Rethinking the ways we celebrate Mother’s Day
by Beth
My husband and I can’t get away this weekend to visit our son Gus in his group home in Wisconsin. Gus doesn’t understand that this Sunday is Mother’s Day, so we’ll just go the next weekend and celebrate Mother’s Day then. And as always, it will be great just to be with him.
Children with autism can find it challenging to express their feelings about Mother’s Day without guidance from a parent, teacher or caregiver. That doesn’t mean a family shouldn’t celebrate, though! Children with disabilities can mark the day in small ways that can speak volumes. Sometimes Gus signs a simple card. One year we took a scribble Gus had drawn and transformed it into a pin. This year, the three of us will probably go out to lunch together.
If you are looking for ways to celebrate Mother’s Day, a company called Rethink Autism might have an idea for you. From a press release:
In appreciation of mothers of children with autism, Rethink Autism has drawn from its library of video lessons to provide a free online video with a few tips on how to teach a child with autism to appreciate Mom by making a gift or even a meal (using a microwave).
I checked out the video myself — it’s straightforward and easy to understand. The video lessons Rethink Autism produces are consistent with Applied Behavior Analysis (ABA), a methodology we are a big fan of here at Easter Seals. So enjoy the video, and … Happy Mother’sDay!
May 10th, 2011 at 3:01 pm
We use ABA with my daughter who is DD and bipolar. Works really well for my son who is on the spectrum as well. The video was a great reminder of breaking things into manageable steps and that it doesn’t have to be complex to be meaningful to us moms 🙂 Thanks for sharing this resource and for being such a great resource as well. I’ll be sure to recommend you to my readers at the Special Parent