by Catherine
Faherty
Most of us learn through trial and error. Life presents
us with opportunity to live through our mistakes
as well as through our successes. We remember what
to do differently next time. We understand the connection
between our behavior and its consequences. This
process works so naturally that many current parenting
manuals suggest discipline methods, which promote
situations that allow children to learn through
the consequences of their actions.
In contrast, learning by trial and error can be
so unpredictable and even frightening to children
with autism that they become unwilling to try. Many
parents of children with autism have watched as
their child avoids involvement in any activity until
he or she can do it perfectly.
It has been observed that the need for success among
many children with autism is immediate and total.
They are so averse to making mistakes that many
don't risk trying until they are sure that they
can do it perfectly and flawlessly, without failing.
They don't easily learn from mistakes, nor do they
see the connections, the process, and the relationship
between making a mistake, almost succeeding, and
achievement.
To expect a child with high functioning autism to
learn only through the natural events of trial and
error is to risk raising a child whose self-image
is sacrificed to a feeling of shame and harsh self-judgment.
Children who see only polarities (good/bad, black/white,
right/wrong) naturally will come to the conclusion
that they are bad or wrong when they make a mistake.
One adult with autism said that as a child, he perceived
life as "failure after failure."
Mistakes are an unavoidable part of life for all
of us. However autism, with its distinctive characteristics,
automatically causes a higher degree of ill-timed
behavior, awkwardness, and sometimes, total misunderstanding.
Consequently, children with autism experience even
more mistakes than the average child! The fact that
they do not make connections between their behavior
and its consequences, and that they do not easily
learn from their mistakes, only makes these experiences
more random, senseless, and unbearable.
The teaching strategies that parents and teachers
of children with autism rely on must embrace the
principle of building on a solid foundation of mastered
skills and competence. Daily observation and constant
assessment are essential. Teaching strategies that
are designed to prevent failure and reinforce accomplishment
will help to ensure that learning is free to take
place.
Catherine Faherty,
Author of Asperger's…What Does It Mean To Me?
Article From "What Does It Mean To Me",
Chapter 2: Ways of Thinking
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