More and more children have learning difficulties, leading to an autism diagnosis more and more frequently these days. They often have few activities to keep them occupied, which leads to a vicious circle of fewer and fewer new and narrower experiences. This in turn results in them doing less and less and therefore learning less.
Delayed speech development
The first thing that parents and professionals notice and worry about is that the child does not speak, does not listen and has no interest in repeating words.
Lack of interest
Wenn ein Erwachsener ihm etwas zeigen will, scheint das Kind nicht daran interessiert, geht oft einfach weg oder kehrt zu seinen gewohnten Bewegungsaktivitäten wie Laufen, Springen oder Klettern zurück, - wobei das Bewegen der Beine und unteren Extremitäten im Mittelpunkt seiner Aufmerksamkeit zu stehen scheint.
Passive and lying around on the floor
Other children are more passive and instead of moving themselves, they constantly move something, such as a car, back and forth in front of their eyes while lying on the floor.
Always on the run and on the move
Some children are constantly on the move, running, jumping, climbing as if they want to go somewhere without ever arriving. But the child never really comes to rest to play and explore toys and play materials with real interest.
Talking instead of exploring things
Some children impress adults because they talk incessantly. On closer inspection, however, it becomes clear that the child often does not really understand what they are saying or what is being said to them. In fact, the child's talking seems to serve the purpose of avoiding something like playing and actively exploring with their hands, and the child is often unable to engage themselves and get involved in an activity.
Caught in a CIRCLE OF THE DEVILS
In all of these situations, the child is not playing or exploring objects or the world around them with curiosity. He seems to have no interest in new experiences and his activities seem to involve little or no thinking or cognition. It does not connect hands and mind, which is the prerequisite for active exploration and how children learn from experience.
Instead of seeking out new experiences and actively exploring the world around them, which is the foundation of all learning, children with developmental delays, learning disabilities, autistic-like behaviors or autism seem to be trapped in a vicious cycle.
Conventional behavioral approaches
Conventional teaching methods
There seem to be countless approaches and teaching methods aimed at supporting and educating children with autistic-like behaviors and/or autism.
Conventional ideas and methods often focus on teaching words, letters, numbers, shapes, following and obeying verbal instructions, the outcome and completing a specific task and what a child should be able to do at this chronological age, including fine motor skills that require precise movements such as holding a pencil, stringing small beads or using scissors.
Selbst Ansätze wie Montessori- und Waldorfpädagogik basieren auf der Annahme, dass Nachahmen und nachmachen, was der Erwachsene vormacht, als selbstverständlich angesehen werden können. Aber was ist mit Kindern, die nicht "einfach nachmachen, was ich dir zeige", die nicht auf verbale Sprache reagieren und denen es an Interesse und Motivation zu fehlen scheint?
Modern toys and electronics
Anfangs hoffen Eltern, Erzieher und Fachpersonen oft, dass es helfen wird, mehr Lernspielzeug wie Puzzles oder Bilderbücher zu kaufen. Aber dann stellt sich heraus, dass die meisten modernen Spielzeuge nicht die Lösung sind, - vor allem, weil sie in der Regel so konzipiert sind, dass sie nur sehr restriktiv verwendet werden können (was die Eltern dazu verleitet, mehr und mehr Spielzeug zu kaufen).
Some parents find electronic screens such as televisions, iPads or cell phones irresistible as simple babysitters and hope that they will teach the child to talk through modern educational programs. But while they keep the child still and quiet for long periods of time, often fixed in a car seat or baby bouncer, they only exacerbate the problem. This is because young children can only learn through their own movement experiences
Focus on teaching and behavior
Modern parents and professionals also go to great lengths to teach their child the desired behaviors and cognitive skills such as letters, numbers, colors, shapes, etc., but are often disappointed that this does not lead to quickly overcoming the child's difficulties. Or they hope that the child will learn the missing skills if they take them to as many therapists as possible.
Words and language
Durchweg neigen sowohl Eltern als auch Fachleute dazu, sich auf das Sprechen zu konzentrieren, auf verbale Anweisungen und Erklärungen, darauf, Fragen zu stellen und "Worte zu kriegen", - jedoch ohne großen Erfolg bei den Kindern, die nicht wissen, wie sie lernen oder spielen sollen.
This is based on the assumption that understanding words and spoken language is innate and automatic, or that communication only consists of words or verbal language. The fact that this is not true is a big surprise for many adults, and then a relief, as is the discovery of how important voice and emotional tone of voice are for meaningful communication.
Get tasks right and done
In Schulen ist der Fokus oft, Kindern mit Autismus durch Wiederholung beizubringen, eine Aufgabe auf eine bestimmte Art und Weise auszuführen, z. B. von links nach rechts, und jede Aufgabe korrekt auszuführen, bevor sie mit einer neuen beginnen. Das Problem aber ist, dass man nichts Neues lernt, wenn man etwas richtig oder auf die richtige Art und Weise macht. Bevor ein Kind in der Lage ist, zu verstehen, was richtig und was falsch ist, muss es reichlich Erfahrungen gemacht haben, frei mit Gegenständen zu experimentieren und so zu lernen, "wie es funktioniert".
Diagnoses and confusion
Viel Hoffnung wird in die "Diagnose" investiert. Doch sobald das Kind eine Diagnose hat, sind viele Eltern noch mehr verwirrt, was realistische Erwartungen angeht und wie sie ihr Kind am besten unterstützen können, und oft tun sie am Ende zu viel FÜR das Kind, oder konzentrieren sich darauf, das Kind glücklich zu machen und ruhig zu halten.
Disappointing results with traditional approaches
The results of these behavioral training and educational measures often do not live up to expectations because the child
- learns to say words to get something or to satisfy the adult, not as a means of dialog and interaction
- 'es' schnell und ohne echtes Engagement tut, um es hinter sich zu bringen
- Develops negative associations
- practises what it can already do, e.g. doing the same puzzle over and over again
- in restriktiven Bewegungsmustern stecken bleibt, z.B. NICHT die Mittellinie kreuzt, NICHT beide Hände benutzt, oder seine Hände gar nicht benutzt ...
- sich wie jemand, der "es nicht kann', behandelt fühlt und sich auch so erlebt
- giving up or, worse, developing avoidance or secondary defensive behaviors that can be anxious and negative, or even triumphant or mocking
- gets bored, which leads to repetitive behavior because it does not know what else to do and how to do it.
- is not making the hoped-for progress
Vicious circles and underlying causes
The reason for these problems is that most of the skills taught in traditional behavioral programs are actually later and secondary (or even tertiary) cognitive developments that cannot be learned without a solid foundation of primary sensory and movement experiences.
But because children with learning difficulties don't explore much, avoid new experiences or get stuck in self-stimulating activities, they lack these foundations of all learning: the active sensory and movement experiences that nature demands as fundamental in the first months and early years of a child's life
What children with learning difficulties need
What children with learning difficulties need is an approach and method that matches the child's current understanding and follows the universal pattern of development, focusing on the early stages where the foundations are laid.
Children who cannot or do not want to learn or play need
- more orientation and guidance on how to play and what they can do
- Co-regulation and a tactful, empathetic approach
- without verbal instructions and without being told what to do
- Simple play materials that can be used in a variety of ways
- lots of experience with practicing a wide range of the underlying movement patterns
- Experiences to become familiar with the movements and space around their body
