About Me

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Orem, Utah, United States
My name is Annie Campbell and 9 years ago my son was diagnosed with Autism. Over the years of treatments, therapies and schools (with my son) I have learned countless techniques for dealing with children with special needs. Through my experience in primary, I have come up with some specific tips to create a happy atmosphere in church.
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Monday, December 6, 2010

Our differences are what make us special

It's important to remember that each child, even though diagnosed with ASD, is different. As the teacher, you need to figure out what motivates and interests them. I have several friends that all have children with Autism and there are not two that are the same. Their interests and quirks vary widely. My son LOVES girls and legos and drawing. He tries very hard but has difficulties grasping some subjects and then gets frustrated easily. For him we try to work off his drive to succeed. He has a chart with common words like: Jesus, Heavenly Father, love, baptism, family, church, etc. When he hears one of the words on his chart he puts an X by it and after church we count up the X's. For every 10, he gets a bag of treats. The bags could be skittles, goldfish, crayons, etc.

Good luck and get creative with your calling!

3 comments:

  1. This is a great idea Annie! Thanks for sharing!

    Libby

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  2. I had Brandon and Nathan do this on Sunday, it didn't catch on like I wanted, but I think we will try it again soon!

    It is a GREAT tip!

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  3. Crystal,
    The point is to turn listening into a game so you could try gearing it into something that fits them better. Maybe try to guess how many times a word will be said and then count just that word. Whoever gets closest gets a prize.

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