[blindkid] [Bulk] Social behavior

[Deborah Kent Stein]

As others have stated, opportunities for physical activity are a great way 
to channel the energy that otherwise goes into rocking, etc.  Also, it can 
help to keep a child's hands busy during car trips and other times of 
enforced sitting.  Dr. Lilli Nielsen, the Danish educator of blind children 
who pioneered Active Learning, designed an "activity apron" for a blind 
toddler or preschooler to wear on drives or at other times when there is a 
lot of waiting.  The apron has pockets to hold small toys and other objects, 
and various things can also be tied or Velcroed to it.  Dr. Nielsen notes 
that "blindisms" usually begin at about eight months of age, at a time when 
sighted kids are learning to crawl and explore.  She emphasizes the 
importance of encouraging early movement in blind children to provide the 
stimulation they need.

Debbie


----- Original Message ----- 
From: "David Andrews" <dandrews at visi.com>
To: "NFBnet Blind Kid Mailing List,(for parents of blind children)" 
<blindkid at nfbnet.org>
Sent: Wednesday, October 26, 2011 4:53 PM
Subject: Re: [blindkid] [Bulk] Social behavior


> Actually, some blind kids rock back and forth, which is another form of 
> self stimulation.  Luckily I never did  that -- too busy poking my eyes I 
> guess (lol).
>
>
> Dave
>
> At 03:47 PM 10/26/2011, you wrote:
>>Hi Dave, I think you are right.  I see it this way with my son.  He does 
>>the eye-poking when he is idle or when he is seeking some sort of 
>>stimulation while listening to something.  The other issues (his 
>>maybe-non-acceptable movements) are strictly relevant to him getting 
>>excited.  I think both will need to be addressed separately.
>>
>>Thank you to everyone who has commented -- excellent information and 
>>discussion!  Thanks so much!
>>
>>
>>On Oct 26, 2011, at 4:13 PM, David Andrews wrote:
>>
>> > Arielle:
>> >
>> > I agree with you -- but I also think that there is one more
>> aspect to so-called blindisms, particularly eye poking.  And ... I am a 
>> 58 year old totally blind adult, so been there and all that.  I think 
>> there is an aspect of self stimulation to some of these behaviors, 
>> particularly eye poking.  Sighted persons receive a great deal of their 
>> stimulation visually, and without that channel we may turn to other 
>> things to not get bored etc.
>> >
>> > Dave
>> >
>> > At 10:47 AM 10/26/2011, you wrote:
>> >> Hi all,
>> >> I have been blind from birth, have had lifelong struggles with
>> >> eye-poking and rocking issues, and am also a doctoral student in
>> >> psychology, so I have some pretty strong opinions about this topic. I
>> >> think it is important to remember that sighted children (and adults)
>> >> typically move their hands or bodies to some extent when they get
>> >> excited, too. I've also heard rumors that sighted people sometimes
>> >> fidget when they're bored. Research shows that all human beings are
>> >> hard-wired to express their feelings through movement, and sighted
>> >> infants often begin gesturing before they can talk to express their
>> >> needs and wants. The only difference between blind and sighted
>> >> children in this regard is that blind children have not learned what
>> >> kinds of movements other people around them use to express their
>> >> emotions. I think blind children come up with behaviors like rocking,
>> >> straightening their arms or swinging their heads in order to act on
>> >> their instinctual drive to express their emotions through movement.
>> >> Behaviors like rocking are simple and don't need to be learned by
>> >> watching others do them, so they serve as good replacements for hand
>> >> gestures etc. The only reason rocking, etc. are seen as such taboo
>> >> behaviors is because they are not movements shared by the general
>> >> public, and they are movements also seen in people with neurological
>> >> conditions like autism. This makes sense, given that one of the major
>> >> signs of autism is difficulty mimicking other people's nonverbal
>> >> behaviors. If children cannot learn how others around them gesture and
>> >> move (either because they can't see or because their brains don't
>> >> process the information), they come up with movements of their own.
>> >> I believe that just telling a child to stop their movements without
>> >> offering any alternatives is unfair, unrealistic and largely
>> >> ineffective. Imagine being told you had to stand completely still and
>> >> could never move your hands during a conversation, ever. Regardless of
>> >> how much they want to fit in, blind children will struggle to stop
>> >> these behaviors unless they are given alternatives that are functional
>> >> for expressing their emotions through movement. I think the first step
>> >> is to find out what movements are "typical" and then attempt to teach
>> >> them to your child. What do sighted kids do when they get excited?
>> >> Bored? Tired? Maybe even looking at an acting textbook might be
>> >> helpful. Then, maybe you or the OT can help your child learn some
>> >> simple movements to do when they are happy, tired, etc. Have your
>> >> child practice like it's homework and give rewards when they learn the
>> >> gestures or movements and start using them appropriately. I really
>> >> really wish someone had done that with me when I was a kid, because it
>> >> is very hard as an adult to try to break the bad habits and
>> >> simultaneously learn to gesture and move in natural-looking ways.
>> >> The other thing that's important here is to teach self-control and
>> >> appropriateness in different situations. I don't think expecting your
>> >> child to never engage in an unusual mannerism ever again is realistic.
>> >> But you can certainly ask that they stay still in certain situations
>> >> (i.e. in public) with the understanding they can do whatever they want
>> >> with their bodies when they are at home or by themselves (as long as
>> >> it's safe of course). This kind of self-regulation has been an
>> >> important part of my own growth as I have learned to be very conscious
>> >> of how I am carrying myself when in a professional or social setting,
>> >> with the knowledge that I can let myself go in other settings.
>> >> Best,
>> >> Arielle
>> >>
>> >>
>> >> On 10/26/11, Richard Holloway <rholloway at gopbc.org> wrote:
>> >> > I think it is important to remember that social pressure that
>> most sighted
>> >> > kids will perceive when other kids stop and stare have no real
>> effect when a
>> >> > blind child is unaware of others' reactions. At age 5, I'm not
>> certain it is
>> >> > time to make a big issue of that, but at my daughter's age (9)
>> we do make a
>> >> > point of letting her know when she is making a spectacle of herself,
>> >> > especially if it begins to spiral out of control.
>> >> >
>> >> > I would certainly focus a lot more on gentle redirection to 
>> >> > alternative
>> >> > behaviors first before offering too many reasons for a child
>> to stress over
>> >> > what other think, especially at age five. Also, from what I can 
>> >> > gather,
>> >> > schools for the blind are not the best places to expect
>> "blindisms" to be
>> >> > addressed. They are so common there that I think many of the
>> schools pretty
>> >> > much ignore most of them. As might make sense, mainstream
>> behavior is much
>> >> > more expected in the mainstream schools and classes.
>> >> >
>> >> > Expect less correction of blindisms in isolated classrooms as
>> well. Even if
>> >> > it is in the IEP, it is unlikely to become a priority in that
>> environment,
>> >> > partly because many other kids in the room are less likely to
>> have the same
>> >> > social reactions to these behaviors.
>> >> >
>> >> > Richard
>> >> >
>> >> >
>> >> >
>> >> > On Oct 26, 2011, at 9:37 AM, Carly B wrote:
>> >> >
>> >> >> I think replacement behaviors may really be the key here,
>> especially ones
>> >> >> that are not really noticeable. When I have told my son to stop, it 
>> >> >> has
>> >> >> had
>> >> >> no effect whatsoever, in fact, it's made him stubborn and
>> defensive about
>> >> >> it. I think sometimes kids just have to have their own "buy
>> in" like you
>> >> >> did, Brandy. I really think my own son may need to have his own 
>> >> >> "real
>> >> >> consequences." Since we plan to remove him from the Academy in the 
>> >> >> next
>> >> >> year
>> >> >> or two, and he will be mainstreamed, that may be the time when that
>> >> >> happens.
>> >> >>
>> >> >> :) Carolynn
>> >> >> On Wed, Oct 26, 2011 at 8:15 AM, Brandy W <branlw at sbcglobal.net> 
>> >> >> wrote:
>> >> >>
>> >> >>> Yes you can tell him to stop, and you need to!!! It is perfect to 
>> >> >>> find
>> >> >>> replacement behaviors, but he must not do this. It already
>> looks weird in
>> >> >>> kinder, and just imagine what it will look like in years when he 
>> >> >>> is a
>> >> >>> tween,
>> >> >>> and everyone is laughing, and worse yet when he is in college? I 
>> >> >>> speak
>> >> >>> from
>> >> >>> experience. I eye poked, sometimes gently rocked, and I
>> sucked my little
>> >> >>> finger. Non of this was OK, and no one stopped me. Not even
>> at the blind
>> >> >>> school. It was horrible and hard to break! It took me some very 
>> >> >>> good
>> >> >>> friends, real consequences, and a lot of persistence to stop these
>> >> >>> things. I
>> >> >>> still sometimes go backwards to these behaviors when I'm sick or
>> >> >>> stressed. I
>> >> >>> wish someone had stopped me when I was 5 for sure!
>> >> >>>
>> >> >>> Some replacement behaviors are providing a trampoline for an
>> appropriate
>> >> >>> place to bounce, Give him the words and appropriate gestures
>> for when he
>> >> >>> is
>> >> >>> excited, give him appropriate swinging and rocking chairs to
>> get this out
>> >> >>> appropriately.
>> >> >>>
>> >> >>> So you can and do need to make him stop!
>> >> >>>
>> >> >>> Bran
>> >> >>>
>> >> >>>
>> >> >>>
>> >> >>> "When we treat children's play as seriously as it deserves, we are
>> >> >>> helping
>> >> >>> them feel the joy that's to be found in the creative spirit. It's 
>> >> >>> the
>> >> >>> things
>> >> >>> we play with and the people who help us play that make a
>> great difference
>> >> >>> in
>> >> >>> our lives."
>> >> >>> - Fred Rogers
>> >> >>>
>> >> >>> Brandy Wojcik
>> >> >>> Discovery Toys Educational Consultant and Team Leader
>> >> >>> www.playtoachieve.com
>> >> >>> (512) 689-5045
>> >> >>>
>> >> >>> Looking for team members nation wide!
>> >> >>> ----- Original Message ----- From: "Erin Teply" 
>> >> >>> <eteply at cfl.rr.com>
>> >> >>> To: "(for parents of blind children) NFBnet Blind Kid Mailing 
>> >> >>> List" <
>> >> >>> blindkid at nfbnet.org>
>> >> >>> Sent: Wednesday, October 26, 2011 7:51 AM
>> >> >>> Subject: [Bulk] [blindkid] Social behavior
>> >> >>>
>> >> >>>
>> >> >>> Hello everyone,
>> >> >>>>
>> >> >>>> I am some questions around social behavior (at least I
>> think that is the
>> >> >>>> best description!).  My son Max, is 5 and in mainstream 
>> >> >>>> kindergarten.
>> >> >>>> He
>> >> >>>> has some 'blindisms' as I call them or some different
>> social behaviors
>> >> >>>> when
>> >> >>>> he gets excited.  He tends to rock his body back and forth
>> and sort of
>> >> >>>> do a
>> >> >>>> strange 'arm-straightener' thing when he gets excited or
>> really wants to
>> >> >>>> say
>> >> >>>> something.  We see this at home in just these cases and I believe 
>> >> >>>> the
>> >> >>>> same
>> >> >>>> at school, but because he has to 'sit still' so much more
>> at school, I
>> >> >>>> think
>> >> >>>> the behaviors are more pronounced and/or more often.  I
>> have a meeting
>> >> >>>> tomorrow with his OT and mobility teacher on what we can do
>> to replace
>> >> >>>> or
>> >> >>>> minimize these behaviors.  As we all know, you simply can't tell 
>> >> >>>> the
>> >> >>>> child
>> >> >>>> to *stop* this because then they think, "well then what?".
>> How have some
>> >> >>>> of
>> >> >>>> you dealt with this type of thing?  I think the main
>> concern from his OT
>> >> >>>> that this is socially not acceptable.  Any thoughts are 
>> >> >>>> appreciated.
>> >> >>>>
>> >> >>>> Thank you,
>> >> >>>> Erin Teply
>
>
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