給小學生設計的認識自閉症的Curriculum

瑞雪

<b>Chapter 5:  People</b>



<b>People</b>



<b>People</b> are a part of life.  There are people at home and people at school.  There are children, teenagers, adults and elderly people.  There are people in stores, in cars, and people walking.  Sometimes they are alone and sometimes thay are in groups.



People are different from <b>objects.</b>. <i>objects</i> are things like furniture, toys, and rocks.  <i>Objects</i> stay the same unless you do something to them.  <b>Some objects in my life are: [/b}



1.______________________________

2.______________________________

3.______________________________

4.______________________________



People change.</b>  It is hard to know what will happen with people.  Sometimes they talk loud.  Sometimes they talk softly.  Sometimes they laugh.  Sometimes they are quiet.  Sometimes they look at me and sometimes they look away.  The same person can look different from before.  <i>Voices change, faces and hair change, clothes change, and movements changes.</i>



I never know when a person will be different than before.  People can be unpredictable and puzzling.  Sometimes I like being with people and sometimes I prefer being alone.  



I get confused when people ___________________________________________________________.

瑞雪

<b>Chapter 5: People</b>



<b>The People in My Family</b>



Most children live with their families.  Some children live with one parent.  Some children live with two parents.  Some children have step-parents.  My <b>parents'</b> names are:



1.___________________________________  2._____________________________



Some children have brothers and sisters.  I might have brothers and sisters.  If I do, the names of my <b>brothers and sisters </b>are:



1.___________________________________  2._____________________________

3.___________________________________  4._____________________________



Sometimes, grandparents or aunts or uncles or cousins or friends live together in the same house.  If <b>other people</b> live with me, their names are:



1.___________________________________  2._____________________________

3.___________________________________  4._____________________________



Some children have two families.  This happens when their parents are separated or divorced.  Or, a child might have two or even three families if he or she lives with a foster family.



I will circle or highlight what is true for me.



I have one family.  We all live together in one home.

I have two families, in two different homes.

I have three families, in three different homes.

My parents live together.

My parents live in separate homes.

My parents are divorced.  They live in different homes.

One of my parents has remarried*.

Both of my parents have remarried.

I have a step-mother.  She is my father's wife.

I have a step-father.  He is my mother's husband.

I have half-brothers or half-sisters**.

I have step-brothers or step-sisters***.

other_______________________________________



* <b>Remarried</b> means that my parent is now married to a new person.  This new person is my step-parent (step-mother or step-father).



**<b>Half-brothers and half-sisters</b> are siblings whose parents are my parents and my step-parent.



***<b>Step-brothers and step-sisters</b> are siblings who were born when my step-parent was married to someone else, before.



<font size="1" color="darkblue">Edited by - 瑞雪 重新编辑於 2003/05/18  13:06:50</font>

瑞雪

<b>Chapter 5</b>



<b>New or Different People at Home</b>



Sometimes <b>people</b> come to my home for a visit.  Some visits are short, but others might last a few days, or weeks.  Special new people might move in and live with us.



It might take time for me to get used to changes at home.  <b>I will mark the events that have happened at home</b>.



Having company or visitors

Holidays when grandparents, aunts, uncles or cousins visit

Family parties, birthday parties

Friends of brothers or sisters coming to play

My friends coming to play

Men or women coming to repair, build, or paint something

One or both parents going out of town

Babysitters

A new baby

Moving to a new neighborhood

Parents who live in different houses

Parents that are divorced

My divorced parents getting married to someone else

A new step-parent

New step-sisters or step-brothers

Other: _____________________________

Other: _____________________________

瑞雪

<b>Chapter 5: People</b>



<b>My Family Tree</b>



A <b>family tree</b> is a diagram of a family.  It is called a family <i>tree</i> because it shows how the people are connected to each other, like branches and stems of a tree growing out from the trunk.  My <i>family tree</i> shows how I am connected to my family.



My parent and I can fill it out the family tree on the next page by folloing these directions.  We will check each box as we do what it says.



<ul>

<li>1.  Start at the bottom by writing my name on the line.  </li>

<li>2.  Write in the names of my mother and father.  If I have stepparents, I will write their names in, too  </li>

<li>3.  Write in the names of my brothers and sisters on the dotted lines going down.  </li>

<li>4.  Write the names of my grandparents at the top.  </li>

<li>5.  Write the name of my aunts and uncles on the lines going down from my grandparents.  </li>

<li>6.  If I want to include my cousins, then I need to draw lines coming out forom their parents (my aunts and uncles).  </li>

<li>7.  When finished, I can show it to someone in my family  </li>

</ul>



(family tree graph omitted.  I cannot get it display right)



<font size="1" color="darkblue">Edited by - 瑞雪 重新编辑於 2003/05/18  13:20:03</font>

瑞雪

<b>Chapter 5: People</b>



<b>New or Different People at School</b>



Sometimes <b>new or different people</b> come into my classroom.  Many children are happy to have new teachers and new students in the class.  They think it is fun.  But children with autism might become anxious, worried, scared, or angry when there are changes with people at school.  It is unfamiliar and different.



It may take more time for me to get used to new people at school.  <b>I will mark what bothers me at school:</b>



<ul>

<li>Substitue teachers  </li>

<li>Student teacher  </li>

<li>New teacher or assistant  </li>

<li>Therapists coming to the classroom  </li>

<li>When the teacher moves my desk  </li>

<li>When other children's desks are moved  </li>

<li>My parents coming to my classroom  </li>

<li>Special visitors to the classrooom  </li>

<li>Different children standing next to me in line  </li>

<li>Different children sitting next to me at lunch  </li>

<li>Different children playing on the playground  </li>

<li>A new student in my class  </li>

<li>Me going to a new class  </li>

<li>Other: _______________________________________  </li>

<li>Other: _______________________________________  </li>

</ul>



<font size="1" color="darkblue">Edited by - 瑞雪 重新编辑於 2003/05/18  13:40:38</font>

瑞雪

<b>Chapter 5: People</b>



<b>Other Important People</b>



There are <b>other important people</b> in my life.  At school, the important adults are the ones I talk to every day.  They might be teachers, assistants, therapists, the principal, office workers, cooks, and custodians.  The names of the <b>important adults for me at school </b>are:



1. ______________________  2._____________________ 3._____________________

4._______________________  5. ____________________ 6._____________________



There are <i>children </i>who are important to me at school.  They might be <b>friends and helpers.</b> Their names are:



1. ______________________  2._____________________ 3._____________________

4._______________________  5. ____________________ 6._____________________



There might be other important people in my life, too.  They might be friends of my family, people at church or temple, at my parents' work, and at other places.  Other important people in my life are:



1. ______________________  2._____________________ 3._____________________

4._______________________  5. ____________________ 6._____________________

瑞雪

<b>Chapter 5:  People</b>



<b>Paying Attention to More Than One Person</b>



Most children who have two parents have a relationship with both of their parents, and maybe relationships with other adults, like grandparents or aunts and uncles.  In school, most students listen to and pay attention to more than one teacher.



<b>Children with autism sometimes get confused when they are supposed to pay attention to more than one person.</b>  Often, it is easier and more natural for a child with autism to repy on just one person.  <i>That is why some children with autism might listen to one parent and ignore the other parent.  </i> Sometimes the other parent fells left out.

<b>I will mark what is true for me.</b>



<ul>

<li>I usually pay attention to my mother <i>and</i> my father.  I talk and listen to <b>both</b> of them  </li>

<li>I usually just pay attention to <b>only one</b> of my parents.  I mostly listen to my _____________________  </li>

<li>I live iwth one parent, or just one parent at a time  </li>

<li>I pay attention to <b>all</b> of my teachers.  There are ____(number?)  </li>

<li>I usually pay attention to <b>only one</b> of my teachers at school  I mostly listen to __________________________________(name)  </li>

<li>There are mnay adults who care about me, and I would like to have relationships with <b>more</b> of them.  I would like to become more familiar with ______________________(Name)  </li>

<li>There are many adults who care about me, but right now, I would rather have a relationship with <b>only one</b> adult at school, and <b>one</b> adult at home.  </li>

</ul>

瑞雪

<b>Chapter 5:  People</b>



<b>Being Safe</b>



Most people in the world are good people.  Good people are usually kind and helpful.  I am <b>safe </b> with them.



But there are some people who are not good.  There are a few children and adults who might try to hurt others or make them do things that are wrong.  Someone might act kind, but he or she might not be a good person.



It can be difficult for many children to know if someone is a safe person or not.  But it is especially hard for children with autism to know if someone is safe.  <i>Some children with autism try to do what someone tells them to do, even if they don't understand why.</i> Or, they might be very fearful and think that everyone wants to hurt them, even if someone is really a good and safe person.



<b>I will circle or highlight what is true for me.</b>



<ul>

<li>Everyone is my friend.  </li>

<li>I always try to do what someone tells me to do, even if I do not understand why.  </li>

<li>I am afraid of people I do not know  </li>

<li>Even when my parent says that it's OK, I am <i>still</i> afraid of new people  </li>

<li>I wonder if ______________________(name) is a safe person?  </li>

<li>There are children at school who tell me to do things, and I do not understand why.  Sometimes I might feel afraid or confused.  The children tell me to ___________________________________________________________________  </li>

</ul>



Most children at aschool are nice.  But there are a few children who are not nice.  There might be a child at school or in my neighborhood who acts like a <i>bully</i>.



A child who acts like a bully tells me to do things that are wrong or bad or scary.  Sometimes he or she tries to scare or hurt other children.  He or she might hit or beat up someone.  A child who acts like a bully might pretend to be nice, but then does something mean.  It is hard to understand why tese children do what they do.



<i>If there is a child who does things taht scare me or does things that I do not understand, I must tell an adult.  I must tell my teacher or my parent or another adult what the child does.</i>



<ul>

<li>I can keep myself safe by telling my parent or teacher or other adult when there is something that I do not understand.  </li>

<li>The adults will only be able to help me if I tell them what has happened.  If I do not tell them, then they will not know what has happened, and they will not be able to help me  </li>

<li>It is good to tell my parent or teachers when I do not understand something about a child.  I do not understand why _______________________________________________  </li>

</ul>



My parent or teacher can make a list of some of the special people in my life who can help me.  Some are adults and some are children.  These are the people who I will tell when I need help or when I do not understand something.  <b>Here is a list of the children and adults who can help me:</b>

1.________________________ 2.________________________

3. _______________________ 4. _______________________



My parent and I can do these things to help me learn how to be safe:



<ul>

<li>My parent or teacher can make me an <b>ID card</b> with my phone number and address to keep with me.  Other important names and phone numbers might be on the card too.  </li>

<li>I can <i>practice</i> using different types of telephones, including pay phones  </li>

<li>My parent can write on the back of the <b>ID card</b>, what I need to say, so I can read the words to say if I ever need to call for help.  </li>

<li>I can <i>practice</i> calling the phone numbers and talking to the people on my <b>ID card</b>  </li>

</ul>

瑞雪

<b>Chapter 5: People</b>



<b>For Parents and Teachers</b>



<i>"People bothered me.  I didn't know what they were for or what they would do to me.  They were not always the same and I had no security with them at all.  Even a person who was always nice to me might be different sometimes.  Things didn't fit together for me with people.  Even when I saw them a lot, they were still in pieces, and I couldn't connect them to anything."</i>



--Sean Barron, from <i>There's A Boy In Here</i> by Sean and Judy Barron



Consider using visually structured strategies to prepare your child for social events and to clarify relationships with the people in her life.  Although these ideas may not magically or instantly change the underlying mystery regarding "people," structured strategies may help to ease someof the confusion by adding predictability, familiarity, and a sense of order.



<b>Ideas in This Chapter</b>



<ul>

<li>List new people on the schedule  </li>

<li>Use a calendar  </li>

<li>Write a schedule of events when waiting for visitors  </li>

<li>Overnight visitors  </li>

<li>Parents out of town  </li>

<li>Changes in the family structure  </li>

<li>Substitute teachers  </li>

<li>Social stories  </li>

<li>Teach a routine for getting help in public  </li>

</ul>



<b>List new people on the schedule</b>



When there will be a change from the usual people at home or at school, you can write it on your child's daily schedule.  Write the new person's name alongside the appropraite entry, even if your child doesn't yet know who the person is.  By routinely seeing new people indicated on her schedule, your child will come to handle such changes with less anxiety.  Developing a routine of seeing new people on the schedule not only clarifies the change, but gives it added meaning.  Remember that to a child who relies on routines, the rountine itself becomes meaningful.



A short written explanation at the top of the schedule might also be reassuring.  For example, a note to prepare a child for a new sitter might read,

<center>Debbie is sick.  She has to stay at her house on Coleman Street</center>

<center>today.  Ms. Hunter will babysit from 4:00-7:00.</center>



<b>Use a Calendar</b>

Give your child her own calendar.  Write what will be coming up on the appropriate day's square and point it out to her ahead of time.  Attach the new person's photograph to the calendar for more specific visual information.



Use the calendar to prepare your child for physical changes on familiar people, such as new glasses, contacts, haircuts, and vacation tans.  Mark the calendar when you or a significant person will come home with a new or changed appearance.



A few children become overly focused on an upcoming event when they see it indicated on the calendar.  For some, seeing the event listed on the calendar can be anxiety-provoking.  Difficulty understanding the passage of time can make this problem worse.  They may think that the event is going to happen immediately.  You will need to notice how much preparation time works best for  your child. It may be that one day's notice is better than a week's notice.  As your child gains more experience with the calendar, using it may prove to be more helpful in the long run, even if it causes problems at first.



In order to help her learn and understand the concept of the calendar, have your childmark off each day ont he calendar before bed, and circle the square for "today" each morning.  This routine may help her learn more about the passage of time from day to day.

瑞雪

<b>Chapter 5:  People</b>



<b>Write a schedule of events when waiting for visitors</b>



Prepare fro visitors coming to your home by making a checklist of the things your child will do during the visit.  List some activities which all her to play by herself.  List some activities which include the visitor, if apporpriate.



Your child will probably be more successful in her social interactions with the visitor if the activities involve her interests, and if the activities have a clear beginning and end.  Examples of the types of social activities that can be structured are: card games or lotto games, Bingo, naming the people and places in a family photo album, and "taking orders" from the visitors for refreshments from a list you have written on a note pad.



<b>Overnight visitors</b>



For overnight visitors, mark the calendar by highlighting the days to show how long the visitor(s) will stay.  On the calendar, write something significant that your child will do after the visit is over on that day, so she can see what will happen next.



Remember to include information about the visit on her daily schedule, as well.  Next to the appropriate enntries, add information that may be significant for her, such as who will sit around the table at dinner time, who will sleep where, and which TV programs might be watched.



<b>Parents out of town</b>



Mark the calendar to show the days when you or your spouse will be out of town.  mark when you will return.  On the appropriate calendar square, write where the absent parent will be each day or something concrete that he or she is doing:  <i>Daddy drives to Atlanta, Mommy's at work in the Flat Iron Building, or Daddy visits Aunt Suzie, Daddy comes home.</i>



Write short letters to be given to your child each day you are out of town.  help her understand that you haven't just disappeared, but that you are somewhere, doing something, and that you will return on a specific date.  Date the letters as if you are writing it each day.



Remember to include significant information on her schedule, like when it is time to say goodbye, and which people are going to be involved with her on which days, and what they will do.  Help the changes be more predictable.  Don't assume that she knows and understands all of the relevant details.



If you have already been using a calendar and a schedule on a regular basis, then the whole process will be more familiar to her and she will handle the changes more easily.



<b>Changes in the family structure</b>



If there are changes or additions to the family because of separation, divorce or remarriage, draw a diagram or a family tree so she can see how she and the people are connected and to give a sense of order to the changes.  Record births and deaaths of improtant people and pets on the calendar.  Write social stories to give more information about these confusing changes.



Allow her to have ample "alone time" or "quiet time" at school and at home.



<b>Substitute teachers</b>



To prepare for school days with substitute teachers, create a file of photographs and/or name cards of substitute teachers.  Attach the appropriate photo or name card to the classroom calendar or the student's calendar to show when the substitute is coming.

瑞雪

<b>Chapter 5: People</b>



<b>Teach a routine for getting help in public</b>



Create a special ID card with information on both sides.  One side of the card can contain the typical identification information.  The other side can be a "cue card" for your child to use in an emergency.  It might contain reminders like how to use a pay phone or how to ask a store mangager to use the phone.  The written reminders would augment your teaching her how to make a phone call in public.  If the information needed cannot fit on the back of card, make a special small folded card that can fit into a wallet, purse, or a pocket.



Prectice using public pay phones.  Write and laminate the directions, listing the steps to follow in sequence.  As your child becomes familiar with the routine, list the steps on a small card, or the back of her ID card.



Depending on your child and her ability to function independently in this kind of situation, you may want to teach er to give the cue card to a store manager for help.  It may be easier for her to hand a card to a salesperson when she is feeling anxious, than to try to talk.  The message on the card might read <i>"I need help.  Can you help me call home?"</i>  Teach er a routine of going into a store, asking for the namager, and asking to use the phone (or handing the cue card).  Practice frequently, first at home, and then in different public locations, like the mall, etc.  You might feel more comfortable initially setting these up in a familiar store where you are know.



Keep in mind that even though your child may be very verbal, when under stress she may not be able to use her verbal skills effectively.  By providing her with an alternate communication system (<i>a written cue to read or to hand to someone)</i>, she may be more able to function in an emergency when under stree.



Remember to include practice sessions and list them on her schedule.  If she resists your teaching her, <i>or if you want help with this, </i> ask another significant adult -- a teacher, friend, grandparent, aunt, uncle, or older cousin -- to read these suggestions and help set it up.

瑞雪

<b>Chapter 6:  Understanding</b>



<b>Eye Contact</b>



<b>Eye contact</b> means looking directly at someone's eyes.  Many children can listen and understand better when they look directly into the eyes of the person who is talking.  <i>Most children make eye contact when they are paying attention.</i>  That is why people think that if I am looking directly at their eyes, I will understand them better.  When I look away, they think that I am not paying attention.  That is true for many children, <i>but it is not true for most children who have autism</i>.



<b>I will circle of highlight what is true for me</b>



<ul>

<li>I can make eye contact or I can listen, but it is hard to do both at the same time.  </li>

<li>It is difficult to understand what the person is saying when I have to look at their eyes.  </li>

<li>It is easier for me to understand what people are saying when I look somewhere else.  </li>

<li>I do not like eye contact because it is uncomfortable.  </li>

<li>Sometimes it is easy to make eye contact and listen at the same time.  </li>

<li>Other:  _________________________________________________  </li>

</ul>



If someone says "<b>Look at me</b>" when they want to get my attention, and if I have difficulty with this, I can say:



<center>I AM paying attention.

Right now, I can listen better when I look away.</center>