This post will deal with my years of experience teaching children on the autistic spectrum. This post will also deal with the difference between immaturity and true developmental delay. All of the information in this post is meant for instruction and not as a means of diagnosis. I will give you the warning signs of developmental delay in order for you to know when a referral to early intervention services may be warranted. Many children do not receive a diagnosis of developmental delay until they reach elementary school. Hopefully this post will help caregivers to catch and refer those children that have true developmental delays to the early intervention specialists available in every state.
The Difference between Immaturity and Developmental Delay
In many of my previous posts I have touched on the difference between immaturity and true developmental delay. I have also written extensively on the upsurge of immaturity in children in the past few years. When children walk through our doors, many times they arrive far behind their peers that have had quality early childhood experiences. Some of these children have true developmental delays, which seem to also be on the uptick in the last few years. Many of the children are simply immature and have not had enough quality childhood experiences to have reached the same level of development as those children that have had such experiences. Quality of experience makes a huge difference in children. Changes in our society over the last couple of decades have stripped away many early childhood experiences that we as the older generation took for granted. The reduction of playtime outside along with too much television time or other technology and immature or misguided parenting styles has nearly crippled our young children's development. Until the last 5 to 10 years the effects have been gradual. However, in the last 5 years the effects have been compounding annually. Many on the front lines of the early childhood community are seeing these changes and have been seeing them for years. Now the elementary school teachers are truly beginning to see this compounding effect and are struggling with meeting new stricter standards in education. However, this post is not on immaturity, but on developmental delays. If you want more information, refer to my post on immature children.
How Do You Tell the Difference?
How do you tell the difference between immaturity and true developmental delays? When children walk through the door, there will be no difference. Only time will show whether the child has a true developmental delay or simply needs quality experiences. At one time early childhood interventionists would tell you that the amount of delay at the onset was a good indication of delay. However, that is no longer true. Some children now walk through the door a year or more behind their peers without actually having a true developmental delay. The difference lies in how the child responds to quality experiences. If the child begins to blossom at an amazing rate when exposed to quality experiences, that child simply had immaturity issues. If a child continues to lag behind their peers at about the same rate as when they arrived or actually widens the gap, then that child has a true developmental delay and is in need of early intervention services. If you do not know how to contact the early childhood intervention system in your area, simply log onto your state's website and search for early intervention or disability services for children. Early intervention falls under Part C of IDEA.
Once you have had the early intervention specialist test a child and have established that a true developmental delay exists, the services for that child will begin. However, most of these services are only once per week or so. You as the main caregiver will still have a large part to play in that child's development. In my facility I have cared for children who have fallen on the autistic spectrum at various stages. The information that I am about to share comes from my experiences with these children and covers the common issues that I faced.
A Calm Environment
The first and probably most important factor that you as the caregiver can manipulate involves a calm environment. Most children with developmental delays and especially those on the autistic spectrum have problems with being overstimulated. When these children get overstimulated they will shutdown or have outburst issues. Either way, you will have serious problems. The ones that shutdown may crawl into the fetal position and mumble to themselves. Sometimes they crawl into the fetal position and scream the same phrase over and over. The ones that go the opposite direction may all of a sudden become violent or completely out of control. Once the escalation starts, whichever way it goes, it is very hard to return that child to a calm demeanor. The best solution is to avoid overstimulation at all costs. Will this possibly put a damper on some activities? Yes. If you have an activity that you know is going to get rowdy, you might want to find a way to do something else with your special needs child that is away from the chaos. Will you be able to completely avoid these episodes with your special needs child? No. This is especially true for those people in states that have a lot of regulations. A stranger in your facility can set off a special needs child just as much as chaos. When I had the children on the autistic spectrum, I had to be very upfront with the state assessors about how their presence affected that child(ren). It is impossible to have a "normal" day for assessment purposes if you have a special needs child. I have had a child fall in the floor in the fetal position and scream the same phrase over and over during lunch. I had to leave the other children who were finishing up lunch to deal with the special needs child before it really got ugly, and I was marked down heavily for it. For years I have tried to make the case that QRIS systems are not special needs friendly. Maybe one of these days, these experts will finally listen to somebody.
Routines
The next aspect I want to discuss deals with routines. All children function better when a facility has routines that they follow everyday, but children on the autistic spectrum demand routines. However, they will fight the routines when they first start. Establishing the routines with these children will not be easy. Most normally developing children will begin to pick up the routines within the first week or two. When you are dealing with a child on the autistic spectrum, you will remain in the teaching phase of a routine for months. Do not think, however, that this means the routine is not necessary. These children need structure more than most. It just takes longer to teach them anything including routines. Once you finally reach the point where that child adapts to the routines, you will find it necessary to stick to your routines without much deviation. Deviation can set off the child just like overstimulation. If you are a teacher that likes to keep things random and varied, you might want to consider not taking on children with developmental delays. It is okay to admit that you are not equipped to handle children with serious developmental delays. These children can be challenging, and inclusion can be a double-edged sword for everyone involved. Being upfront about your abilities to include these children is much better than taking on a situation that becomes disastrous for everyone involved.
The Challenges of Instruction
Finally, I want to cover the challenges of instruction. As I stated before, it takes longer to teach these children most subjects. However, sometimes they will pick up something quickly only to struggle with a slight variation for months. What they struggle with can be so random. They might learn two colors and then struggle with the other colors until kindergarten. I had one child that took two years to learn her colors, but learned her shapes in two months. They can also be what I call "Borg" children. In the Star Trek movies, the Borg adapted to everything that was thrown at them. These children can be the same way. Sometimes what worked yesterday will not work today. These children have helped me develop more teaching strategies than any of the others because I was constantly having to adapt. This proved true with routines as well as academic subjects. The trick is consistency, flexibility, and tons of patience. Be consistent in what you do, but flexible in how you do it. Also, be patient with yourself. Teaching children on the autistic spectrum can be rewarding, but it is also physically and emotionally draining. Give yourself breaks and pull in as much help as you can find. Learn as much as you can from the early interventionists that come into your facility. Most of all, be realistic in what you are equipped to handle. I took on one child that I never should have attempted and about caused myself and all my staff to have a nervous breakdown. I had to finally step back and see that the situation had become toxic for everyone involved. That was not healthy for the special needs child or any of the other children not to mention my staff. Admitting your weaknesses is not the same as admitting defeat. That is being wise.
I hope you have enjoyed this post. Goodbye and God bless!! Check out Natalie's children's books at: https://www.amazon.com/author/nataliewade7457
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