Friday, January 13, 2012

The Bar

In our family, the ‘bar’ is set very carefully.  Keeping the goals separate and appropriately placed for each child is a tricky business, and I just realized my methods could stand some scrutiny.  For instance, it wasn’t until I heard a random clip of an interview with Temple Grandin that I realized we’d been neglectful in not introducing Girlie to an alarm clock.  Dr. Grandin stated that, for kids on the autism spectrum, instruction of independent living skills should start early to allow more time for repetitious teaching.

Let’s use the example of a neurotypical teen who is used to being awakened by a parent simply because the whole household gets up at the same time.  If a time comes when Mom and Dad are going on a trip, it is reasonable to think a parent could give the teen an alarm clock the day before, show him how to set it, and feel fairly certain the teen will be awakened by the alarm clock the next morning.  Would that work for a kid on the spectrum?  No; in fact, even though there are plenty of higher-functioning kids who, as older teens, are able to be on their own for a day or two, it does not happen without a lot of preparation and practice.  That’s one of the things that make it difficult for parents of kids with challenges to do anything spontaneously; without ample time to prepare and practice, a child can’t adjust to the proposed scenario.

We need to adjust the bar often; sometimes up, sometimes down.  It doesn’t really matter which way, as long our kiddos are eventually getting over the hurdle!

Here they are: my very first pair of completed socks, knitted in April of 2009.  

Knitted with KnitPicks Felici yarn in discontinued 'Gelato' colorway

These are toddler-sized; I originally set out to knit adult socks and had the first one nearly complete before tearing the whole thing out and starting over because I couldn’t live with the mistakes I’d made.  I had tried to add a bit of colorwork in the heel, so when I started over I omitted that part – lowered the bar, if you will.  I can’t even remember what happened on the second attempt, but that one was frogged, as well.  I decided it would be smart to start with Girlie-sized socks so there would be less work to do, or to undo, as the case may be, because I made a mistake on the first one.  At least I was making a different mistake and learning different lessons each time!  Finally, I decided to knit a toddler-sized pair for my granddaughter.  To get this one little pair of socks I knitted the equivalent of three complete pairs.  There was a lot of adjustment to this particular bar, but I finally cleared it!

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