The Story behind the Book: Entienda el desafío del -NO- en los ninños con autismo (McNeil)

 

From the author -- 

The story behind Entienda el desafío del -NO- en los niños con autismo

Entienda el desafío del -NO- en los ninños con autismo is the Spanish translated version of

Understanding the Challenge of, “No” for Children with Autism.

The author Colette McNeil was inspired to write Understanding the Challenge of, “No” for

Children with Autism in the hopes of sharing information on how making purposeful choices

when speaking to children with autism can improve understanding and cooperation.

In her 30 years of working with autistic children, the author has noticed that the assistance

provided to parents, care givers and education staff has mostly been delivered through a series

of explicit strategies to address specific instances of need. The collection of a bag full of tricks

or “tool bag,” is encouraged. For example, if we want a child to learn to request a snack item

we teach the specific phrase “I want cookie please.” Then if we want the child to follow a

direction to wash their hands we teach the specific phrase “Wash Hands.” The guiding adults

learn these phrases as independent tools without understanding why that phrase works. This

leaves many guardians constantly asking, “well what do I say in this situation or that situation,

and what if this or that?”

Ms. McNeil’s hope is to help explain the underlying concept behind why certain phrases are

chosen. This provides a stronger base of knowledge that can be more easily applied across

multiple situations. For example, understanding that children with autism can comprehend

statements that say what “to do” instead of what “not to do” will help the adult develop a habit

of speaking that allows for clarity in all environments and circumstances. For instance, in our

hand washing example, instead of speaking a confusing message such as, “don’t eat your

sandwich with dirty hands,” we simply say what the expectation is, “wash hands.”

Ms. McNeil’s interest in sharing information that will expand the knowledge and perspective of

caring adults is driven by a deeper interest to develop confidence and optimism within autistic

children. When communication is improved all parties benefit from increased positivity and

enhanced relationships.

For more posts about Colette McNeil and her books, click HERE.

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