheted scarf that a friend gave to her and asked, "What's this?" I said, "A warm scarf." She said, "No, it's a long tail." I looked and she had the other end sticking out of the back of her pants. I spotlighted my delight nonverbally and through comments about her pretty tail.

A little bit later, she came up to me and talked about her bee sting on her finger from last spring. I buzzed and pretended to sting her with my pincer grasp. She laughed. Then, I kissed it to make it better.

The Third Layer
Sometimes, Pamela becomes very static or verbally stims. In Monday's cookie video, Pamela went back to thoughts of salad several times. It might have been because I have not fed her in this manner in years, making it a very uncertain situation for her. Uncertainty may be the reason why she falls back on static conversations or verbal stimming. Our consultant remembered another child who struggled with uncertainty in the same way. She suggested I figure out what situations cause Pamela to go static and then work on helping her discover that uncertainty is not a bad thing. We are not even sure this is a formal objective, but we still need to address it!

Schedule
Pamela does not mind living in an unknown state of mind when it comes to do with the plan of the day. Years ago we used to have "I don't know" days to help reduce her dependence on a routine or schedule. Today, she will say, "It's to be announced," when I tell her I don't know exactly when something will happen.

New Way of Doing Things?
Pamela has a hard time when we are doing something deviating from what she generally expects. It is not that I have to be rigid, but, when something catches her by surprise, I see more static responses. The day she struggled to speak because of skeeter bites, I threw her off because I was sitting on the bed and talking to her. I hardly ever do that. When I followed her in the yard on Tuesday, simply to find opportunities for experience sharing, she got very mad at me. Wednesday, at Walmart, we explored some very cute Christmas shirts with lights. The problem is that I am not a shopper, so this was very unexpected behavior to her! She went back to her static statements ("I want Coke!"), much like she went back to her static, "I want salad!" when we ate cookies on Monday. Sharing experience lasts about forty-five seconds before her brain cannot handle the uncertainty any longer. It feels like an annoying pop-up ad that you can click off, but mysteriously appears a minute later.

Pamela is getting used to the shopping forays. Yesterday, Pamela completely adjusted to the idea of me and her exploring a section of Walmart. She had a moment or two of frustration and then went with the flow the moment she spotted Hannah Montana accessories. We flitted from Hannah to Christmas jewelry to generic jewelry: her "I want chips" popup add only happened once or twice.

Unknown Objects?
Pamela has no problems with not knowing what a hidden object is. I tested it out twice. I put a toy spider in my pocket and said mysteriously, "I have something in my pocket." Pamela asked a couple of questions and I gave her a few blank "I don't know" answers. She went right back to her school work. We received a book for her in the mail, and she had no problem waiting to find out what it was. She had only three book popup ads with a lot of time in between.

Phone Calls?
Pamela MUST know who is on the phone when they call. If I ignore her, she will bug me with, "Answer me." I do not get many phone calls, so I have not been able to assess if she goes static. I hope you can live with the uncertainty!

Where Are We Going?
I am fairly certain this is an area where she needs certainty. Pamela's sense of direction is so keen that her "Where are we going?" popup ad happens as sooon as I make a wrong turn. One of the things I will have to work into our periods of uncertainty is finding ways to drive somewhere without telling her exactly where. I anticipate lots of popup ads! LOL!

The Fourth Layer
Friday, I reflected on what a fellow RDI mom has written on trust. Now, Pamela trusts me in most situations. Perhaps, that trust is shaken when I behave in unpredictable ways. Maybe, I compensate too much and, when I don't, she goes static. This friend discussed how when she first started RDI her goal was to coexist in the same room without making any demands. So, I borrowed her idea and applied it to the yard since Pamela got riled up at me the other day.

As predicted, Pamela grew very angry and obnoxious. She was furious when I announced we were going to go out because it was "after school hours"--an unpredictable time. I decided to push this, but then, once we hit the yard, I LEFT HER ALONE. I figured I needed to win her trust, so I did my own exploration and she did hers. After about five minutes, she was near me doing her own thing. I saw a dead vine branch hanging from the tree top, and I grabbed it because I know she has a thing for sticks. I began pulling it. She was very interested and joined me. First I pulled, then she pulled, and we pulled together. We moved to different locations to test the best direction for bringing it down. Her face flushed with joy at our success. I left her alone to play with the very long branch because I wanted to end on a positive note.



In this video, I strung together pictures to give you an idea of how our explorations went on this beautiful fall day.

What I Learned from a Government Deportation Notice

Now is the hour, when we must say goodbye.
Soon you'll be sailing far across the sea.
While you're away, oh, then, remember me.
When you return, you'll find me waiting here. Maori Song

One winter day, a plain white envelope, with a return address, "U.S. Department of Justice, Immigration and Naturalization Service service, appeared in my parent's post office box. When my mother's eyes took in that address, anxiety must have gripped like a fever reaching the boiling point. The Department of Justice sent notice to my mother informing her that Robyn Josephine Ottley resided illegally in the United States of America because she does not have a "valid immigration visa."

Mother gave up everything to come to the United States to marry my step-father [Dad], but she brought me along with her. Truly a dilemma when the notice arrived! But, in time, help arrived... not in the form of Superman, but rather a caring congressman from our district.

James W. Wadsworth,Jr., acted more as a "servant" of his constituents. Wadsworth's keen abilities enabled me to stay in the U.S. as an "alien," rather than to find myself on the next ship to Sydney, Australia.

Congressional Representatives can act as servants of their constituents when they go out of their way to help, as James Wadsworth did. Thankfully, there are women and men in the U.S. Senate and House of Representatives who do work on behalf of constituents' individual needs in tangible ways.

To change the laws for immigrants with children, Wadsworth shone through two of his strong intelligences - intrapersonal and interpersonal:

Intrapersonal He had a high level of empathy. Researcher Lidewij Niezink contends that "altruism is a choice." Clearly Wadswoth cultivated altruism and once he knew the plight of our family, he took action and tapped into his power of office.

Interpersonal He showed a high level of interpersonal skills. He had built these as a New York State Senator when he fought to oppose prohibition. He made 131 speeches across the United States which aided in repeal. As he worked to assist my parents, he built on his skills for political acumen and contacts in congress. High social smarts made the difference!

From this experience I've learned that our congressional representatives can be there for us and touch our lives in very significant ways. My mother and I could live together freely in the U.S. And, Now is the hour was a happy memory of times together, rather than pangs of separation.

God moves in a mysterious way
his wonders to perform;
He plants his footsteps in the sea,
and rides upon the storm. William Cowper

If you're inspired to share something you've Learned from Government, you might want to participate in Robert Hruzek's November challenge.

Wordless Wednesday: Meals on Wheels

Chewy Brownie Cookies

Chewy Brownie Cookie
2/3 cup buttery sticks
1 1/2 cups brown sugar
1 tablespoon water
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 eggs
1 1/2 cups GF/CF baking flour
1/4 teaspoon xanthum gum
1/3 cup unsweetened cocoa
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
2 cups GF/CF chocolate chips
1/2 cup GF/CF oatmeal

Cream the first four ingredients (wet ones). Beat in eggs. Combine the next five ingredients (dry ones). Gradually add the dry ingredients to the creamed mixture and beat (not heat) until just blended. Stir in chips and nuts. Drop by spoon. Bake at 375 degrees for nine to eleven minutes.



My objective was to focus on experience sharing by focusing on being together more than the activity itself. We are solidifying experience sharing before transferring more responsibility to Pamela in calling joint attention. While baking cookies together, I learned thing: focusing on little unexpected things and spotlighting them rather than the procedure.

In the first two videos, the camera angle looks awkward, but I really wanted to capture our facial expressions and sharing. In the first one, I capitalized on unscripted things. I have been trying to capture Pamela's "magic finger" (a "problem-solving technique" for her). She does her "magic" at 3 minutes 50 seconds!


My two favorite moments were when we discovered a mistake in the recipe and talked about how to correct it and when Pamela learned to scoop cookie dough with spoons. You can see on her face that she was in the moment here and not agenda-driven. I loved Pamela's smile of pride when she learned something new (handling two spoons).


In the final clip, we are enjoying cookies. The problem is that Pamela had made a salad and wanted to eat that salad, dog gone it! You can see how she goes back to something static--salad--because this activity has no procedure. I slowed down the pace by feeding her and myself, which allowed her to relax--you can see how for a good forty-five seconds she was in the moment.


I have been seeking opportunities to experience share. Pamela came into the house with a beautiful red fall leaf, and we talked about it. She went outside, and I followed her after she had five minutes on her own. I was hoping to capitalize on that moment, but I failed. She got real static and tried to get me on her verbal calendar train, but I refused. We walked around the yard, but it was a bust because she focused on calendars and started sputtering at me when I didn't join her.

I pouted and walked in the house. She knew I looked upset (deep down inside, I was mildly amused), so she followed me. I looked at the floor sadly, so she put her hands on my upper arms and kissed my forehead. She said, "I apologize." I looked up and told her a forgave her and kissed her on the cheek. We agreed to explore the backyard tomorrow. I love how she read my emotion and tried to repair it.

There are two big things I discovered:

1. When *I* am unsure of what to do, I talk too much. I talk to cover up my uncertainty.
2. When *Pamela* is uncertain, she falls back on static conversations or verbal stimming.

Inspiring Words to Help Third World Women

If you were asked to create a single sentence to inspire others, how would you answer? The question came unexpectedly in an email. I love challenges that require more than an off-the-cuff answer... You?

Intriguingly, the human brain leaps to challenges like the one Jasmine Tragas brought to women around the globe. My inspiring words could help Jasmine's innovative project, destined to seed a micro-credit program for women in the Philippines. To think a quote might help women entrepreneurs in the third world, energized my noodle's working memory. Later that evening, an "aha" for a motivational quote surfaced from the back burner of my mind.

As a voluntary Ambassador at Women’s Opportunity, Jasmine is reaching out to women all over the world to participate in a project with the theme, "A Woman's Investment" with the aim of creating a slide show and raising $10,000. The slide show's just published...

View Jasmine's thoughtful slide show with 26 quotes from women around the world including me. May you be inspired...

Joanna Young speaks about the challenges she faced when creating her inspirational quote... though at first she found that Jasmin's words made her feel "optimistic, confident and connected."

I'm curious... What would your "one-sentence" quote be?

Autism in Adults

With reference to adult outcomes, we do know some things and we shouldn't be all that impressed . . .

It is not an overstatement to say that adaptive behavior competencies will get you through times of no academic skills better than academic skills will get you through times of no adaptive behavior competencies.

Who do you think put these remarks in his presentation The Autism Education Network's recent Collaboration in Autism Treatment conference?

If you guessed, Dr. Steven Gutstein . . .

. . . you would be . . .

WRONG!

This speaker did cite the 2004 Howlin study that Dr. Gustein uses as well as two I do not remember seeing (Green (2000) and Cederlund (2008)). He mentions several statistics like those spotlighted by Dr. Gutstein as well:

In a group of 20 adolescentes with Asperger syndrom, Green, et all (2000) found that despite a mean IQ of 92 only half were independent in most basic self care skills including brushing teeth, showering, etc. None were considered by their parents as capable of engaging in leisure activities.

Howlin, et all (2004) surveyed 68 adults with autism with an IQ of above 50 and found a majority (58%) were rated as having poor or very poor outcomes. With regards to employment status they found

• 8 were competitively employed
• 1 was self-employed earning less than a living wage
• 14 worked in supported, sheltered or volunteer employment
• 42 had "programs" or chores through their residential provider.

Cederlund, et all (2008) followed 70 males with Asperger Syndrome (AS) and 70 males with autism more than 5 years after their initial Dx. The results indicated that while 27% of the AS group presented with "good" outcomes, 26% had a "very restricted life, with no occupation/activity, and no friends." Outcomes were considerably worse for this with an autism diagnosis.

He came to similar conclusions as Dr. Gutstein. IQ does not predict the ability to stay employed, keep friends, and live independently. In his talks, Dr. Gutstein goes further to say that neither language nor success in school predicts employment, friendship, and independence for autism-spectrum adults. So, who is the mystery speaker? Dr. Peter Gerhardt. Unfortunately, his conclusions, I fear, will produce more of the same . . .

Before I go any further, I must be completely honest. I am not a fan of ABA; I have a personal bias against ABA. In spite of all of the "evidence" (and I am a statistics hound, having earned my bachelor's degree in mathematics and master's degree in operations research), I am not impressed.

Why? Because, as these studies point out, success in school (a static system) and high IQ (a static ability) does not address dynamic intelligence, which is required for sustained employment, relationships, and independence. ABA targets static skills (learning procedures, thinking in the box, memorizing information, reacting to a prompt in a predictable way, etc.). In fact, Dr. Gerhardt points out, "in supporting adolescents and adults, there are times where previously accepted 'prompt hierarchies' may have to be modified." His answer? Prompting a la bluetooth. Hmmm . . . I am being flippant, I know--Dr. Gerhardt's presentation is full of all kinds of ideas to make an ABA parent's heart sing. However, having seen Pamela master developmental milestones that have enabled her to learn all kinds of life skills in the past 18 months--milestones I thought impossible for autistic people, I want more than direct-prompt-driven behavior.

What I like about RDI is that direct prompting (imperative teaching) is the absolute last resort for teaching problem-solving and thinking outside of the box. RDI acknowledges that the great strength of autistic children is static learning. Pamela learned her calendar skills (knowing the day of the week given the month, day, and year) through her eye for patterns, a static ability. Rather than developing that part of the brain even more, I find it more beneficial to develop the area where she is weak: dynamic thinking. It is slower and not as exciting as ABA, but I think in the long run will pay off for us!

I am not trying to bash ABA here, but to draw some clear distinctions between the two. Remediating autism means giving the child a second chance to do over what they missed the first time around. It means looking at the typical developmental profile of a typical child and letting them try to master those missing gaps. That is why ABA looks great at first because children pick up all of these wonderful static skills very quickly and you become the miracle worker. BUT, they have no idea what to do when things change or something unexpected happens. Static is easy for them, so why spend time focusing on what comes naturally? That is why you have so many highly intelligent autistic people with degrees who cannot hold down a job.

Not only that, the parents/therapists doing ABA have to engage in a completely different manner. In ABA, you expect the child to give an immediate response--in RDI, you are told to wait up to 45 seconds to allow the child to process and think. In ABA, you give the command in the same way every time. With RDI, when the child is on a roll and feeling competent in the situation (there are no commands or prompts), you add variation for which you have no prompt or target response. If they are able to go with the flow, you keep adding variations. If they freak out, you help them recover, get them going with the flow again, and challenge with a different variation. With ABA, everything is focused on verbal communication. With RDI, you are trying to be as nonverbal as you can because that is what most of our kids missed during their infant and toddler years.

If I boiled it down to one comparison, I think an ABA child is expected to do, but an RDI child is allowed to discover.

P.S. Here's more food for thought: an article called Reaching an Autistic Teen about a school started by the father of a spectrum teenager that employs Greenspan's ideas. I like this explanation of developmental theory (which is what RDI is too) on page 4:

I begin to picture the brain metaphorically as a tangled ball of Christmas lights. When you plug it in, there are strands that light up perfectly and there are dark zones where a single burned-out bulb has caused a line to go out. If the bulb for Exchanging-Smiles-With-Mother doesn’t light up, then Empathy won't be kindled farther along the strand, or Playfulness, or Theory of Mind (the insight that other people have different thoughts from yours). The electrical current won't reach the social-skill set, the communication skills, creativity, humor or abstract thinking.

I think RDI is less-child driven and tries to balance between parents and children more. I am inspired that it is the PARENT of a spectrum child (a father, no less) who started and runs the school. Very neat!

Dynamic Thinking and Math

In September, I wrote a post about dynamic thinking and Greg Tang's Math Appeal, which we finished two weeks ago. Why dynamic thinking? Pamela thrives in static situations: predictable, expected, orderly, and sequential. She has a keen eye for patterns and details as a result and has no problems learning anything that has a logical procedure with very little ambiguity.

When you think about how many of us teach children math, we tend to do it in very static ways. According to his biography,

Greg Tang was tutoring math in his daughter's class when he noticed something interesting about the dominoes they were using. Each white dot had a pencil mark on it, which meant the children had been counting them one at a time. Mr. Tang taught them to look for patterns instead, and to add and subtract groups of dots in order to calculate the dominoes' value quickly. From there, he developed a new method of teaching arithmetic in a visual and spontaneous way. His method teaches both computational and problem-solving skills, and is so fun and challenging that children forget they are learning math! He believes that all kids are capable of doing well in math, and he has a mission to make math a natural part of every child's life.

The other day I was checking David's statistics problems by hand and something about static thinking hit me. Math is not his favorite subject, so he prefers sticking to procedure. He put his number in order and then added them. As I studied the number, I noticed that, by ordering them slightly differently, you could line them up nicely in easy to add groups. Of course, when I pointed it out to him, he rolled his eyes and told me that was too complicated and he would rather add them up the hard way! LOL! Maybe, this sort of thinking only appeals to geeks like me!



Lately, Pamela has shown some signs of dynamic thinking in math. She has been counting down the days to Daylights Savings Time. By noon today, she had already reset the kitchen clocks in anticipation of the big event. She told me we are now living in Houston time (my sister lives near Houston, and my parents are visiting her right now). I ought to be thankful that Pamela is a flexible enough thinker not to wait until exactly two in the morning to make the switch! But, that is all static stuff.

We were talking about whether we add or subtract an hour. Pamela told me subtract without hesitation. Then, I reflected on a verbal way of remembering the time change, "Yeah. I always remember fall back, spring ahead."

Pamela gave me her nonverbal image, "No! Leaves!"

I spotlighted her idea, "That's right! The leaves fall off the trees in fall."

She added, "Just like subtraction!"

Then, I said, "The leaves grow back in spring. Just like addition!"

That is a very cool way to remember and I would love to know of any other person on the planet who shares that image. What I love about it is that, instead of some rigid mnemonic, she came up with an unforgettable idea, rich in meaning and context.

But, wait there's more! The other day, I noticed that Pamela diverged from the way that I taught her to borrow and carry. Instead of writing the number to carry above the top digit or crossing out the number from which you borrow, she rewrites the digits to be changed. There is absolutely nothing wrong with coming up with your own way of doing math, as long as it is logical and correct!




Next on the agenda for encouraging mathematical thinking are more books by Greg Tang. Although they cover skills Pamela mastered years ago, I am doing a "redo" in the true spirt of RDI. Think about the math she learned procedurally in more dynamic ways:
Grapes Of Math
Math for All Seasons
Math Fables Too