Discussion: How do you identify what approaches work best for a particular child? If you are a clinician, how do you help parents figure out what approach is best for their child? “These are questions that can be answered during the assessment process,” says Dr. Greenspan. “In the assessment, have parents play with their children....
Discussion: School does not mean education. What should an ideal educational program have? You have to look at the school environment in terms of how well it can provide support for the six functional milestones, and then the higher milestones beyond that. How well can an educational setting provide remediation for the different processing areas?...
Discussion: One of the real challenges with children with special needs is grappling with how you help them master reflective, analytic thinking – seeing the big picture and making inferences. In studies comparing children with autism to children without autism, who are matched for IQ, the separating factor isn’t academics. “What separates special needs populations...
Discussion: “For most of the kids who are older and on the autism spectrum, the big problem is service and educational communities giving up on them,” states Dr. Greenspan, and abandoning thinking skills in the process. We shouldn’t stop challenging older children simply because they are autistic. That isn’t to say that life skills aren’t...
Discussion: Oftentimes parents will identify particular problems (temper tantrums, perseveration or self-absorption) that they want to remedy, typically because it is embarrassing or disruptive. “There are six steps to take that usually solve these issues,” notes Dr. Greenspan. “Particularly for obsessions, focus in on the child’s activity and practice interacting around it,” Dr. Greenspan says....
Discussion: While these kinds of behaviors can be unsettling, they are not harmful to either you or the child. Consider the broader picture. “Every behavior a child engages in, autistic or not, should be treated as purposeful and as a basis for interaction,” allows Dr. Greenspan. The one exception is if the child is trying...
Discussion: We don’t want to say, “Let’s wait and see” regarding a challenge a child is facing; that makes the challenge harder later. “Parents cannot tolerate this answer any longer,” argues Dr. Greenspan. Parents need to lead the way and educate themselves with regard to their children’s health and well-being. In pediatric trainings, there is...
Discussion: For a parent who suspect their child may be delayed, it’s hard to know how early to intervene. A child’s speed or level of development is not always easy to determine, but you don’t necessarily need to pinpoint it to improve it. Turn the observations that concern you into action. Dr. Greenspan tells us,...
The best suggestion Dr. Greenspan can give to a parent? “Trust your own instincts,” he advises. Do your homework and “draw your own conclusions” when it comes to suspecting autism, or an autism spectrum disorder, in your child, says Dr. Greenspan. As a parent, you know your child better than anyone else, since you observe...
Discussion: As a clinician or therapist doing the family assessment, you will be able to sense if there will be a deeper resistance from the parents, states Dr. Greenspan. “They will speak about what they do and don’t do, and the ways they are comfortable or uncomfortable interacting.” After that happens, suggest that they try...
