Teaching The Autistic Child

I saw an amazing quote on TV the other day. I know... of all places. This quote really holds a special place in my heart.

"If a child can't learn the way we teach, maybe we should teach the way they learn."

My daughter Hailey is very special. I knew early on that she was... different. She was diagnosed with Autism in February of this year and while I knew deep in my heart all along, it was devastating for me. Teaching her how to do the most simple of tasks has been challenging, but over the course of the last year, I have come to learn what does and doesn't work for her. That is where the above quote really comes in.

Hailey is a very hands on child. She prefers to figure things out for herself. But there are just some things she had to be taught. We had to find special ways of communicating with her so that we could teach her in ways she could understand. This meant a lot of patience, care and repetitiveness. This meant allowing her to observe something she was interested in at the grocery store for 30 minutes while standing in an aisle having the employees look at me like I was crazy. It meant a lot of redirection and persistence. Above all, it meant a very tired mommy.

But I wouldn't have it any other way. I love her quirks and I love that she is different. She's incredibly bright - she just does things differently. She always ends up at the appropriate place so who cares what road she takes to get there? Let's face it - all children are different in their own ways anyhow. They should be taught according to how they learn - not the way we think they should.

Hailey has improved greatly in the last year. She's currently seeing three therapists - Speech, Occupational and Physical. She's excelled in every category and is on her way to being a fully functional toddler - all because we've all been patient and did things in ways she could understand. That quote only encourages me further as a parent - to continue on this path and teach my daughter in the way I know she can learn and not the way society dictates.