Concepts, Skills, Functions, Development

Some friends and I have been discussing development and remediation of the core deficits of autism. Specifically, we've been discussing referencing, among other skills and functions.

A lot of folks who work with individuals on the autism spectrum emphasize eye contact for the sake of a behavior we label eye contact.

We shifted gears a few years ago when we began to learn that most of us don't simply make eye contact as a behavior observable from the outside. Nope. Instead, we reference. And we reference abstractions in situations where eye contact will not be meaningful, because the referencing involves mental engagement that exists beyond mere eye contact.

A non-RDI(r) resource has been helpful to me: Ruth Beechick's book continues to help me think about how skills and functions develop. I have been pondering on her words about how concepts of math develop in her book, "The Three R's", thoughts I happened to find on a web site about preschool math (so I'll provide the link for you in case you're interested).

from http://www.shirleys-preschool-activities.com/preschool-math-activities.html

Children develop through three modes of thinking about numbers:

manipulative mode – working with real objects e.g. beans, cups, spoons

mental image mode – using mental images or pictures of real objects

abstract mode – using number concepts without thinking of images of objects

I am not limiting these concepts to math, but am thinking about them as they apply to all development, both social and emotional as well as academic. I don't believe those stages are limited to concepts of math. I believe they apply to concepts throughout development. I see parallels in stages of intersubjectivity. Every new concept or skill develops in a similar fashion.

Including referencing.

As adults, we reference abstractions all the time. Meanings. Connotations. We can interpret all kinds of information from one glance or facial expression, one sigh or smile in context with other information that we reference simultaneously. That kind of abstract referencing begins in infancy in the concrete.

Referencing's roots are in emotion sharing, between-baby-and-mom-back-and-forth moments.

Like concepts of math, referencing also begins in what could be described as a manipulative mode, with REAL objects, a teddy bear, a rattle, a noise or sound, some sort of concrete, tangible referent as a prototype, giving the baby experience with mom's reaction to this new object, experience that lays a foundation toward moving into mental image mode and later abstract mode.

There's more to referencing than just the visual check, the "eye contact". There's a mental engagement piece happening, too. And that's important to note, so that we don't stop at eye contact.

Just because a child references you visually (manipulative mode) doesn't mean he/she is capable of referencing with mental image mode or abstract mode. Just what is in mom or dad's mind? Remember Dr Gutstein definition of communication? (I wrote about it here) "…as the desire to determine the relationship between what is in your mind and what is in my mind…". That's abstract mode.

Back to that web site (above) that describes Beechick's way of teaching math:

"All children develop these modes of thinking in this same order. They can switch back to an earlier mode but cannot jump ahead until they have grasped the previous mode."

"Since young children are only able to use the manipulative mode, preschool math activities must use concrete objects to teach numeracy awareness."

"…the secret is to begin the child's arithmetic at a young age by using real objects. Then spend a year or two having the child do a lot of arithmetic in her head …finally begin working with abstract symbols."3 (Ruth Beechick, The Three R's)

Some professionals and families choose to bypass the child development ladder in autism and instead work on rote memorization with discreet trial for everything from eye contact, interaction and turn taking to "social skills" to academics. It's popular. But does it do what it sets out to do? For us, it did not.

Developmental approaches lean heavily on beginning in the concrete, remembering that children can move back to an earlier mode, but not forward until they have grasped the previous mode. Developmental approaches have parents and involved adults slowing their pace to allow the children to be active participants, offering the child opportunities for development to play out, watching for milestones to emerge and discoveries to be made.

Sometimes I forget to begin in the concrete, manipulative mode. I assume that I am understood, when I am not, because I'm too abstract. I'm a work in progress. Still learning. I'm glad there are folks along the way to teach me and to guide me.

Opportunities to learn

"Blending skill is one of those things you cannot hurry in children. You can't sternly shake your finger at Johnny or promise him cake if he gets it right. All you can do is give him opportunities to learn it, and one day you will see he is beginning to catch on. That's a great day. The major hurdle to reading is about to be crossed. Nurture his beginning skill. Help it grow."

Dr. Ruth Beechick, from her book, "The Three R's"

Choosing curricula, products, resources for a child with unique learning needs is not something I take lightly, and over the years, I have gained much experience about how to determine a next step in a given area of development. (I am thankful to have a consultant who provides strong support to me in my decision making, as well.)

Sometimes, you have seen me write in a review that my daughter might be able, at some level, to use a resource, but I prefer to wait for a later time to fully introduce that resource to her in order to give us time to finish foundation work. I think Dr. Beechick's quote does a good job of describing what I mean when I say I choose to wait.

In the early days of an autism diagnosis, I relied heavily on professionals who guided me to push cognitive learning and academics via a behaviorist route to my then barely-two-year-old, while ignoring social learning. That was a mistake. Finding a developmental approach to remediating the developmental delays commonly seen with autism has given me insight that those professionals from early in our journey never offered.

Explaining what I mean about "developmental" and "timing" to another parent is sometimes challenging. How do I sum up something so big into a few sentences? Recently, the excerpt at the top of this blog entry jumped out at me from the book I was reading, and I saw that, even though Dr Beechick is referring to a skill associated with learning to read, she is describing quite beautifully a developmental approach to all kinds of learning, both social and cognitive: offer lots of opportunities, wait for a discovery to happen, and then move forward to the next step of offering new opportunities. Build foundations and grow them--for lots of "great days". ;)