Follow Me
Most youngsters, with or without autism, just naturally follow along with their family or classmates or play mates, automatically tagging along when the group moves from here to there. For a variety of reasons, some kids with autism do not pick up on that social cue and spontaneously follow others. Sometimes a creative strategy is required to teach the youngster to follow the crowd without constant nagging.
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For example, one of my little friends is a sharp youngster, but will literally just stand in one spot unless a teacher takes her hand in the cafeteria at school or her parents take her hand in a store or parking lot. This friendly youngster enjoys chatting with her friends, and she loves looking at birds, people, or cars passing by, but she does not seem to notice other people moving in groups from one place to another.
For several years, her teachers and family members have patiently implemented several different strategies with combinations of a short verbal direction, photo cue cards, and a transition object for her to hold. Verbal prompts, visual schedules, and other cues work well for some youngsters with autism, but they do not motivate this youngster to follow the crowd. Stickers, books, food, toys, and other rewards have not motivated her to pick up on that social cue, noticing that others are moving along and realizing she needs to follow.
Her family has finally found a strategy that works. When an adult walks several feet in front of this first grader with their hand extending back toward her but slightly out of reach, she follows along. Verbal instructions like “pay attention” or “you need to come along with us” only complicate the process. For whatever reason, the extended hand captures her attention when other cues did not. Hopefully, her teachers will be able to use this visual “Follow Me” cue successfully when school starts so this youngster will be able to keep up with her classmates when the group moves from one place to another during the school day.
TIP FOR THE DAY: This situation is just one of many examples of the fact that developing effective strategies to address different challenging issues in autism requires patient trial and error. Standard, cookie cutter solutions for teaching her to pick up on this social cue simply did not work for this little girl, but everyone kept experimenting until the discovery of the simple but effective “follow me” strategy.
NOTE TO READERS AND LISTENERS: I am Cathy Knoll, a board certified music therapist and long-time friend of many folks with autism. At FAQautism.com we are committed to providing free, practical, everyday tips for making life better for people with autism. Feel free to send me a confidential email at talk@FAQautism.com with your thoughts or challenging situations or innovative solution. And don’t forget to check out our website for a wealth of ideas and a glimpse into the world of autism. http://FAQautism.com
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