#developmental skills

[useoftoysforchildsdevelop]

Understanding and Nurturing a Child's Attention Span

  Understanding and nurturing a child's attention span is crucial for their cognitive development and academic success. Attention span refers to the amount of time a person can focus on a task without being easily distracted. 

Here are some insights and strategies to help unlock the secrets of a child's attention span:

Understanding Attention Span in Children:

1. Age-Related Differences: 

a. Younger children generally have shorter attention spans than older children.

b. Preschoolers may have an attention span of 2-5 minutes per year of age.

2. Individual Variations: Attention spans vary from child to child. What works for one may not work for another.

3. Developmental Stages: Attention spans develop gradually over time as children grow and mature.

4. External Factors: Distractions, lack of sleep, hunger, or discomfort can significantly impact attention.

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[lareanzo]

Seeing people's opinions on ABA here and everything they say is so far removed from everything I'm learning in my classes and seeing from people in the field that I've come to the conclusion that either no one on this site actually knows what ABA *is*, they think it's still the same as it was back in the 60s, or behaviour analysts in the US don't abide by the ethical code like they're supposed to.

Knowing the US, I would genuinely believe any of these.

Cause wdym ABA is just "teaching people to mask" or "teaching people to not be autistic". We are EXPLICITLY TOLD that we CANNOT touch a behaviour unless it's socially significant - i.e., it causes harm to the person doing it or those around them, or it severely limits the person's ability to access supports necessary for their quality of life. No one is out here taking children and forcing them not to stim - and if they are, its a massive breach of the ethical code and you can legally report them to the board of ethics.

And don't get me fucking started on what some of you think a punishment procedure is. You'd need to go through every other possible intervention before even THINKING of starting one, and even then you'd need multiple supervisors, a gigantic stack of paperwork, EXTENSIVE communication with and consent from the client, and One Million safety measures before you could even get permission to tell a client "no, don't do that", or remove their access to television - which, by the way, is about as extreme as the "punishments" get.

Do remember that it's called a "punishment" in the scientific sense - a consequence that reduces the likelihood of a behaviour reoccuring - NOT in the typical sense. A high five could be a punishment to someone. So could a compliment.

Even when a client literally tries to STAB you you have to use the least invasive and least restrictive safety measure possible, you can't just lock them up and you CERTAINLY can't sedate them unless it is literally your only option.

So either y'all have never actually interacted with actual ABA and are just repeating stuff you read online, or you've had the misfortune of meeting an incompetent or unethical practitioner (which, seeing how "Behaviour Analyst" wasn't a protected term until THIS YEAR, and ANYONE could claim to be one, is very possible).

Or maybe the field itself is full of incompetent and unethical and ignorant practitioners! From the US, that wouldn't surprise me.

But ABA itself (and it's derivatives, like IBI) are EXTREMELY useful and effective tools for helping people of all kinds learn the skills they need to lead better lives. Maybe it's not right for everyone - few things are - but the incessant demonization and unwillingness to actually DISCUSS, instead of just throwing around misinformation and fearmongering, is both unproductive and actively damaging people's ability to access supports they might actually benefit from.

And this is coming from someone who used to have the same opinion of ABA, btw.

[studying-roxas]

I don't want to overstep but I genuinely have a question about when neurodevelopmental disorders creep into physical disability.

I have dyspraxia. I was diagnosed with it 3 years before I even got my autism diagnosis. For those who don't know, dyspraxia, also known as childhood coordination disorder, affects one's coordination, proprioception, and fine motor skills.

Dyspraxics can often have difficulties with other things that people with motor disorders struggle with - walking, writing, buttoning clothes, driving, using cutlery, etc. All of these are physical manifestations of a neurodevelopmental disorder - dyspraxia is not considered a neurological disorder (which are often considered physical disabilities,) but a neurodevelopmental disorder. My coordination was clinically under where it was supposed to be. I was delayed in crawling, sucking on a straw, walking, and a few more missed milestones that I forget (oops). Usually these missed milestones are attributed to my asd, but they all are also common for dyspraxics.

From my understanding, a lot of autistics also experience these things even without the added dyspraxia diagnosis, which is where my question comes into play.

A lot of people will say that autistics do not have a physical disability, but if the majority of autistics meet the criteria of dyspraxia... does that mean the physical manifestations of dyspraxia are also not a physical disability? My dyspraxia affects my movement way more than my mild hypermobility does. It affects my movement way more than my knocked knees and duckfoot do. It affects my movement more than my scoliosis does. I always considered my dyspraxia to be my "main" physical disability.

Then I got into the disability community and had people telling me that my migraines and asthma counted as physical disabilities, but that my coordination disorder which affects my fine motor skills doesn't... despite it having a much greater affect on my physical ability to do things than my chronic migraines. I guess I'm just very confused as to how this is split.

My knocked knees + duckfoot is a physical disability because it's a malformation of my hips and legs that affects my gait, but my dyspraxia affects my gait just as much if not more than my knocked knees + duckfoot. It seems odd that one should be considered a valid physical disability and the other not just because it's how my brain developed as opposed to how my skeleton did.

I used to work with high support needs autistic people and knew some who used a wheelchair with no other diagnoses - just asd. I have met with other dyspraxics who need mobility aids due to severe coordination deficiencies (the person I'm thinking of specifically went back and forth between a cane and a walker). I used to work with many autistics who could not feed themselves due to motor control issues, or who would regularly aspirate on food and drink due to dysphagia.

I know this argument is tired, and I'm not asking to use the C slur or anything, I am just genuinely confused how we as a community are deciding what is a physical disability versus a neurodevelopmental disability that manifests with physical symptoms. If the accommodations i need for my fine motor difficulties are the same as any physical disability which causes fine motor difficulties, then what is the difference that makes discussing dyspraxia an intrusion on physical disability posts /gen

Edited to fix incomplete sentence. Sorry, sometimes my brain moves too fast for my hands

Edit 2: okay, I actually have more to add about how confusing this separation actually is. Catatonia is present in about 10% of psychiatric patients, including depression (with up to 20% of depression sufferers having catatonic depression). Recent studies into ADHD have shown that ADHD causes fine motor difficulties, on top of ADHD being one of the most common Dyspraxia comorbidities. Tic disorders don't count unless your tics affect your movement... even though all non-vocal and non-mental tics are physical tics. 80% of autistics have gait and movement differences. Schizophrenia spectrum disorders are particularly known for including catatonia. ALL of these are physical symptoms - more than that, they are symptoms that affect the ability to walk or access adequate fine motor control skills. These are also the disorders I see most commonly called out for claiming physical symptoms when "they don't have them." I am so confused on how you guys are classifying physical symptoms because these??? all of these symptoms??? very clearly physical and interrupt daily functioning.

I am just. Confused.

[madokamanga]

[artistic-asexual-raven]

on being asexual.

i have explored this before on my Instagram account before, where i explored why i consider myself to be an asexual person. and i hope to do the same here.

i consider myself to be asexual because i dont really like or am thrilled to have a romantic relationship and im just not that interested at all in love and romance. fun fact i hate every single romance/sex/love scene and i wish theyd just hurry up.

the reason why im asexual is that i don't have interest and that non interest of mine is because i am aware of my broader general social struggles so im pretty sure the same can be said for my romantic social skills. spoiler alert im very awkward. i dont care if someone says otherwise.

and another fun fact about this post as a whole, after i made that instagram post my dad approached me about it and asked if i may not be asexual after i learn more social skills. that was rather awkward.

but other than that, im lucky and privileged to say that my parents have been very accepting of it otherwise. and im thankful they dont talk about it.

[bunny-loves-stars]

Voice sounds so weird after losing most words, sounds “baby” voice and babbling, hate using voice because of it, most words are echolalia, short one or two word sentences, I wouldn’t call myself semi verbal anymore, I would call myself minimally verbal or non verbal, still waiting on getting my aac a case next week so I can take it outside house, using mouth talk is so exhausting

[augmentedpolls]

either foot works

[toxicroyjamie]

Speaking of. Ted Lasso truly does have some of the worst kid dialogue I’ve ever seen on television. Like when 9 year old Phoebe was like “it’s understandable. You were only together a year, and most relationships can’t even survive one major career change, let alone two.” have you never met a child in your entire life

[aro529]

From another post…

[stabledcore]

mosaic identities

very short post today, the second among a few consolidations / consolations for 2024.

in terms of how i identify as a regressor, the term *age* regression does not suit my preference as well as *skill* regression; yet, the two can be conflated easily, as they share many similarities. speech and toilet training never came naturally; they had to be forced in therapy sessions i remember all too well… by then, my literacy journey was well underway, and i could have gone on the same tangent and dived into my interests.

so i cant relate with being a baby or toddler in all facets; skill regression for me is to be harnessed (and ideally pushed) into a stroller, padded up in diapers, and typing on my aac tablet (rather than walking, toileting and speaking). with someone else, i may need some control (to make sure i stay inside - in my place), but otherwise i prefer doing things seen as adult (and even be interested in some of them, like political debate & world history), only that its more pleasant doing them while presenting as a baby.

as a highly masking developmentally disabled person, for now i identify more with the label of “skill regressor” rather than “age regressor”, by drawing back on some of the skills that would eventually overwhelm me, to curate an adult who is not as stricken by some, more “basic” skills, and can be a responsible, independent adult after their loss. however, i would not mind identifying as an age regressor if thats the correct term with my profile! regardless, you can choose to identify as whoever you want, especially if it enhances your confidence and view of yourself.

sending :3s your way :3

[nld-as-insights]

Cooking Part 4: How Do I Avoid Cutting Myself and How Do I Chop Efficiently if I Have Fine Motor Challenges?

When you chop things, hold your non-dominant hand the way chefs do, as pictured below.

Chefs curl the fingers of their non-dominant hand so that the farthest away bones of their fingers are straight up and down, perpendicular to the cutting board. The side of the knife touches the fingernail side of their fingers. When the chef’s fingers are not flat on the cutting board, they are not in the path of a knife that slips.

If you hold your non-dominant hand in an arch with your fingers straight up and down, and you practice cooking for many, many, hours, you will eventually be able to chop faster. If you hold your hand incorrect way that most home cooks hold their hand, with their fingers almost flat as pictured below, it will not be as safe to chop faster.

Cheers,

Julia

[lifeonkylesfarm]

Learning social skills as an adult because you didn't learn them as a child feels like having to guess how to put together a puzzle, like having no picture of what the puzzle looks, having no idea what shape the puzzle is, etc. and yet also having to guess what shape the puzzle pieces are and having to make those puzzle pieces yourself, and if you don't make the puzzle pieces the right shape, then you get yelled at

[wronggalaxy]

Autism levels can be so dumb sometimes. Like I get why they're necessary for some people, but also

Level 2= okayish masking skills, mid-support needs, being mostly verbal, and high/average cognitive skills, right?

Except I'm level 2 and can't mask, need help with at least 95% of things but probably more, aren't fully verbal if verbal at all most of the time, and my cognitive skills seesaw between advanced and barely existent.

Despite all this I'm not autistic enough to be level 3. Levels don't help me, they hurt me by associating me with people way more advanced and therefore losing me the few, few help I would get.

I have level 1, 2, and 3 friends and I'm none of them, which is why I'm level 2, but it doesn't work.

[thursdayglrl]

I think it's funny that people took the word "parallel play" and declared its a neurodivergent thing. no it's a child development thing I'm pretty sure most adults understand the concept of "comfortable silence" and "wanting company while I do things, but not necessarily wanting to talk'