Perceived "Inattention" is one of the symptoms children on the autism spectrum may initially present with that leads the parent or teacher to look at a potential ADHD diagnosis, rather than an autism spectrum disorder. According to the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, ADHD criteria for inattention include: being easily distracted, having trouble sustaining attention to tasks that require sustained mental effort, and frequently being forgetful in their daily activities.
For many children on the autism spectrum, inattention is actually a result of being overly absorbed in their "own world." Autistic individuals really aren't "inattentive," from the sense of the clinical standpoint. Instead, they are so overly attentive to something else, that they are in a sense "zoning in" on their area of focus and avoiding and often becoming unaware of other stimuli. That is an AMAZING task and ability that many on the autism spectrum are capable of accomplishing. The question then, is how can parents and teachers help autistic children use that awesome power toward their school work?
I prepared myself for Bradley to struggle with reading. In fact.., I expected reading to be Bradley's most challenging subject area. After all, reading would require sustained, mental effort. However, I am ecstatic to report that I was VERY wrong about Bradley's success with reading so far. Bradley's elementary school uses a reading program called SRA. Bradley's tutor and I introduced SRA reading to Bradley over the summer. I helped him work through about 40 lessons, which didn't take as long as you would think it would... I was pleasantly surprised that Bradley has exceeded my reading expectations.
We have worked hard. Bradley seems to do well with sight words. I think he might be memorizing all of the words he is reading... To try to help Bradley with sight words I started writing his color sight words and numbers on his lunch bags. I'm not sure if Bradley enjoys reading the lunch messages as much as I enjoy preparing them, but hopefully they have helped at some level. I started simple and tried to apply what was taught in his classroom.
Yesterday I filmed Bradley completing his reading homework. This is a pretty accurate representation of Bradley's reading ability. I am so proud of the patience he has gained in taking his time to read and focusing on the work. Unfortunately the audio quality is not quite as loud as I thought it was and my 19-month old son, Max, is sitting next to me talking and "reading" too. For best results in listening to the clip, be prepared to turn up your volume and/or use head phones. I tried viewing the video embedded within the blog from my iPhone and was not able to, so if you're having trouble too you may have to view from a computer.
In the video you will seem him get a little distracted by "movie talking." Bradley watched the Will Ferrell movie, "Elf," that day (and the day before) and was thinking about a scene from the movie in his head. This happens multiple times a day with different movies, including some that we have not seen in a while. I am truly fascinated by Bradley's memory to recall the exact script including diction, pausing, and articulation. It's remarkable. Last night I overheard my husband gently questioning Bradley about his movie talk. He asked if Bradley could see the movie in his head when he movie talked. Bradley said yes. There is so much potential with that type of memory and I continue to look for a way to help Bradley use that super power for good.
What you'll also notice at the end of the video clip is Bradley walking away, on his tip toes. I notice that Bradley does more tippy toe walking when he is barefoot and on our concrete floors. When he wears heavier shoes, specifically his cowboy boots, Bradley walks flat footed. I also think there is a correlation between his excitement level and tippy toe walking. Bradley seems to tip toe walk when he is more excited or anxious when compared to when he is relaxed. This is a form of "stimming" that many other autistic individuals may display.
