After years of speech and behavior therapy Sara finally discovered Son Rise. In essence it is all about them and the world they live in, and becoming a part of their world. The goal is to dive into their world until their world doesn't exist as a "secret place" any longer. If we are doing what they do, eventually they will do what we do.
This is our first part dedicated to explaining and creating your understanding with Son Rise. Anyone can do this easily on their own at home without spending lots of money!
What you will need:
- A dedicated "playroom" with a door
- A small trampoline
- Two yoga/body balls
- Plenty of your kid’s favorite toys
To start: Lock the door and stay in for at least an hour; once they leave the room it is over!
The 4 Principles:
JOIN THEM
Mimic whatever they are doing, as precise and as sincere as you can. This will develop a level of comfort between the two of you and you will eventually see the "green light".
CELEBRATE THEM
Whenever they are doing something that should be acknowledged like eye contact or word use; congratulate, encourage and celebrate them! Be enthusiastic like "That is so awesome!" or "I love that you’re looking at me".
BUILDING
As they are interacting in a sequence with you, continue and then add on it. For example, say your both tickling each other on the foot back and forth, add a tickle on the neck into the sequence, etc.
REQUESTING
You have to wait until you get the "green light” to ask a question. This principle is insanely hard to follow but will encourage a trust bond results if followed correctly.
What is a "green light" I am sure your asking, and the answer is easy; anything that shows contact or interaction with you such as eye contact, touching, language etc. Any green light behavior should be celebrated and built on. If they do not respond to your request after two tries go back to mimic mode until they give you another green light, always push for more wordage. If they said 2 words, try to make them say 3, 4 or more.
It is generally good to use a theme for every therapy session. Use themes that you think will motivate your child. If they love Toy Story, then dress up as a cowboy and act as if Woody came into the session. Buy toys that encourage effort thus producing "green light" behavior. A great resource for activities and themes is "Play and Grow", a book written by parents who came up with many different activities for their own children in therapy.
Another important thing to remember is that in the playroom there is no wrong behavior. Always keeping their safety in mind, you never want to say "no". In our playroom we let it go as far as writing on the walls, this is their world so let them rule it. If they are doing something dangerous, re-route them before using the words “no”. The rest of the world is constantly "shhh-ing" them and making odd faces at their behavior, Son Rise shows them they are just as awesome as other kids, building confidence, phasing out their silent world and merging them into the real world right along with us.
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