Tools (or are they tricks??) of the trade...

We often think of earphones as rude, an attempt by sullen teens to isolate themselves.

On the other hand, for Jon, it is an opportunity to help him focus on the task at hand. Noises and even just the normal sounds of the home can greatly distract him from his school work and this can make him very irritable. When I am teaching him, or assisting him through lessons from a book, say R&S Grammar, he often wears his headphones and connects his MP3 player. He keeps it turned down so that he can still hear me, but the beat (he would never choose a slow beat) helps his mind thump along with the lessons. I've seem him accomplish a lot in this mode.

This doesn't work in a group setting, however, so I don't allow it. But I have to say that this is something I've had to adjust my thinking on. (I know, no prepositions at the end of a sentence...!) Home schooling allows for such oddities. PS would never permit it (at least not to my knowledge).

Music in the background for the whole group often doesn't work. I like classical, or classical guitar, no words. But anything slow causes Jon to be so distracted that he can't hear. It's often better to let him choose his own and use the ear phones.

Another tool is the mini tramp. I've heard of a lot of moms who use this, not just moms of Aspies. The thing I always hear is memorization facts, such as arithmetic or spelling. They jump and go through their facts. The repeating motion of their bodies helps solidify the facts in their minds. I've not tried this, not having a mini tramp at this point, but I'm considering it, and not just for Jon. Another thing that could not be done in the PS.

Jon often has fidgety hands. I was upset once by another teacher who said that Jon was misbehaving because he wasn't sitting still. Yes, he needs to learn to sit still. But his body often seems to move independent of his mind. This is something that is much harder for him to learn than some others. My 5yo can often sit still longer than Jon, and not because we have not worked on it. It's so discouraging for him to be told he's in disobedience when he didn't even realize he was moving. One solution to this is a stress ball. If he has something in his hand that he can play with, it helps him listen. And it helps him sit still. Clay is messy, but it works, too.

An interesting story...my husband went to DeVry's to get his CIS degree. While there, he often sat in the back and played Solitaire, or some other computer game during the lecture. The teachers thought, at first, that he was being rude and not listening. They soon found, however, that when they asked questions of him, he had a better answer than many others in the class. He WAS listening - he just had to do something else while he was listening. He graduated with a senior project that the judges had trouble with, because they'd never seen anything like it! And he graduated Suma Cum Laudi. (or however you spell that!)

I find the same thing to be true of myself. I often play Cubis on line while I'm writing lesson plans. The 30 second level of organizing blocks helps me put my thoughts in order.

Obviously this is not the way it is for everyone. Some people couldn't do more than one thing at time to save their life!

Gum! Oh, yes, that nasty gum! The dreaded object of teachers and moms everywhere. If there are no stress balls, tramps, or earphones around, gum is a big help to Jon. He's mature enough not to stick it under the desk or toss in the yard. I do have to mention that he should chew with his mouth closed, but we're getting there! It helps him think.

Scent Therapy is another good avenue of help. Some scents are calming and can help a great deal during a lesson that has started out badly due to fidgeting or attitude. Lavender seems to be the highly recommended one, but Jon can't stand it. We have not yet found his 'scent.' Unless you count pop corn!

Incidentally, Aspies are often quite sensitive to scents, temperatures, etc. If it's too warm in the room, you're going to lose him before you start.

We tried Bach's Flower Remedies, Rescue Remedy. It didn't work, I'm assuming, because it does not address brain activity, but emotional overload.

Camomile Tea works for Jon. He'll go get it for himself when he feels fidgety.

Something I've heard but not tried is color coding. There is a lady in Denver who uses this to help with those who have visual processing issues. I've heard wonderful things about it. I'd explain more, but I'm not sure I have all the facts on this one.

For autism, I've heard that singing is a good help for them. I heard on the news of a little boy that did not talk until he was 5 or 6. Then one day his mom sang something too him and he began talking (well, actually, singing) and learning to read in a flash. I didn't know this when Jon was younger, but I used to do it on occasion. I would sing "Where is Jonny, where is Jonny?" to the tune of Frere Jacques. He would answer with "Here I am, here I am." I started it because often when I called him, he felt interrupted, and got agitated. Singing helped.

I know there're more...