The True Classroom

“The world is the true classroom. The most rewarding and important type of learning is through experience, seeing something with our own eyes.”

– Jack Hanna

From our Pryor Consulting family to yours, we want to wish you a Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays!

RDI Outside of the Home

our favorite holiday activities - week 4

SPREADING CHRISTMAS CHEER THROUGH RDI

This week we are encouraging you to do some RDI outside of the home to spread some Christmas cheer to those around you. Here are some ideas:

- Christmas Caroling: You could visit family members, neighbors, or a local rest home to sing together. Make sure to have a big enough group to ensure that both you and your child will be comfortable standing and singing together.

- Take a gift to someone: You could take a gift to a family member, neighbor, or friend, and visit them at their home. Encourage your child to sit by you on the couch as you visit together.

- Visit a loved one: Christmas is the perfect time of year to spend time with those you love. Take your children to visit someone who is dear to your heart and allow them the chance to meet him/her.

- Find Christmas Lights: Take your child on a drive to find local Christmas lights, or downtown to Temple Square to walk around and look at the lights. Use this opportunity to share the experience with your child and enjoy spending time together.

Please remember that suggested activity ideas cater to different children with varying RDI needs. Choose which activity fits your child and your family situation, and then adapt the activity specifically for your own child. We would love to hear how the activity went for your family!

Approaching the Season Differently

 Most all of us use Christmas as an excuse to have a break from "normal life" and be able to socialize, spend time with family, and enjoy traditions that we grew up with. Jodi Tucker, a RDI Certified Consultant, wrote a wonderful article on how we can view this Christmas different. She discussed some of the difficulties with Autism during the holidays, and how we, as parents, can alter our mindset to help our children at this time of year.

Click here read Jodi Tucker's article "Approaching the Season Differently" on RDI Connect

Wrapping Christmas Presents

our favorite holiday activities - week 3

WRAPPING CHRISTMAS GIFTS

Have you finished your Christmas wrapping yet? If you have family or neighbor gifts that need to be wrapped, it is a great opportunity to get your child involved!

Here are some different ideas on how to get your child involved:
- Have all of the presents out (preferably in boxes or simple shapes to start with) with the wrapping stuff set out that you are going to use. Before asking your child to come over, cut the paper to the appropriate size for each present and have pieces of tape ripped or cut beforehand. Ask your child to come over and help you, and designate their specific "job" to be in charge of taking a piece of the prepared tape and putting it on the wrapping present after you have folded it and are holding it ready.

- Have all of the presents and wrapping stuff out before bringing your child over. Ask your child to come over and help you, and walk through each step with them using problem solving to figure out how to wrap each present. Add in challenges by wrapping presents that are different sizes and shapes.

Invite your child to be involved in your Christmas preparations. Please ask us if you need any help coming up with ideas or are having a hard time involving your child!

Please remember that each different activity idea caters to different children with varying RDI needs. Choose which activity fits your child and your family situation, and then adapt the activity specifically for your own child. We would love to hear how the activity went for your family!

Communicating with Extended Family

As the holidays quickly approach, it often means that there will be more time spent with extended family. Having a child with ASD can be difficult during the holidays. We find that often that holidays can be:

- Disappointing (different from anticipated)

- A time to be judged (often observed by those around)

- Isolated/hard to go to events

- High feelings of incompetence

- Anxiety (for either parents or children - or both)

RDI Connect published a wonderful article with 4 tips of advice to help ease these feelings:

1. Thank your supporters

2. Remember that advice comes from a place of love

3. Make your requests for help specific and realistic

4. Remember that you don't need to justify your choices

To read the entire article by Annie Denning Hille and Vicki Parnell, click here

Decorating Christmas Cookies

 our favorite holiday activities - week 2

**With each RDI family working towards their own RDI goals, remember that there are a TON of different ways to do each activity that can specifically help you work towards your own goal for your child. Please let us know if you have any questions of how to adapt any of these activities to fit your own child!

 DECORATING CHRISTMAS COOKIES

Do you enjoy baking? If not, just head over to the store and buy some unfrosted sugar cookies, a couple tubs of frosting, some sprinkles, and some Christmas candy.

Below are some ideas of how to make decorating Christmas cookies into a RDI activity. REMEMBER that every child has different abilities and needs, so here are several ideas of different ways to do this activity. Find which way would work best to your child and adapt it to fit your at home situation.

- Have the already prepared cookies out on the table as well as a tub of frosting and a can of sprinkles. Bring your child over and hand them the can of sprinkles to be their "job" (when buying sprinkles, make sure to get the bottle that lets out the sprinkles VERY slowly. Often times it comes in the bigger colorful sprinkles from the grocery store). Work together to decorate the cookies by having your "job" be to frost the cookie and then set it down on a plate and have your child put the sprinkles on. Remember that your child will most likely NOT do this job perfect. Some cookies may have very little sprinkles, and other cookies may be completely covered. That is just fine. Remember that this activity is to work together and help your child feel valuable in the activity.

- Before you tell your child about the activity that you will be doing, have the cookies made, frosting out on the table, and any additional supplies out on the table. Have a few cookies already frosted and then bring your child over to help you decorate the top of the cookie. There are a couple of different ways to decorate the top - you could share the same cookie and each choose something to put on it, or you could both have your own cookie and decorate them side-by-side.

- Have the cookies made and all of the supplies layed out on the table. Bring your child over to help decorate the cookies with you side-by-side. Doing it this way, you chose how you want your cookie to look, and allow your child to choose how they want their cookie (even if it is COVERED in sprinkles and candy).

After decorating the cookies, sit down at the table with your child and a glass of milk to enjoy the cookies together!

Please remember that each of the three different activity ideas cater to different children with varying RDI needs. Choose which activity fits your child and your family situation, and then adapt the activity specifically for your own child. We would love to hear how the activity went for your family!

Productive Uncertainty

Have you heard your consultant use the phrase "productive uncertainty" before? What does that mean? RDI Consultant Sue Simmons described it, "Consider the term productive, which insinuates that what we’re referring to is inherently positive. Then couple this with the word uncertainty – some kind of unknown. Ultimately, productive uncertainty refers to a situation in which an individual must resolve some kind of cognitive challenge. In order to be productive, it needs to be appropriate for the child; not anxiety producing, but not meaningless either."

Using productive uncertainty, we are able to put our child in a situation where they have to pause, and rethink the situation. This is how we are able to help our children learn how to problem solve.

For more information on productive uncertainty and how to teach our children how to problem solve, click here to read the rest of the article by Sue Simmons' article on RDI Connect.

Setting Up the Christmas Tree

Can you believe that it is the first week of December already? It is time to start thinking about this upcoming Christmas season!

This Christmas season is a great time to be thinking about your own family, and how you can incorporate RDI into your own holiday traditions. Each week this month we are going to introduce a new family activity that can create wonderful RDI moments around your house and community. With each RDI family working towards their own RDI goals, remember that there are a TON of different ways to do each activity that can specifically help you work towards your own goal for your child. Please let us know if you have any questions of how to adapt any of these activities to fit your own child!

our favorite holiday activities - week 1

SETTING UP THE CHRISTMAS TREE 

There are so many different ways that you can make this into a family RDI activity by working together.. How are you going to do it this year? Here are a few of our ideas:

 - If you enjoy a "real" Christmas tree, have your child help you pick out which tree you are going to buy. This can be a great way to model/teach problem solving to your child. Verbally walk your child through your thoughts as you are looking at the different trees. "This tree looks a little too tall for our family room." "Oh, I love how full this tree looks with all of the branches. I wonder if it would fit in the corner next to our couch?"

-  When your tree is all set up, bring your child over to help you string the lights. If you have a tall tree, it might be helpful for you to have the top of the tree already strung as a model for your child to see. This may require a lot of time and patience, but what a great way for both you and your child to work together doing a hard task. Before you string the lights, make sure to plug the strand in to make sure they work. It can be a fun experience to string the lights on together and then share the moment of joy that comes when you plug the lights in afterward and are able to see the entire tree lit up!

- After the tree is all set up with the lights on, bring your child over to help you place the decorations on the tree. Depending on the abilities of your child, you could hand each ornament to your child and let them place them on the tree, assign your child a specific type of ornament to do as their "job" while you do another type, or assign each child a specific area of the tree to decorate. During this activity it is very important to remember that it isn't about making your Christmas tree look "perfect," it is about spending time together as a family and helping your child feel valued. If you fix or redo the ornaments that your child places on the tree, you are taking away their ability to make decisions.

Please remember that each of the three different activity ideas cater to different children with varying RDI needs. Choose which activity fits your child and your family situation, and then adapt the activity specifically for your own child. We would love to hear how the activity went for your family!

Thanksgiving Day!

On this Thanksgiving, we are most thankful for all of the wonderful families that we are able to work with. We have been able to build up a great network throughout several different states, and we hope that we can continue to grow and be able to help the Autism Community. From our Pryor Consulting family to yours, we want to wish you a Happy Thanksgiving! We hope you are all enjoying your holiday today!

November Newsletter

DO YOU RECEIVE OUR MONTHLY NEWSLETTER? During the last week of every month, we send out a monthly newsletter that has some great information about RDI and how it can help your family. Here is an article from our November edition:

 Opportunities

November and December are times of giving, filled with wonderful and unique events.  During this time of year we tend to focus on giving thanks, gifts, time and attention to those around us.  This year we encourage you to give something a little different to your children, something with lasting value and unlimited potential.  This year we encourage you to give your children OPPORTUNITY.

Opportunity allows children to not only experience joy during the holidays, it allows them to experience growth and a feeling of accomplishment.  Often we work tirelessly in an attempt to create the Perfect Holiday Experience.  Our drive for holiday perfection is often based on wanting our children to have cherished memories.  However, when we think about our own cherished memories, they are rarely tied to perfection!  We are much more likely to cherish the memory of the figgy pudding catching on fire than the dozens of times it turned out perfectly.  By overcoming our desire for creating perfection, our minds are freed up to allow our children to take on a greater role during the holidays.

By giving our children the opportunity to experience something new, or take on a greater role in important family traditions, we allow them to build memories and develop skills that cannot be created in any other way.  In my extensive research I have yet to find any definitive declaration regarding the requirements for official turkey carver, or Christmas light stringer, or tree coordinator, or present wrapper.  Consider the many festive assignments you will be taking on over the next several weeks.  Are there any tasks that your children can adopt a greater role in?  Children love the holiday season.  Allow them to grow and develop this year by giving OPPORTUNITY.

If you are interested in receiving our monthly newsletter, email eric@pryorconsulting.net

Charter School Openings

Are you happy with your child's school? As a company, we have the opportunity to work with many public, private, and charter schools. We have met many amazing teachers and school staffs throughout the years.

Early Light Academy, a public charter school that we have worked with, is expanding from 750 students K-9 to 1000 students for this upcoming 2015-2016 school year. We have had many positive encounters with this school and they have been very workable with parents and the needs of their children on the Autism Spectrum. If you are looking for a new school for your child, this is a great opportunity to become accepted at a wonderful public charter school. Early Light Academy is usually a difficult school get into due to the many applicants and competitive lottery, but this may be a great opportunity to become accepted. The first enrollment period is from Monday, January 5th - Friday, January 30th.

Early Light Academy

11709 S. Vadania Drive
South Jordan, UT 84095

 For more information about Early Light Academy and how to enroll, check out their website below:

http://www.earlylightacademy.org/Enrollment.html

Memory: Part 4

This excerpt is from RDI Consultant Linda Murphy in her 4-part series on Episodic Memory, taken from RDI Connect:


"As children form relationships with their peers, they use their episodic memory to create stories of developing friendships as well as narratives of themselves as desirable play partners. This is a process that unfolds over time as children have repeated opportunities to play with others in increasingly dynamic situations. Early on in peer interactions, all children are concerned with the immediate gratification that comes from events such as going first, playing what they want to play, winning a game and using a toy when they want to use it. However, as children get practice in the realm of peer dynamics, they come to observe unwritten rules and subtle yet ever present patterns:

* Sometimes I win, sometimes my friend wins.

* Sometimes I go first, but sometimes my friend does.

* Sometimes we play what I want to play, but sometimes we play what my friend wants to play.

* I can use a toy that I want to use, but it is also important to take turns and share.

Parents and teachers help to teach these lessons both directly and indirectly and over time, children come to trust that even though they did not get to go first this time, they will probably get to go first another time. Or even though their game was not chosen this time, it will most likely be chosen in the near future."

How does your child do with this? Click here to read the entire article.

Thanksgiving Preparations

Have you figured out your Thanksgiving plans for next week yet? As you finalize your plans of what you are cooking for dinner, who you are gathering together with, and where your celebrations will take place, we encourage you to remember the importance of this holiday, family.

Holidays often become a stressful time as there are many things to figure out and prepare for our family gatherings. This year, we encourage you to find a way to include your children in these preparations, and also to lower your own stress.


4 WAYS TO HELP AVOID STRESS
WHEN INVOLVING YOUR CHILDREN:

1. Start early - Involving your children almost always takes longer than if you were to do the task alone. Adding extra helpers can definitely make your job harder, so make sure to start early to allow for extra time without adding the stress.

2. Plan out each family member's role in the activity - Before involving your child, make sure that you plan out the "job" that he/she will have. Make it specific so that your child will understand what their role in the activity is, and what your role is. Also, make sure that he/she will feel valued and feel like they are contributing to the activity.

3. Have no expectations - When choosing an activity for your child to help with, make sure that it is something that can't easily be messed up. If he/she is helping you cook, make sure that they aren't in a situation where the recipe has to be followed exactly to "work." It is always helpful to add room for error, so that if it does occur, it doesn't add stress.

4. Enjoy your time - As you are spending time with your child, make sure that you are in a good mindset. What do we mean by this? If you feel rushed or stress, your child will be able to tell and it might rattle them as well. Do your very best to make sure that you are enjoying spending time with your child. Remember, your job is to create an environment where memories can be made!

So now the most important thing to figure out is how you are going to get your child involved!

Could your child...

- help you carry in the groceries from the car?

- help you set the table?

- make place cards and set them around the table?

- help with any food preparation?

- help clear the table after dinner?

- help with the dishes?

- help you come up with an activity to play after dinner?

HOW ARE YOU PLANNING ON GETTING YOUR CHILD INVOLVED?

Memory: Part 3

"Any time we are faced with a difficult situation, or if something keeps us from doing what we are planning to do, we come to a crossroads. We think: What should I do next? What are my choices? How does one option compare to another? This can include big problems, such as what to do after losing a job, but it also comes into play in the small decisions we make day-to-day. For example, when driving to work, what route do we take? If there is a traffic jam, do we take a different route? How do we decide? Or, if an item breaks, how do we decide whether to fix it or throw it away? If we decide to fix it, how do we do it? New batteries? Scotch tape? Glue? There are so many decisions we make moment to moment based on what we know about possible outcomes."

How does your child think? To read the rest of the article and how it applies to Autism, please click here to read the rest on RDI Connect.

Have you enjoyed reading this four-part series on Memory written by Linda Murphy? Please let us know if you have any additional questions about how to help your child build his/her Episodic Memory. This is a huge part in building Dynamic Intelligence.

Plain Cheeseburgers: A Personal Story

One of our Pryor Consulting families shared a PERSONAL EXPERIENCE about giving her son more responsibility and what she learned from it. As Angela stated, "Life is not perfect, so why would I make it perfect for him? It is MUCH easier to avoid meltdown and simplify things for him, but it things were always easy, he would never learn and grow."

Plain Cheeseburgers

 by: Angela

Jace loves cheeseburgers! He would eat one every day if he could, but I figure a burger once a week won’t kill him. At a recent meeting with Scott, he suggested that Jace should have more responsibility, and should order his own food. 

The first time I tried this out, we went through a drive-thru. As I usually do, I asked my kids what they wanted. As usual, Jace said that he wanted a cheeseburger, fries, a toy, and a coke. After we got the food, I handed Jace his bag. He unwrapped his cheeseburger and took a bite and yelled out, “A PICKLE!?” To his surprise, his cheeseburger was not plain as it usually is, it had everything he didn’t like and he was not happy about it at all! He began to have a mini-meltdown and told me to get him a new one. I explained to him that he asked for a cheeseburger, and that is the way cheeseburgers are made at the restaurant; the workers don’t know that he likes plain burgers. He yelled at me to wipe everything off, but I knew he was capable of doing it, so I told him that he could it he didn’t want the rest on there. He wiped it off and then ate the burger. (Food ended up all over the seats of my car, but shhhh, don’t tell my husband that part!)

The next time we went to that same restaurant, he made sure to order a plain cheeseburger. However, when we went to a different restaurant, he ordered “a cheeseburger” and once again, he had to learn the hard way. After this experience, he understood that when he goes out to eat, he needs to specify the things he doesn’t like. I’m happy to report that he hasn’t had a burger with “everything” on it since! WIN!

This experience has helped me to realize that my son is capable of learning from his mistakes. If I allow him to fail, it gives him the chance to make changes and adjustments the next time. Life is not perfect, so why would I make a perfect life for him? It is MUCH easier to avoid a meltdown and simplify things for him, but if things were always easy, he would never learn and grow. Now that I know he can learn from ordering cheeseburgers, this same concept can be applied to many other scenarios.

Life is a journey, as is my son’s progress; there is no “finish line.” Up until this point, I have always questioned and wondered when he would “get there,” but I have accepted that there will always be a new goal, a new “finish line.” If you’ve ever run a race or exercised, you know that progress can be slow, but it’s still progress, and after you run that first race, or after hit a PR (personal record) on the amount of weight you bench press or squat, you want to push yourself and run further or lift heavier. If we are truly invested in something, the journey never ends. Though at times it is tough, I am going to embrace the “now” and everything that Jace has accomplished thus far. We will still work hard to make progress and set new goals. Without growth, things will wither away. So I will be here, cheering my son on through this crazy, amazing journey called life.

Memory: Part 2

Did you enjoy the article on episodic memories from last Thursday? Last week we started talking about episodic memory and how it may effect your child. This week, we are focusing on how you can help teach your child to remember the important details about each experience they encounter throughout life. Memory is one of the five foundational principles of RDI, and is important to help your child with.


The following article is wonderful example shared by RDI Consultant Linda Murphy on RDI Connect about how to teach episodic memories:

"One of the biggest shifts that social partners need to make in order to support a child with ASD to develop and access episodic memories is in their own communication. Often times when we are trying to help children access memories, we ask a lot of questions or use imperative statements: “Who did you play with at school today?” “What did you have for snack?” “Tell Daddy what movie we saw.” It goes on and on. We try so hard to get information from kids with ASD. Sometimes we get it, sometimes we don’t, and even when we do get an answer to our question, we are not getting at what we truly want to know. Don’t we instead want to know how the child felt throughout the day? What made the child smile or laugh? About connections the child shared with their friends? We want more than a one word answer, but don’t know how to get it. One thing is clear though: imperative questions and statements do not get at the heart of what we all use memories to do: share who we are!

Because we don’t always know what a child with ASD is remembering about an event – he may remember the ceiling fan that he watched or the numbers he noticed on the outside of a house – we have to mindfully spend time helping socially meaningful memories go in. We can do this using declarative language to observe, reflect and share subjective appraisals alongside the child. We can do this by becoming generous with information. This means we are sharing and not expecting anything in return. We are moving from getting to giving so that the child can truly learn to give back.

Once we have done this – once we are sure we have spent time giving – we can engage children in specific activities that support them to share what they remember. Here is one such activity:

Share memories in partnership with the child. This means, you are collaborators in the task of weaving a story. It is important to do this within a context where you were present so that you can truly support the child to succeed. Let’s go back to our trip to Boston to illustrate this idea. As you are on that trip, offer information along the way that not only recaps what you are doing, but communicates a subjective appraisal: “Wow! I can tell you really liked riding on the T. I think Park St. is your favorite stop.” … “Oh look! There’s a line for the Swan Boats, but it isn’t that long. Let’s wait because I think it will move quickly” … “You really like pizza! We should go to the North End because that’s where the best pizza in Boston is.” While on this trip, you could also easily take snapshots with your phone or PDA, capturing moments of the child in action, moments that are socially meaningful. Once your trip is complete, you remember and recap as a team. Maybe you look at the pictures together while riding home on the T, or do it as a bedtime activity. You continue to share what you remember using components that make storytelling more interesting and fun for everyone: animated facial expressions, rich intonation, gestures and dramatic pauses. Here and there, give space for the child to chime in, or even to just communicate that they remember too. This is how sharing of memories begins.

As a team, you could later tell a family member or friend about your day. You share some memories, and pause to see if your child wants to add a related memory. Your memories are triggering the child’s, and they may add a thought when you invite them to do so. You may even scaffold an idea for the child: “We went on the T and stopped at your faaaaaavorite stop ….” Or maybe you say, “We decided to eat in the North End because….” and your child chimes in: “I love pizza!”

These kinds of memories are so much more meaningful than simply stating the details. By sharing in this way, we are teaching children to share what each detail means to them on a very personal level. We are teaching them to share who they are."

If you are interested in more information about episodic memories and how to tell if your child uses them, please feel free to contact us with any questions. Feel free to ask your RDI Consultant or email

nicole@pryorconsulting.net for any questions.

To read the entire article written by Linda Murphy on RDI Connect click here.

Neighborhood Scavenger Hunt

With winter approaching quickly, bundle up and get outside to enjoy this beautiful, chilly weather! A neighborhood scavenger hunt is the perfect family activity.

Neighborhood Scavenger Hunt List

something fuzzy

something soft

something prickly

something straight

something round

something you can recycle

4 pieces of litter

5 different types of leaves

 something crunchy to step on

something colorful

something with sharp edges

Use this list to work together with your child to find these items as you take a walk around your neighborhood. Make sure to take a bag so you can collect all of the interesting things that you find.

How can you make sure this is RDI? Add in some changes and variations! Could you add in something interesting that you find along the way that is not on your list or go out of order in finding the items on your list? These small changes will keep your child thinking. Remember, make sure that your child feels valuable during the activity and that they are doing just as much as you are to contribute.

If this list is a little tricky for your child, feel free to alter the list to your child's abilities. Make sure to make it so they will be successful, but not too easy that it takes away the challenge and thinking.

Enjoy!

The Right Kind of Memory

We often hear that children on the Autism Spectrum have a spectacular memory. How is your child's memory? The trick about memory is figuring out if your child remembers the "right things." What do we mean by "right things?" Well, for each of us, we are able to use past experiences that we have encountered to help us on new future endeavors. This is called our episodic memory.


In a four article series, RDI Consultant Linda Murphy wrote about what it means to have an EPISODIC MEMORY, and how to tell if our child does or not. For the next four Thursdays, find her article here on our blog from RDI Connect. Here is the first section:

"Imagine this: you spend the day in Boston with a friend. You take the T there, walk around Faneuil Hall, do a little shopping on Newbury Street, have lunch in the North End and visit the swan boats in the Public Garden. In that one day, the memories formed and memories used span a variety of topics. You probably remember the things that you talked about with your friend or the laughter that you shared, more than you remember any particular item that you looked at while shopping. Or you probably remember how good your meal tasted, but maybe not the other items that were listed on the menu. Maybe when you got to the swan boats there was a line and you used your memories of waiting in other lines to appraise how long you might need to wait in this line. Each of these memories is an example of episodic memory.

Episodic memory refers to one’s autobiographical memory. As we move and do things throughout our life, we are creating a story about ourselves. We use this self narrative to share our experiences with others and to negotiate new situations in the future. Without memories to pull from, the world would be a scary place; any new situation would leave us feeling lost. With episodic memory, we can enter a new situation and figure out what to do because we remember a similar situation from our past. Now imagine you took that same trip to Boston with a child who has ASD. His memories may instead be the names of the T stops you rode through, how loud the restaurant was and the anxiety he felt waiting in line to go on the swan boats because he didn’t know how long he was going to have to wait. What is meaningful moment-to-moment to a child with ASD may be different from what is meaningful to another person. Instead of forming memories that will later help with problem solving and planning, a child with ASD may be forming memories that lead to fear of the unknown. Developing episodic memory is difficult for people with autism, yet it is a critical skill needed for living an independent, happy and stress free life. It is also one of the foundations of the RDI® Program."

To read the entire article by Linda Murphey click here

October Newsletter: Growing Up

DO YOU RECEIVE OUR MONTHLY NEWSLETTER? During the last week of every month, we send out a monthly newsletter that has some great information about RDI and how it can help your family. Here is an article from our October edition:

Growing Up...

As children grow up into young adults, new concerns arise for parents and the reality of life as an adult with autism takes center stage.  Here are some thoughts from one RDI mom about her experience of raising her child with autism.  She listed a few concerns that you may be able to relate to or are about to soon face.  One major concern was her child’s future independence and what can she specifically do to foster that autonomy.  This included how can her daughter seek and maintain employment, develop lasting relationships, and navigate this complex world.

Another thought she had about her daughter for the future was the ability to be more assertive.  Can she advocate for herself, can she protect herself from wrong doings, and can she pursue her desires?  Finally, she stated that she wants her daughter to be a competent decision maker.  Can she use experiences and prior knowledge in order to make a decision that will guide her in the right direction?

These three points have one thing in common, dynamic intelligence.  Dynamic intelligence allows the child to problem solve, develop relationship tools, and the ability to navigate the ever-changing social world.  These skills don’t come naturally for children on the spectrum and take a great deal of work from the parents, but with the right guidance and support, children with autism can become productive adults.

If you are interested in receiving our monthly newsletter, please email eric@pryorconsulting.net

Family Meeting

Have you ever thought about calling a family meeting with your family as a whole? Sue Simmons, a RDI Consultant, often suggests it as one of the key elements in strengthening family relationships. This is a great way to bring the family together to work on a common goal.

Here are some goal ideas:
- Creating a sense of belonging to your children
- Hearing and validating the opinions that your children have
- Reinforce family values
- Celebrate your child's accomplishments
- Talk about the upcoming week


The most important thing to remember is to start and end your meeting positively, even if there is a touchy subject to discuss in between. Click here to read more about how to structure your meeting from Sue.

leaf collecting

Have the leaves changed colors yet in your neighborhood? It is the perfect opportunity to go out for a walk with your child! Take a bag with you and turn it into RDI time as you collect items together along your walk.


How can you make a simple walk around the neighborhood into productive RDI time?

- Collect all sorts of different leaves - different colors, shapes, and sizes, talking about each of them as you find them. Make sure that you find some and your child finds some so you are both contributing to the game. Also, point out interesting things and interesting people that you see to your child.

- Gather leaves for a project - After you have gathered your different leaves and returned home from your walk, make an art project with them using colored paper, glue, tape, markers, paint, or any other fun art supplies! This is a perfect activity to do together with your child!

AD/HD

Do you know someone with AD/HD? We are often asked questions relating to AD/HD behavior management. If you have a child with AD/HD, a tip to remember is:

Even with medication, we cannot expect a child or person to control a certain behavior. Instead of expecting them to control a behavior, it is important to teach them how to manage the behavior so that it is not effecting someone else. For example, teaching them how to fidget in a quiet way or switching to doodling instead. It still fulfills that behavior, but instead the child or person is managing the behavior.

For more information about ADHD behavior management, click here to read Dr. Steven Gutstein's article "ADHA Behavior Management: From control to regulation" on RDI Connect

The Halloween Isle: A Personal Story

Do you enjoy reading PERSONAL STORIES from our local RDI families? Becca, one of our local RDI moms wrote a great example of what she has learned from being a RDI parent and her experience with her son. Read her personal story below:

The Halloween Isle

by: Becca

            Over the past year I have learned a lot as a RDI mom, and I have watched my 5 year-old son change so much. Last year around this time I would go down the Halloween isle and make my son stand by me and look at everything. He was scared by any of the decorations that looked scary or made noise and it was hard for me to watch. I felt like I needed to “break” him of this behavior so he wouldn’t be scared anymore. In doing this, I would stand in the isle and push all of the noise buttons and make him listen to them, hoping that he would learn to like it.

            After doing RDI over this past year I have learned that I don’t need to “break” my son of scary experiences, and instead, I can create an environment where he feels more in control. I have found that if my son is given a choice, he feels much more comfortable doing anything new. I try to expose him to many new experiences and point out other children who are having fun, but then I allow him to choose if he wants to participate or not.

            Having this new mentality, walking down the Halloween isle at the store this year was completely different. When I noticed the Halloween displays out in the store, I took my son and slowly walked down the isle pointing out what I saw. Instead of pushing any of the buttons or only talking about the scary-looking decorations, I only talked about things I saw and didn’t try force anything on him. I was surprised when we were in the middle of the isle and my son paused for a minute. He then turned to me and said, “Hey mom, let’s try to push this button to see what noise it makes.” I was completely shocked.

            Having this new “RDI mentality” has helped so much in our home and I am finding that we have similar moments to that at the store more often. This summer I felt like my son was a completely different kid as he wanted to try big water-slides, play in the ocean, and build sand castles. Now I am able to look at everything in a new way. Everything last year was a huge fight, and now it is completely different.

Traveling Tips

Do you enjoy traveling but feel that can be difficult with special needs children? Autism World Magazine published a wonderful article written by RDI Consultant Maisie Soetantyo in the September edition about traveling with special needs children.

Soetantyo discusses two excellent books that she finds helpful to families - "Autism & Travel" and "A Travel Resource for Parents of Children with Special Needs" written by Jesemine Jones and Ida Keiper. These two writers were the founders of the "Starry Night Travel," a travel agency based in New York that specializes in helping parents who have special needs children plan a getaway. These books cover many areas and questions for parents to consider before and during their trips - safety, airport security, adapting to new environments.

Soetantyo covers four main areas to think about while planning a vacation:

1. Thinking Ahead

2. Getting Ready

3. The Goal Beneath the Goal

4. Travel Activities

Soetantyo also does a fabulous job walking through different scenarios and how to make RDI productive and fun while traveling.  Some of her ideas include:

- Walking

- Trying new hobbies

- Collecting momentos

- Map reading

- Packing and unpacking

Click here to read the entire article from Autism World Magazine published on RDI Connect

Gardner Villiage WitchFest

Have you ever been to Gardner Village? During the entire month of October they have witches that are out on display scattered around Gardner Village for the public to enjoy for free. This is a perfect opportunity to take your child on a "RDI field trip" that you can both enjoy.

Gardner Village

1100 West 7800 South

West Jordan, Utah

Once you're there, how do you make this experience into RDI so that it is different from any normal day outing? Here are two ways to assure a productive experience:

1. Plan ahead - As you're planning this outing, the most important thing to think about it time. Make sure that you schedule out a couple of hours free so that the time you spend together is not rushed, and you can just enjoy the moment. This will have a HUGE effect on how productive your outing will be. If your child feels rushed or that he/she is just there for a "quick look" at the witches, your overall experience will be a lot different than if you plan to calmly enjoy this experience. You may not use all of the time that you have set aside to look at witches, but think of what else you could do with your child to fill the remaining time.

2. Go with a purpose - As you're preparing for this RDI field trip with your child, have a "rough draft" plan in mind of what you think might be the most successful with your child. With your plan being a "rough draft," it will often change and that's okay.

RDI "rough draft" ideas:
- Walk around together and talk about the different things you see. Point out interesting things and interesting people that you see to your child. Also, discuss past events that may connect to what you are currently seeing. (ex: That witch looks just like Grandma did last year in her costume at our Halloween party. Grandma had on purple striped socks just like that witch does!)

- Witch scavenger hunt. Once you arrive at Gardner Village, pick up the scavenger hunt list and see if you and your child can find all of the witches together. Make this an activity of you two walking around working together.

- Walk around and take pictures with each witch. Bring a camera with you on your field trip, and take pictures with each witch. When you get home, print out the pictures, and make a book with your child to remember the fun experiences that you had together. Use colored paper, scissors, glue, tape, markers, and any other fun craft supplies.

We hope you enjoy your RDI field trip this month with your child. If you'd like to share your experience with us, we would love to hear about it!

How RDI Changed Our Lives

Do you enjoy reading personal stories of how RDI has changed people's lives? RDI Mom Sharon-Bradbrook Armit from the UK wrote a beautiful story of her family's experiences. 

Click here to read the entire story on RDI Connect

our blog has a new look!

We appreciate all of the feedback that we have received about our company Facebook page and our blog. Starting the month of October, you will find the following information posted on our blog each month:

RDI ideas for outside of the home

A personal story from one of our own Pryor Consulting families

RDI ideas for inside of the home

A thought on Autism from one of our Pryor Consulting consultants

We look forward to seeing how this information can help you and your family. Please let us know if you have any more requests or ideas of what you would like to read about!

Your Child's IEP

Is your child's IEP up for renewal this year? Do you want help making the most use out of your school time as possible? We would love to help you!

Throughout the school year, we attend many IEP meetings with parents and schools to help assure our RDI parents that their children are getting the best help possible at school. We strongly encourage you as a parent to be involved with the IEP process of your child. You have the right to help set goals and make sure that your child is working on material that you feel will most benefit your child specifically.


RDI Consultant Libby Majawski wrote an amazing article to inform parents about how to be actively involved in the IEP process of your own child. She covers many areas that are important to be informed about, and also specific requests you as a parent of a special needs child, can make to teachers and staff members to help your child at school.

Click here to read the entire article written by Libby Majawski

Perspective

Perspective

by: Scott Pryor

I have discovered that there are two types of drivers on the roads.  The first type is the speed demon, racing down the streets with reckless abandon.  The second type of driver is the slow poke, clogging the roads with their fear of the speed limit.  I am the exception to the rule as I find that I am neither a speed demon nor a slow poke.  When I travel in my car I drive at a speed that doesn’t feel too fast or too slow.  My speed is just right.

One of the problems with viewing drivers through a single viewpoint is that it fails to take into account the perspective of others.  To the speed demon I am one of the slow pokes.  To the slow pokes I am one of the speed demons.  My driving hasn’t changed, but the lens through which we look can reclassify me into either of the groups.

What does this have to do with Autism?  I find that individuals on the Autism Spectrum, as well as those of us who are not on the spectrum, can often struggle recognizing the possibility of multiple perspectives.  The fact that I dislike coconut doesn’t mean that coconut is bad any more than the fact that my wife loves coconut means that it is good.   Coconut is neither good nor bad, it’s just coconut.  It is only when we view things through the lens of other’s perspectives that we get a true sense of what they are.

As we interact with our children, it is important that we help them become aware of the different perspectives around them.  We might do this by simply spotlighting the perspective of the speed demon or the slow poke, the clean freak or the messy slob, the overly cautious or the risk-taker.  By building awareness of different perspectives we develop a truer sense of the world and events around us rather than developing our opinions of the world from a single vantage point.  And if you see me driving down the street, know that I am neither a speed demon nor a slow poke, I’m just another perspective.

How is your child with transitions?

How does your child do transitioning from one activity to another? As a parent and mentor to our child, it is often difficult to understand why transitioning from one activity to another can be so difficult for our child. In an RDI Connect Webinar, Rebecca Doolittle McFalls talks about different ways handle transitions with your children, with reference to Susan Stiffelmens book, Parenting without Power Struggles.

Here are some highlights that Rebecca covered in her Webinar taken from RDI Connect:

Why are Transitions so Hard?

Transitions are a normal part of our life and include things like doing homework,  going to the dinner table, playing in the park and getting in the car. School is just around the corner and with it comes the need for having flexible transitions. While we often take these things for granted, to a child with developmental challenges, transitions can often be difficult for these reasons:

1. The child is asked to transition too fast
2. There are too many transitions in a child’s day
3. Child has not developed the skills to understand disappointment

What can we do to make transitions easier?

Slow down: Approach our child more slowly. Move our body to where they are (come along side your child and not at them.)

Notice: Notice what they are doing, be mindful of your body and words in relation to their activity and focus.

Breathe: Breathe and reset before approaching your child, the old story does not have to repeat.You can have a new pleasant experience with this transition.

Try requesting into a yes: By human nature we are less likely to show opposition if we are already saying yes. Prime your child to say or nod yes before you ask them to do something. It will look something like this:

Wow, that is really cool, is it a bulldozer?

Child: yes

Can it pick up a lot of stuff?

Child: yes

Is it your favorite?

Child: yes, but sometimes I like the monster truck

That looks like a really fun game, come along to dinner now.

Child: Just a few more minutes

I know a few more minutes would be fun, and it is hard to stop, but we are heading to dinner now.

Child: Oh rats (but comes along)

Every time will not go exactly like this, but only a few positive transitions will help build a stronger relationship.


A few things to remember

1. Be calm, practice calming our tones and judgments
2. Be open minded, hear their words and empathize
3. Be consistent to the end.

If you have any additional questions on helping your child transition, or would like to talk more specifically about your child, please contact us.

nicole@pryorconsulting.net

New Fall Schedule

Being a couple weeks into the school year now, has life settled down a little bit for you? It is time to make a new fresh plan for RDI.


1. Scheduling - There are several questions that you should ask yourself now. What does your "new fall" schedule look like? When is the best time to engage in RDI with your child? We would advise you to take a look at your schedule now that school has started and plan out a new RDI schedule. It is important to schedule out time in your daily calender to assure that there is enough time to plan and prepare activities that will be successful with your child.

2. Activities - With the new school year starting, it is a great opportunity to "start over" and decide the best way to use your RDI time. There are many questions that you should ask yourself now. What type of activities do you enjoy doing with your child? How can you incorporate RDI into your daily schedule?

3. Family Fun - We encourage you to plan your RDI activities so that they can be enjoyable for the family as a whole. Plan activities with your child alone, but also including the rest of the family. There are so many things you can do to incorporate RDI into your family life.

If you have any questions about these three areas, please contact us. WE ARE HERE TO HELP YOU!! We would love to help you plan your schedule, come up with activities that will help your child, or fun family activities. Please let us know what we can do!

Colbie Caillat "Try"

Have you seen this music video? If you have a few minutes to spare, I would advise watching it. This video shares such a powerful message.

Click here to watch Colbie Caillat's music video "Try"

As women in our society today, we often feel like we need to be perfect and hide our "blemishes" from the world. What is that showing us? Do we need to pretend that we are something that we are not? Or is it important to accept ourselves for who we are and be happy with our natural beauty?

What are your thoughts after watching this video?

19 Activities to do with your Teenager

When choosing engagement activities with your teen, there are a few things you may want to remember:

• The focus is more about competence then fun
• Ask them to help with one immediate step of a project to get started.
• The experience sharing does not always have to include joy or laughter, but it can engage a sense of quiet pride.

Here are 19 activities you can do right away with your teenager:

• Teach them how to drive! Start out by simulated breaking in the living room.
• Basic activities like laundry, can give a sense of independence.
• Exercising together, lifting weights, hiking (slow then fast)
• Taking out the trash, sorting recycling
• Gardening, shoveling, spreading mulch, raking weeding
• Nature walks, pointing out things of mutual interests
• Washing the car
• Bicycling
• Moving furniture together.
• Make snacks together
• Learning basic housekeeping, making the bed, cleaning windows
• Mapping out bus schedules together, then take the bus to your destination.
• Buy a fish, learn about basic care, clean the tank, and assemble the filter together.
• Organizing family pictures
• Drum together in the car with your favorite music
• Go through your closets and see if there are any clothes you can donate
• Jumping waves
• walking down a path at night with one flashlight
• Writing letters to relatives,think about what would be of interest to the person you are writing to

This information is taken from RDI Connect. Click here to read more!

LOOKING FOR FEEDBACK

WE ARE LOOKING FOR FEEDBACK... Now that Labor Day has passed and summer is officially over, we are wondering how you enjoyed our summer series of family activity ideas. As many of you know, we have been sharing one new activity idea each week on our blog.

We want to know your favorite topics to read on our blog. Do you enjoy the activity ideas, personal stories from RDI families, additional RDI information to read, or inspirational messages? Please share your opinion with us, we would LOVE to hear it!

Please comment below.

10 Simple Activity Ideas

Are you looking for some new activity ideas?

10 Simple Activity ideas

1. Take turns placing toppings on homemade pizza.
2. Put loose photos in a photo album – take turns sharing thoughts about the pictures.
3. Refill the salt and pepper shakers using a mini funnel.
4. Sort the pens and pencils in your “junk drawer” (of course you have one )
5. Put on some rubber gloves and play CSI, searching for “hidden treasures” under the cushions of your couches.
6. Have your child empty pockets of pants en route to the washer (who keeps the change?)
7. Have your child help you pump gas.
8. Making hard boiled eggs? Show your son or daughter a trick. Watch how hard boiled eggs spin faster than regular eggs! Mark hard boiled eggs with a marker or pencil.
9. Wash sponges and dish cloths in the sink together. (keep those rubber gloves handy).
10. Build a structure with toothpicks and marshmallows (or clay).
11. Fill up your pets’ water bowls with a watering can.

This information is taken from RDI Consultant Sue Simmons from Equinox Family Consulting. 

Click here to read more of Sue Simmons ideas

Summer Bubbles

Do you feel like life is busy and it can be hard to find time to fit RDI into your schedule?  Well, you are definitely alone. We all have many things going on and sometimes it feels like our weeks just fly by.

Michelle, a local RDI mom, wrote about her summer goal of putting a "bubble" around her family time so nothing could replace it. She shared her experience with us and how it helped allow for more time for RDI and also just having fun as a family.

Summer Bubbles

by: Michelle

            I like bubbles. We have several battery-operated contraptions that fill the air with big bubbles, tiny bubbles, and every size of bubble in between. I love it when the wind catches those playful, iridescent spheres and sends them, and the kids, chasing over fences and rooftops. When our consultant asked us to make an effort to wrap bubbles around our summer plans, whether large or small, and decide ahead of time what we wanted to ultimately get out of those experiences, we had no idea the world that would open up to us.

            We thought about what those bubbles would look like and applied the things we knew about the real thing; they move freely with their environment, while their protective skin is enough to keep what is on the inside from being upset by what is on the outside, it is susceptible to subtle change. We also knew that though we may have an idea of where a bubble might be going, there is always room to be surprised by where it may take you. The wonderful thing about these bubbles is they are not rigid forms with limited possibilities. Like the bubbles the kids chase, they shift, move, and even connect together. Now we needed to apply this to our summer activities.

            Stress. That is what most summer activities were like for us, no matter how simple or complex. Whether it was a couple hours of swimming or a week of camping, the planning, organizing, preparing, packing, driving, feeding, and cleaning always overwhelmed what was supposed to be fun. We needed a new perspective as we tried to balance the special needs of two of our children and still meet the needs of the rest of them, and still have a fun summer.

            Once we decided what we actually wanted to get out of an experience, it was easier to recognize distractions and give adequate time to accomplish what we wanted to accomplish. We also needed to involve the children in the planning so we would have opportunities to expand, change, and see our world from many viewpoints. We took the time to help them realize that they got to make some of the decisions. And their list was long. But it wasn’t about making a list; it was about the excitement of seeing them become part of something. And now we had a calendar full of bubbles of all sizes anticipating launch hanging on our kitchen wall.

            The first big test was a hike to a waterfall. We gave this one the whole day and packed a lunch, plenty of water, and their favorite snacks. We let the kids float along. The older boys ventured ahead. The rest were looking at rocks and trying to find the bugs making the funny noises. The three that stayed with us were tentative at first. Didn’t mom and dad want us to move along and get to the waterfall? When it became apparent that they had choices along the way, they happily took them. They climbed big rocks, looked for cactus flowers, and asked us to take a picture of everything they found. The waterfall was just a bonus. And then the magic happened. These five bubbly kids began lifting this way and that and took us on a journey climbing higher up the canyon, finding a big scary rattlesnake, and making it to the top of the waterfall, something we never intended and didn’t think our nine-year-old autistic son could or would ever do. The bubble shifted, sparkled, and gave us new experiences all along the way.

            Summer is over, but the bubbles aren’t. We just made a fall calendar that is now hanging anxiously on the kitchen wall. We don’t need a vacation from our vacation. We had an awesome summer together. Wrapping moments large and small with a focus on what we really wanted to get out of them has given us a new way of looking at life with our family.

Simple Art Lesson

RDI Connect published a simple activity idea of an art lesson that you can do with your child. Even if you are not an artist, what a great interaction it can create with your child. 

Click here to read about the sample art lesson given by Ester Tell on RDI Connect

New School Year

Does school start this week or next week for your kids? How can you involve your child in preparing for the new school year to start? Could you have them...

- be involved with school supplies shopping?

- help you lay out their clothes to wear on the first day of school?

- help you make their lunch the night before?

- pack their own backpack and put it by the door?

What are other ways that you were able to get your child involved? We love your imput!

We wish you all the best of luck starting out the new school year with your child. Please let us know if you have any questions or concerns as the school year begins. We would love to help in any way!

4 Great Tips for Having a Successful Play Date

Dr. Sheely held a Webinar about successful playdates with ASD children.

Here are the highlights from her presentation given to us by RDI Connect, 

4 Tips for Having a Successful Play Date:

1. If possible try to have the play date in a place that both children have been before.

2. Try to stay as uninvolved as possible, this is important because you want to give your child a chance to solve or at least think about the process of playing by themselves.

3. The children will disconnect, typically developing children do this as well. Disconnection is a good thing; it gives them a chance to learn. If there is a breakdown, give them a chance to solve it themselves.

4. If the play date is happening at the home, ask your child if there is a toy that they don’t want to share with anyone. Then allow them to pick out two or three toys that they do want to share.

If this is a first time play date, stay in the immediate area for safety reasons. An ideal position is to be in an area where you can silently observe without being seen.

Dr. Sheely recommends that McDonalds is it as a great play date location. You can observe the children without being obtrusive, and you can take your child there to get familiar with the setting a few times before the initial interaction.

One of the most important things to remember is to allow your child to have disconnections, and to become distracted. This is an opportunity to construct problem resolutions on their own terms.

For more information about this Webinar by Dr. Sheely, click here

Swimming and RDI: A Personal Story

Here is an incredible story written by Tammi Sumsion, one of our RDI families about her experience with her son and swimming over the past few years. It is great to see the progress of her son, thanks for sharing your story with us!

I loved the water when I was younger and I still do.  Our summer activities were always geared around doing things in the water.  When I got married I found out that my husband and his family always spent time doing water activities as well.  I knew that when we had children they would be like us, always in the water and very good at swimming.  When our older son received his diagnosis we never dreamed that being around the water would no longer be an option for us, or would it?  In my younger years I spent many years teaching swim lessons and knew how to teach people to swim, so how hard could this be?  I knew all the tricks, or so I thought, but what I didn’t know is that my son would be teaching me.  

When we started taking my son to the pool all he would do is hang onto to the edge.  If you tried to get him away from the edge he would hold so tight around your neck you couldn’t breathe.  We started to schedule regular SWIM DAYS during the week and were consistent in going on those specific days.  At first, I didn’t ask my son to do anything in the pool except to explore on his own.  We did this for several weeks, we were in the pool doing things around him so he could see us, but we left him to explore his surroundings.   

After a few weeks I started to have him come with me as we did things in the pool.  For example, I would just walk around with him in the pool or we would take the water ball and play catch with our friends.  During that time, I would talk to him about what he would see, the divers on the board or the man swimming next to us, or his brother diving for the rings.  I allowed him to just observe with me away from the pool and as I did he would start to notice things around him more often.  Once we got to that point, I would then ask him to participate in the activities we would do.  If we were throwing the water ball I would make a game of it and say, “Let’s see if we can throw the ball and hit your brother," or I would put a diving ring on my foot and hold it just below the water (just far enough that he would get his check wet) and ask for him to reach and take the ring off my foot.   

When he did take the ring or throw the ball I would make a big deal about it by splashing the water or jumping up and down, this would be enough water that would splash on his face, but not too much that it was over bearing.  The next thing we tried was to get his face in the water.  We knew his biggest hurdle was to go underwater and to put his face in the water.  I thought it might be easier for him and less threatening if he had goggles so he could see.  So we all started wearing the goggles as we did some of the activities in the water.  I let him know that he had a pair if he wanted to wear them, but never told him he had to wear them.  At first I would just wear them and let him see me put my face in the water with them on.  We started to play the game ring-around-the-rosy while wearing our goggles and instead of going all the way under on “we all fall down," we would just put our faces in the water and blow bubbles.  After several tries, he would not put on the goggles, but we were able to get him to blow the bubbles on top of the water.   

The next step to the game was to put your face in the water while blowing the bubbles.   This step took several times to the pool to master, but he did finally get his face in the water while blowing the bubbles.  After he was able to blow the bubbles with his face in the water, I decided to try taking him under the water with us.  We started out by holding him up under the armpits, counted to three and we went under, but he did not.  After trying this for a few days, I then held him close to me while he held the other person’s hand with just one hand, counted to three and then went under.  This was the start of him going under the water.   

He did not like it at first and I made sure he only went under the water once, but I would repeat the sequence with him every time we went to the pool, bubbles, face wet, and going under water, and over time he was able to go under with us several times.  I would like to mention that during this game of going under the water is when he started to wear his goggles.   

After several experiences of him going under the water, I was able to let him just hold my hand instead of me holding onto him as we went under.  From ring-around-the-rosy we helped him try to dive for rings.  We would start in the shallow end, drop the ring and hold his hand as we would guide it to the ring.  Once he could get the ring on his own, we would take him to a deeper water.  In the deeper water it was hard for him to get down to the ring, but he started to get comfortable enough with us pushing him down to the ring to retrieve it.  I found that once he was able to go under the water is when other things started to open up for him, he was more comfortable going under water himself without help, he went to the deep end to explore, and he even started to jump in on his own.  

During our pool time I always made sure he had time to explore on his own, while observing us playing in the pool and trying to introduce some activity for us to do as a group.  It has been three summers and finally he is coming to me to teach him new things, like floating on his back, or his front, wanting to learn how to swim like me, or making bubble rings under water.  It was him who taught me at the beginning and now I get the chance to teach him.