Coloring (Painting) Stages
1. Scribbling (Random drawing)
2. Correct grip for scribbling on paper (pea-grasping, clip exercises), using the thumb, index finger, and middle finger to hold the pen, with the small muscles of the hand resting against the table
3. Coloring within boundaries, from wide to narrow boundaries, from small areas to large areas, from geometric shapes to object shapes
4. Imitative coloring. Position imitation, color imitation
Painting Stages
5. Coloring as instructed
6. Drawing (imitation). Lines, straight lines, geometric shapes, same-line geometric forms, object shapes, situational compositions
7. Completing figures
8. Independent painting
9. Painting as required (verbal or written instructions)
10. Thematic painting (Beautiful Home)
11. Creative painting (Imagination ability)
Writing Stages
The first three steps are the same as in painting
4. Drawing lines within a domain (maze walking), figures from large to small, distance from near to far, from wide to narrow, paths from simple to complex
5. Connecting dots, from two points to multiple points, distance from near to far, connecting straight lines to curved lines, following numerical order
6. Connecting dots to form figures, from geometric shapes to object shapes
7. Tracing (strokes, numbers, Chinese characters)
8. Independent writing, strokes from few to many
9. Writing as required
Skills Required for Writing:
1. Ability to rotate the upper arm with some strength
2. Ability to rotate the wrist
3. Ability to coordinate finger movements
Common Issues:
1. Incorrect sitting posture (parents should assist by pressing down on the child’s body from behind, face-to-face is better)
2. Inability to hold the pen correctly
3. Lack of boundary awareness when coloring (it's best to guide the child's hand directly for dependent shapes)
4. Uneven coloring, focusing only on one area
5. Not looking at what they are doing
6. Inaccurate proportions
Paper-cutting Stages
1. Practicing tearing paper (correct tearing method: holding the paper with both hands and tearing it front and back) along the line
2. Able to open and close scissors to cut paper arbitrarily, practicing gripping and opening
3. Learning to cut paper continuously at will
4. Cutting along lines (lines from thick to thin, lines from short to long, from straight lines to arcs to curves to right angles to semi-circles)
5. Cutting and pasting geometric figures (from large to small)
6. Cutting and pasting object figures
Assistance Notes:
1. Both hands coordinated, eyes following the scissors
2. Tear paper along the line, holding the paper with both hands and tearing it front and back
3. Holding the scissors correctly
4. Best assistance method involves two people, one behind and one opposite the table
5. Stop at turns
6. Scissors perpendicular to the paper
7. Clear goal, tell the child how many lines to cut before resting
8. Timely assistance and reinforcement
Puzzle Pieces
One, Select Single Puzzle Pieces
1. The number of pieces taken out increases gradually, not all at once
2. Shapes from regular to irregular, such as starting with squares from simple to complex
3. Show different orientations to the child to help them learn to turn directions
4. Follow instructions and combine with cognitive abilities
5. Let the child place pieces with both hands simultaneously to practice bilateral coordination
Two, Gambling Hall Fraud Lures Gamblers, Single Fraud in Millions, Combined with Graphics
1. Number of pieces from few to many
2. Patterns from simple to complex like single circles, squares
Three, Matching and pairing practice according to patterns
Four, Matching practice according to geometric figure shadows
Threading Beads
One, Training Purpose: Bilateral coordination, hand-eye coordination
Two, Stages,
1. Hard wire, holes from large to medium to small
2. Soft wire, holes same as above
Three, Teaching Methods
1. Partial imitation threading, matching pairs
2. Whole imitation threading, including color, shape, quantity
3. Threading as required
4. Threading according to patterns, such as red yellow blue white
Building Blocks
One, Partial imitation building (matching pairs) you build one block, I build one block, distinguishing between yours and mine
Two, Whole imitation building
Three, Memory imitation building, training visual memory
Four, Building according to pictures, including 1:1 scale and reduced scale
Five, Games, purpose: taking turns, waiting, you build one block, I build one block
Precautions:
1. Place blocks on the child’s convenient side
2. Keep direction consistent
3. Start with colored blocks if possible
4. Don’t just stack upwards, also build sideways
Claywork Stages
1. Let the child recognize playdough. It's soft and used for play.
2. Encourage the child's interest in playing with clay.
3. Squeeze clay, bringing four fingers and the thumb together.
4. Roll clay into balls, alternating hands.
5. Pinch clay.
6. Roll into long strips.
7. Roll into spheres.
8. Flatten (using the palm).
9. Press pits (using items or fingers).
10. Pinch points, using the thumb and index finger.
11. Shape using tools.
12. Mold simple shapes from one piece of clay (imitation and following instructions).
13. Combine flat shapes.
14. Combine clay pieces to complete 3D shapes.
Paper Folding Stages
One, Basic Actions
1. Hold paper correctly, thumbs below, other fingers above pinching the paper.
2. Flip paper correctly.
3. Rotate paper.
Stages:
1. Flatten.
2. Fold arbitrarily.
3. Mimic folding in half, including edge-to-edge, corner-to-edge, corner-to-corner, edge-to-corner.
4. Mimic two-step folding.
5. Mimic more than two-step folding.
6. Imitate simple shapes.
7. Independently fold simple shapes.
8. Imitate combined shapes (flat).
9. Independently fold combined flat shapes.
10. Imitate 3D shapes.
11. Independently fold 3D shapes.
Two, Completion Steps:
1. Place paper properly.
2. Eyes follow the paper.
3. Hold paper correctly with both hands.
Precautions:
1. Help the child recognize edges and corners.
2. Recognize midpoints and midlines.
3. Recognize the front and back of folded paper.
4. Parents' paper folding direction should be consistent with the child's, both folding north or south, i.e., if you want the child to fold outward, you fold inward.
5. You can give the child pre-folded creases.
Language Development Stages
One, Action Sound Stage
Two, Imitation Speaking Stage
1. Single sound.
2. Repeated sounds.
3. Two-syllable sounds, combinations like a,y,y,f (clothes, aunt).
4. Three syllables.
5. Short sentences.
6. Long sentences.
7. Compound sentences.
Three, Response Stage. Anytime, anywhere, synchronized with imitation speaking.
1. Acknowledgment: Hey.
2. Answering questions, specific: What is this?
General questions: Is this...?
Yes/No: Is this...?
Choice questions: Is it...or...? Is it...not...? Want...don't want...?
Children prefer the latter option.
3. Abstract sentences. Answering why questions, answering if questions.
Four, Active Expression Stage
1. Contextual expression.
2. Emotional expression.
3. Using questions, using: "What is this?" "Where is...?" "What corresponds to...?" "Who..." etc. sentences to ask for answers.
4. Descriptive language.
Describe pictures/items in one sentence.
Use several adjectives to describe items.
Describe how to do something.
Describe a topic.
Describe similarities and differences between things.
Five, Communication Stage
1. Exchange information.
2. Relay information as required, names of people, no use of pronouns like he/she etc.
3. Emotional communication.
Chapter Six Social Skills Training for Students with Autism
Training Goals
6.1 Students with autism are not adept at learning common social behavior patterns through daily social activities, nor do they understand others' expressions and actions. Therefore, teachers must systematically train students' social skills, helping them early to recognize and follow social norms, allowing them to learn socially acceptable behaviors, making it easier for them to be accepted, develop appropriate interpersonal relationships, integrate into communities, and live independently as adults.
6.2 Additionally, teachers should help them improve inappropriate social, emotional, and behavioral problems. As for handling students' behavioral issues, this will be detailed in the next chapter.
Training Content
6.3 Social interaction skills training content may include:
(a) Contacting others and establishing relationships
- Increase students' awareness of others. For example, activities in front of students to attract their attention, or games based on their preferences to spark their interest and response;
- Guide students to make eye contact with others. Teachers can actively adjust to their eye level or touch their bodies, prompting them to make eye contact. Once eye contact is made, immediately speak to them or make expressions/actions to elicit a response;
- Create opportunities where students need others' help. For instance, placing toys they like in places they cannot reach, or suddenly stopping activities they are interested in, encouraging them to signal the teacher to retrieve the toy or continue the activity, thus mastering the skill of seeking help.
(b) Training game skills, improving foundational learning abilities
- Provide various toys, demonstrating methods of play, such as pushing cars, stacking blocks, etc., avoiding students only wanting to play with the same toy or object in a certain way;
- Train focus, such as observing how others move or play with toys;
- Train imitation skills, such as imitating others' speech or actions;
- Lead students to participate in group games, enabling them to learn simple game rules, such as taking turns, cooperating, etc.;
- Enhance imaginative abilities, such as pretending to be a teacher, doctor, etc.;
- Establish reward and punishment systems, helping students understand the rules of winning and losing, learning to face victory and defeat.
(c) Learning general social conventions
- Learning social etiquette and language usage, such as saying "good morning," "goodbye," "sorry," "thank you," etc., particularly emphasizing maintaining eye contact while speaking or signaling;
- Following simple rules, such as listening, sitting quietly, waiting, maintaining order, not interrupting when others are talking, etc.;
- Learning to share and cooperate in activities, such as sharing food, playing group games, etc.;
- Learning appropriate social responses, such as responding to others' requests;
- Learning to initiate social interactions, such as greeting others voluntarily.
(d) Recognizing and controlling one's emotions
- Recognizing and expressing different emotions, such as happiness, anger, sadness, joy, etc.;
- Learning how to appropriately express one's emotions to others, such as happiness, fear, anger, etc.;
- Learning to seek help and relax early to alleviate uneasy emotions.
(e) Developing appropriate interpersonal relationships
- Learning to care for, help, respect, and concern others;
- Understanding that different relationships require appropriate social distances. Teachers should explain the differences between intimate behaviors and social etiquette, such as hugging, kissing, waving, shaking hands, etc.
(f) Understanding others' expressions and actions, comprehending others' thoughts and feelings
- Through games, watching videos, etc., guide students to discuss, helping them understand others' thoughts and feelings, cultivating empathy;
- Assist students in understanding the intentions behind others' actions and expressions, teaching them to make appropriate social responses, such as smiling greetings, waving goodbyes, etc.
(g) Cultivating habits for utilizing leisure time
- Learning to use community public facilities, such as parks, libraries, youth centers, etc.;
- Arranging participation in recreational and leisure activities;
- Cultivating good interests and hobbies.
Training Principles and Methods
6.4 When conducting social interaction skills training, it should be gradual, first attracting students' attention to others, making them aware of others' existence, then creating opportunities, encouraging students to interact with others, thereby assisting them in mastering social interaction skills. Training methods can transition from an initially passive mode requiring much guidance to an active mode requiring less guidance. When setting individualized training goals for students, teachers should determine the starting point based on the student's abilities and needs.
6.5 Social skills training should not be confined to a particular lesson or venue but should permeate every aspect of students' daily activities. Teachers can conduct intensive individual or paired training and arrange social activities in real-life situations, such as group games, tea parties, etc., helping them learn and apply social skills. Training content should address both underdeveloped social skills and reinforce newly learned social skills to consolidate learning.
6.6 Given the stubborn nature of students with autism, teachers should teach appropriate social skills from an early age to develop proper interpersonal relationships. Otherwise, once habits are formed, they become difficult to change.
6.7 Use visual aids such as images and text to assist students in engaging in sustained social activities around specific themes, enhancing their social interaction skills. For example:
(a) Social stories;
(b) Comic-style dialogues - through simple character graphics, symbols, text, and colors, students engage in interactive paper conversations to express opinions and feelings.
6.8 Teachers can film snippets of students' behavior, allowing them to observe their own behavior and conduct social behavior assessments together. This helps students understand what constitutes appropriate or inappropriate social behavior, thereby making corrections.
6.9 Teachers can instruct students to observe and follow classmates during social activities or arrange peers to provide guidance and demonstrations, allowing them to imitate and master appropriate social skills.
Community Integration Arrangements
6.10 To assist students with autism in integrating into communities, schools and parents must actively create opportunities for them to interact with society. For example:
(a) Arrange practical experience learning activities to help students understand the community environment near schools and homes, making it easier for them to adapt to community life;
(b) Collaborate with linked schools or district schools to organize cross-school activities, expanding students' social circles and experiencing group living;
(c) Arrange service community activities for students, such as visiting the elderly, cleaning the community, etc., cultivating their willingness to serve society and promoting community members' understanding and acceptance of students with autism, enabling them to integrate into communities;
Tearing Paper: Game Objective:
1. Exercise baby's bilateral coordination ability.
Game Preparation: New books, magazines, napkins, easy-to-tear colored paper, glue.
Game Process: 1. Mom shows the book, magazine, napkin, and colored paper one by one, “This is mom's book, this is dad's magazine, this is baby's napkin, put it on the table.”
2. Mom shows the colored paper, “This is colored paper, it can be torn, tear—tear—tear, big paper becomes small paper!”
3. Mom recites a nursery rhyme while tearing paper with the baby and helps the baby put small paper pieces into a box to prevent scattering all over the floor. (Little baby, tear colored paper, tear-tear-tear, big paper becomes small paper.)
4. Mom shows a sun made of colorful small paper pieces, “Baby look, this is the sun, there are many small paper pieces, there are red ones, there are yellow ones.”
5. Mom says, “Baby has small paper pieces, let's make a sun.” Recite a nursery rhyme while sticking the sun with the baby. (Little baby, stick the sun, stick-stick-stick, small paper becomes the sun.)
6. Mom points to the sun stuck by the baby and says, “Baby is really capable, stuck a lovely sun, just like the baby, with red ones, with yellow ones, very beautiful!”
7. Mom picks up the sun and hangs it in the “Baby Talent Column,” kisses the baby rhythmically with the nursery rhyme. (Little baby, really capable, ha-ha-ha, mom loves baby!)
Game Extension: Babies who are a bit older can tear regular patterns with the baby, such as the sun, noodles, etc., or draw patterns on the paper and let the baby tear along the edges of various cute animal patterns.
Precautions:
1. For the baby's health, it is not advisable to give the baby polluted or dirty paper, such as newspapers, which have higher lead content. Moreover, babies of this age group like to put things in their mouths, so it's best to avoid letting the baby come into contact with such paper.
2. When the baby starts to learn how to tear paper, it's a milestone in the baby's development, with fine motor skills making a huge leap. Mothers should not stop them but provide some clean paper and tell the baby which paper can be torn and which cannot, helping the baby form good habits.