Childsplay Web as d 2

7/28/2019 Childsplay Web as d 2

1/10


2/10

How do I know whether my child hascoordination difficulties?Your child may display some or all of the following:

poor balance eg tripping over their feet bumping into objects more accidents tiring easily difficulty linking movements into a sequence or more

complicated activity avoiding physical activities lack of motivation difficulty learning new physical tasks slowness in performing and finishing tasks

A developmental and motor assessment by a paediatricphysiotherapist can identify your childs movement and physicalchallenges.

What can I do to assist my childs coordination?You can help your child to learn and practise the movements andmotor skills which challenge him or her. For children with an AutismSpectrum Disorder, it is essential to determine the most effective wayof learning; movement is often learnt through sight/visual methods(see below).

Learning Movement

We all learn using our senses of sight, hearing, touch (combiningtouch, and the feeling of movement), taste and smell. In movementlearning, the main sources of information that our brains use are

visual (observation of someone else or ourselves moving), auditory (listening to a verbal instruction describing how to

move) kinaesthetic (feeling what our body feels like when it moves or

when someone moves our body for us)


3/10

To help your child to learn motor skills and movement components, itis important to use all of these senses. Children learn best if theypractise frequently, for short periods, rather than in one big chunk ofactivity.

Visual/sight learning assistance:

demonstrate to your child a specific movement or activity have another child demonstrate the movement or activity reinforce your demonstration with the instruction to copy me

or do the same as me use picture cards or videos/DVDs of people doing the

movement/skill you are trying to teach use picture cards which break down the movement or activity

into its component parts. Place the cards in a row in the correctorder to complete the correct movement sequence

Auditory/hearing learning assistance:

minimise the use of verbal instructions, especially for childrenwith an Autism Spectrum Disorder

be in a quiet area

use clear, simple instructions avoid instructions with lots of steps keep your childs attention by varying the volume of your voice

Kinaesthetic/physical learning assistance:

use your hands to guide your childs arm/leg/body movements be precise - if you move your childs body/arms/legs in an

awkward movement pattern, that is the movement they will

learn some children with an Autism Spectrum Disorder can be

exaggerated in their reaction to your hands-on guidance. Theymay seek out your touch or they may not like the sensation andavoid your physical assistance. If their reaction to the sensoryinput of your guidance distracts them from their learning, focuson visual learning strategies instead


4/10

Practising Movement

provide repeated experiences of the movements andappropriate skills to help your child learn ie PRACTICE makes

perfect your child will need more time than most of their peers to learn

a skill they will need many repetitions to fine-tune. Practise for short

periods of time, frequently break down a skill or activity into much smaller parts. Use

picture cards which show the movement parts in the correctsequence. Have your child practise the parts separately, thengradually link the parts together, in sequence until the wholeskill is achieved

Which activities and movements should I teachand practise with my child to help them themost?The key things to remember in any physical activity for your child are:

make sure it is fun make sure it is achievable for your child make sure it is not too easy select a variety of activities do little bits and often for a child with an Autism Spectrum Disorder, work out the best

way they learn. Tailor the way you teach to the way your childbest learns. Try visual teaching methods first.

A paediatric physiotherapist can advise you on the most effective

activities and teaching methods to meet the individual needs of yourchild. This is particularly important with regard to your childsflexibility. Determining whether your child needs muscle stretches isimportant in the development of quality movement. The followingactivities are examplesof a range of land and aquatic/water basedactivities which may help you to assist your childs coordination.


5/10

Shoulder/arm exercises for a child with AutismSpectrum Disorder:On land:

Strength: push ups

Endurance: wheelbarrows

Coordination: climbing

In water:Strength: pull-ups on barbellEndurance: dogpaddleCoordination: monkeys, freestyle, backstroke


6/10

Leg exercises for a child with Autism SpectrumDisorder:On land:

Strength: squat jump froma raised surface

Endurance: repeatedjumping/hopping

Flexibility (muscle length & joint movement): muscle stretches may be required: hip flexors,

hamstrings, calves stabilising activities may be indicated: standing on 1 leg

Coordination: climbing

In water:Strength: rockets

Endurance: kicking on stomach, on back, on stepsFlexibility (muscle length & joint movement):

muscle stretches are often required: hip flexors,hamstrings, calves using mat, steps, wall to assist

stabilising activities maybe indicated: standing on 1 withor without extra turbulence

Coordination: monkeys, walking along a line, swim strokes


7/10

Trunk/core exercises for a child with AutismSpectrum Disorder:On land:

Strength: sit ups

Endurance: push-me-over

Flexibility (muscle length & joint movement): muscle stretches are

generally not indicated stabilising activities are

often required: sitting orkneeling on a scooterboard and propellingalong using arms and/orlegs

Coordination: walking along a balance beam

In water:Strength: sitting on steps or on floating mat, kicking using bothlegs at same timeEndurance: kicking (without flippers for children with an AutismSpectrum Disorder, often they do not like the feel of theflippers on their feetFlexibility (muscle length & joint movement):

muscle stretches are generally not indicated stabilising activities are indicated: sitting or kneeling on a

floating mat and propelling along using arms and/or legsCoordination: all swim strokes, dolphin kick, maintainingsitting/kneeling balance on a floating mat


8/10

Suggested motor skill activities for a child withan Autism Spectrum Disorder:There are two main things to remember:

1. how you can simplify the activity for your child - break theactivity down into its component parts

2. how best to teach your child to in order to cater to his/hereasiest way of learning

On land: jumping:

o bend knees

o take-off at same timeo straighten legs in airo feet touch-down at same timeo knees bend on landing to absorb shock

running catching throwing kicking hopping riding a bike t-ball


9/10

Suggested aquatic activities for a child with anAutism Spectrum Disorder:In water:

learning breath control learning to enjoy the feeling of water and the feeling of ones

body in water floating kicking swimming

o dogpaddleo freestyleo backstroke

o breaststrokeo butterfly

o survival backstrokeThe development of any childs swimming skills depends on theirexperiences, their exposure to water and the quality of the instructionthey receive and this is no different for a child with an AutismSpectrum Disorder.

For your childs safety and their motor skill development in the water(ie theirswimming skilldevelopment), professional swim instructionby specialist qualified swim instructors (who have training andknowledge in the physical and learning challenges faced bychildren with an Autism Spectrum Disorder) is stronglyrecommended.

There are no age-specific milestones with swimming. Each swimmingskill is learned in sequence, starting with the development of basicwater confidence activities, floating and progressing to thecompetitive swim strokes.


10/10

My child has an Autism Spectrum Disorder. Howcan swimming and aquatic activities help mychilds motor skills on land?The aquatic environment provides a way of assisting your childsmotor skill development because:

it is FUN

it provides scope for a huge variety of activities

your child wont realise they are doing activities to assisttheir gross motor skills

working with both the support of the water and itsresistance, your child works physically harder, and can dothis for longer without tiring. As they tire, their bodies aresupported by the water, enabling them to practise forlonger

in order for your child to stay steady and stable in thewater, they HAVE to use their core/trunk muscles. Thishelps them learn one of the core elements of movement

development. All of the swimming strokes and kicking areexcellent activities for developing core stability

just by being in the water environment, your childs bodyhas continuous sensory pressure on its surface. This kindof sensory input assists your child in knowing where theirbody, arms and legs are in space - it helps their bodyawareness. Many children with an Autism SpectrumDisorder enjoy the feel and the physical support that the

water provides.

Childsplay Web as d 2

Documents

Transcript of Childsplay Web as d 2