3 Things you won’t see in my clinic
Eye contact goals-
In the past, eye contact goals have been standard procedure when working with kids with Autism, so why don’t I work on them? You’ll see clinics all over the world are no longer targeting eye contact, and the reason is simple- forcing eye contact strips a person of their bodily autonomy. We now know that forcing eye contact can cause distress, so we just don’t do it.
What do I do instead?- General body orientation. As long as I can tell a my client is listening/participating/engaged, I really don’t care If they’re looking me in the eyes or not.
Hand over hand prompting-
Hand over hand is frequently seen across therapies, and while there may be some instances where this is okay (such as if a child asks for help, or seeks out hand over hand assistance), it generally is not the best approach to assist. Referring back to why I don’t do eye contact goals, hand over hand prompting also strips children of their bodily autonomy. It can also decrease their independence, and can impede motor skill learning.
What do I do instead?- If physical assistance is necessary for the task, I do hand under hand to allow for independence while also providing support
Goals targeting dialect differences-
Language has so many cool differences based on where you are from, who you surround yourself with, and how your family communicates. Telling a child that the language they use is “wrong” because they use a different dialect from you, is problematic. Having a language difference does not mean having a language disorder.