Got some DIY for you today! Don't worry, it has nothing to do with upcycled pallet boards, apple cider vinegar, or a glue gun 😊
When someone has Autism, they usually have a few other things like sensory issues and/or Auditory Processing Disorder (APD).
Here's Wikipedia's definition of APD in case you haven't heard of it or know much about it:
"Individuals with APD usually have normal structure and function of the outer, middle and inner ear (peripheral hearing). However, they cannot process the information they hear in the same way as others do, which leads to difficulties in recognizing and interpreting sounds, especially the sounds composing speech".
So basically, we think it's easier for Lucas at times to read something rather than hear it. The great news is that APD can improve with the help of teachers, speech pathologists and parents continuing at home what occurs at school.
Anyway, I tell Boog how much I love him and how amazing he is all the time (so do quite a few others too). Now that we know his vocabulary is incredibly higher than we thought, I had a simple idea.
Maybe he doesn't always hear my praise every time, so what can I do? The good news is that this project is easy and costs less than $3.00!
I got a small dry erase board. Target of has them and sometimes they're just $1. Actually you probably have one stuck away somewhere (I did).
Here is a great explaination of what a positive affirmation is from a Huffington post article:
"Affirmations help purify our thoughts and restructure the dynamic of our brains so that we truly begin to think nothing is impossible. The word affirmation comes from the Latin affirmare, originally meaning “to make steady, strengthen".
Here's the whole explaination and I encourage you to read this in full. Our children aren't the only ones often needing to feel important, caring and worthy and this article is applying this tool to adults:
So now is the next part: Put the dry erase board in a location your child visits regularly. I chose our dishwasher because the board sticks to the medal (it has magnets) and Boog often goes over there to see his reflection.
Every couple or few days, write a positive affirmation about your child. It can be as simple as three words, make it right for your child. This way, our kids know how proud we are and how much we love them because they hear it and see it.
This article has amazing positive affirmations specifically for children and a lot of them. You can check these out and apply them to the reading level of your child no matter what that level may be:
Positive Affirmations for Children
Positive Affirmations for Children
Have fun! And by the way, here's your free affirmation from me:
You are a great parent and it is working.
-Boog's sometimes creative Mommy
