@everyone That's right: your child’s brain does not need to be worked on all day in order to keep developing.
That can be difficult to believe when your child is severely affected by autism, because when you stop directing the day, you are not going to see the things you expected from a typical childhood. They're not likely to find an imaginary game to play, help make dinner, tease a sibling, get bored and invent something to do. Instead, they are going to return to the same movements, sounds or activities again and again.
And it is very easy to look at that and think:
I need to do something.
I’m losing precious time.
If I don’t keep teaching, prompting and redirecting, will my child ever catch up?
We understand that fear. That's why a child’s entire day can gradually become therapy work.
But Sensory Enrichment is built on a different idea.
We use two short periods each day for concentrated, pleasurable brain stimulation. Then we want parents to be able to breathe.
That doesn’t mean ignoring your child for the rest of the day. It means changing your job. Instead of constantly trying to teach, correct or improve, you can concentrate on creating an environment in your home where a developing brain can thrive.
Reduce unnecessary stress.
Remove the pressure to perform.
Be present.
Join your child in what they are doing sometimes.
Talk to them as though they understand.
Read them a story.
Go for a walk outside with them.
Ask for their permission.
Don’t discuss their difficulties over their head as though they aren’t there.
Look for ways to communicate something every child needs to know: You don't need to "perform" to matter to me.
As their brain develops, there will be plenty to teach. A child who was not ready to learn something at 4 years old, is now going to need to learn it at 8, 12 or 22!
But now they will be able to learn it much more like children normally learn: through experience, imitation, curiosity, relationships and everyday life.
The goal is not to stop helping your child. It is to stop believing that helping has to look like therapy all day.
Sometimes the most developmental thing you can do between the exercises is simply be Mom or Dad.

Sensory Enrichment Therapy

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