We’re definitely proponents of getting your child with ASD the therapy they need (after all, that’s what we do). But the reality is, what a therapist does with your child the occasional times they are with them is NOT enough. All therapies, and especially ABA therapy, are most effective when the behaviors and life skills taught in the therapy session are also practiced at home.
そのために、家庭で子どもと一緒にできる20の活動を紹介しよう：
- コミュニティ・ヘルパー 着せ替え遊びや絵本、リトルピープルやそれに似たおもちゃを使った想像遊びを通して、さまざまなコミュニティ・ヘルパーを紹介する。それぞれのコミュニティ・ヘルパーの仕事内容や、どこで見かけるかを教え、質問に答えてあげましょう。さらにレベルアップさせるために、消防士、郵便配達員、警察官など、地域のヘルパーに子供を会わせることもできます。
- プレー日。 Set up a play date with your child’s therapist, and another child and their therapist. Have the children practice the social skills and play skills they’ve learned in therapy. You can set up this special kind of play date in a public setting, such as a playground, or in your home.
- 交代する。 お友達や兄弟姉妹と一緒に、順番の取り方に重点を置いたゲームをしましょう。他のプレーヤーは、お子さんに適切な順番の取り方の見本を見せることができます。
- 社会的グループ。 ABAセラピストに、お子さんと同じような社会的スキルを持つ仲間と一緒に社会的グループを作ることについて相談してください。ソーシャル・グループでは、セラピストが子どもたちに適切なソーシャル・スキルを教え、それをグループの他の子どもたちと練習させます。
- 表情。 人の表情を読み取ることで、その人が感じていることを見分けられるようにしましょう。いろいろな表情をした人の写真を見せたり、自分でお手本を見せたりすることでできるようになります。次の表情に移る前に、それぞれの表情に適切な名前をつけさせましょう。
- 適切な服装 Use paper dolls and a large assortment of paper clothing to teach your child about weather-appropriate clothing. You can show your child a picture of a specific season, such as a winter landscape, or just call out “winter,” and show your child how to properly dress the doll for the weather. When you have covered all types of weather, have your child dress the doll for a specific kind of weather on their own.
- 小さなシェフ。 キッチンでお手伝いをさせることで、料理の基本を学ばせましょう。調理の安全ルール、食材の量り方、大人に助けを求めるタイミング、食材を雑菌から守り安全に保存する方法などを教えてあげましょう。
- 衛生、セルフケア、身だしなみ。 洗っていない、身だしなみが整っていないように見える子供の写真と、清潔で身だしなみが整っている子供の写真を子供に見せる。子どもに、なぜこの2人の子どもはこんなに違って見えるのか聞いてみましょう。次に、適切な衛生管理、セルフケア、身だしなみについて教えましょう。1日に数回シャワーを浴びて体を洗い、歯を磨くなど、基本的なことを教えましょう。また、デオドラントを使う（年齢に応じて）、爪を切って清潔に保つ、髪を毎日ブラッシングするなど、セルフケアや身だしなみについても話してみましょう。
- 整理整頓と清掃. Purchase some fun, colorful bins for your child’s toys and various possessions, label each one clearly (using words for readers, and pictures for non-readers), and help your child organize their stuff. Have your child clean up their rooms on a regular basis using these bins.
- 雑用. Speak to your child’s ABA therapist about chores you’d like your child to do at home on a regular basis. Your child’s therapist can set up a chore system with your child, which you can implement at home. The therapist will help monitor the system and verify whether it is working or needs adjustments of any kind.
- 読書と読解. If your child knows how to read, ask their ABA therapist to practice reading during therapy sessions. In addition, you can have the therapist ask questions about the books your child reads to see if your child is following along with the book and can remember details about what they’ve read. You can do this at home too, by implementing a daily reading time for your child.
- 声の変調. Teach your child to speak and play at an appropriate volume by playing sounds for them at various volumes and asking which ones sound pleasant and appropriate for different settings. You can teach your child about “outdoor voices” and “indoor voices”, and explain that noises we make when inside have nowhere to go, and sound a lot louder than the same noises we might make outside.
- 宿題だ。 If your child has difficulty completing their homework, you can ask their ABA therapist to work on this skill with them during a therapy session. Have the therapist practice skills such as establishing a time in the child’s daily schedule for doing homework, preparing supplies the child might need for their work, and how to complete their work in a timely manner.
- 基本情報 It’s important for every child to know their phone number and home address, in case of an emergency. Share this information with your child and have them practice repeating it until they can say it easily.
- パーソナルスペース。 Some children with ASD struggle with spatial awareness and may act inappropriately around strangers, often making them uncomfortable by being in their personal space. Ask your child’s therapist about helping your child develop an awareness of personal space and practice this skill at home. Model appropriate space-sharing for your child, and have them role-play with you or by using small dolls so they can truly master this crucial skill.
Therapy is an ongoing partnership between a child’s therapist and their parents. By communicating openly with your child’s therapist and practicing skills learned in therapy at home, you’ll help your child’s therapy be more effective so that your child succeed.
However, for the parents of children with ASD, summertime can be especially challenging. The change in the child’s daily schedule, lack of a regular routine, as well as travel to unfamiliar places and spending time with extended family who may not understand autism, can all be triggering for the child.
良いニュースは、適切な計画を立てれば、お子さんと一緒に夏を楽しむことができるということです。ここでは、あなたとお子さんが落ち着いてリラックスし、最高に楽しい夏を過ごすための5つのヒントをご紹介します。
- 1日のスケジュールを立てる
学校が休みになると、子どもはどうやって時間を埋めればいいのか途方に暮れるかもしれない。自己娯楽が苦手な子供にとって、何もない日々はメルトダウンが起こるのを待っているようなものだ。
Avoid this and keep your child—and yourself—happy by creating a daily schedule for summer days. You can do this together with your child or work on it alone, being careful to fill time slots from wakeup time until bedtime. Allow for free play in small intervals throughout the day and build daily behaviors, such as brushing teeth and showering, into the schedule as well. If your child will be receiving therapy in the summer, be sure to incorporate these sessions into the schedule as well.
When your schedule is complete, hang it in a prominent place where your child can reference it as needed. You may want to hang more than one copy around the house, such as sticking one up on the fridge, and another on the wall in your child’s bedroom. If your child is too young to read, use pictures to show activities on the schedule instead of written words.
安定した日課を持つことで、子どもは夏の間のゆるいスケジュールに適応しやすくなる。
- アクティビティや旅行を計画する際、子供の能力を評価する。
Before you make any definitive summer plans, take an honest assessment of your child’s abilities and threshold of tolerance. It’s likely not a good idea to challenge that tolerance during your annual vacation or at the family reunion weekend. Instead, try to choose activities and trips that your child can easily handle. Consider hobbies and interests that your child would love to explore during the school months. Look for ways your child can build on those interests during their expanded free time in the summer. Finally, when planning activities and trips, avoid those that can cause sensory overload and upset your child.
- 旅行の準備は入念に
Day trips and longer getaways are a fixture in the American summer. As a family with a child on the autism spectrum, you know that things will be a little different for you and that a change in your child’s surroundings can be triggering. These tips can help keep things calm on trips:
- 子供に事前に準備をさせる。 子供には旅行について話し、出発前に何が起こるかを知らせておく。可能であれば、目的地の写真を見せて、新しい環境に驚かせないようにする。旅行日や数日間の休暇のスケジュールを作成し、子供が旅行中に何をすべきかを知っておくこともできます。
- 事前に旅行先に電話し、感覚的な問題への対応が可能かどうかを確認する。 Let them know you have a child with autism and share your child’s specific struggles. Some venues will agree to lower the music for a child with auditory sensitivity. Some airlines allow a child with ASD to board the plane before takeoff so they can explore their new surroundings.
- 快適さをもたらす。 お気に入りの毛布、テディベア、感覚を刺激するおもちゃなど、自宅からの小さな快適さは、お子様を幸せな旅行者にするための長い道のりを歩むことができます。
- 緊急時のバックアッププランを持つ。 旅行中の不測の事態に備えて、必ず計画を立てておくこと。時々使用する鎮静剤を持参する。迷子になったときのために、お子さんの写真を用意しておく。万が一、第一候補のお出かけ先がお子さんにとって最悪の結果になった場合に備えて、代わりのお出かけ先を考えておきましょう。
適切な計画を立てれば、家族全員で楽しい旅を楽しむことができる。
- 家族への事前の連絡
If your summer plans include visits to or from extended family members you don’t see often, it’s best to communicate with them in advance about your child’s specific needs and behaviors. For example, you can let them know your child is most comfortable seated on their own chair as opposed to squeezing together with their cousins on a bench. You can tell them that your child prefers not to be hugged or kissed and let them know that you will be bringing your own food for your child, if relevant. The more you communicate in advance, the less room you’ll leave for meltdowns and misunderstandings.
- Don’t neglect practicing academic, social and behavioral skills
School is out, but that doesn’t mean it’s time to neglect your child’s schoolwork. Make sure to build time into your daily schedule for summer homework, or for practicing schoolwork in another way, such as through an educational app or online game. Similarly, it’s important to incorporate time for any “therapy homework” your child may need to do at home, such as practicing social and behavioral skills they’ve learned in therapy.
ASDスペクトラムの子供と過ごす夏は、神経型の子供を持つ家族とは少し違って見えるかもしれないが、期待することを少し調整し、事前の計画をたくさん立てれば、家族全員で楽しい夏休みを楽しむことができる。
