This is part four of our video blog series on how to get kids unstuck.
Part four covers when you are stuck with a child who's not making progress with self
care or independence with, with skills.
So this could mean not making progress with toilet training or hand washing or showering
independently or cutting their food at meals and using utensils.
Any of those things.
Um, you're going to want to tune in to see what I have to say about getting unstuck with
self care skills.
Hi, I'm Dr. Mary Barbera, autism mom, Board Certified Behavior Analyst and bestselling
author of The Verbal Behavior Approach.
Each week I provide you with some of my ideas about turning autism around.
This video blog is going to be a short excerpt about an area where parents and professionals
get stuck and see little progress and I'm going to provide some tips on how to get unstuck.
The fourth area is, where people get stuck is self care.
Um, I remember when Lucas was young, he, uh, was diagnosed with moderate severe autism.
I also brought him to a psychologist at children's hospital around the same time.
And that psychologist, uh, diagnosed him back to back with the, with the developmental pediatrician,
the psychologist diagnosed Lucas with PDD-NOS, which is not even a thing anymore.
Um, but I was like, how could you know a month apart, she be doing, and she was doing more
testing, um, IQ testing, which Lucas has always been below 70.
So, you know, we've done a subsequent IQ tests and they've always been below 70, which means
that he has a diagnosis of intellectual disability too.
And I remember back when he was three and four and worried about his IQ and, and uh,
worried about his programming at the table and those sorts of things.
And I remember the psychologist really giving me good advice.
She said, you know, don't just focus on table time activities because a lot of his ability
in life and a lot of his IQ scores like the Vineland for instances in a, uh, an assessment
on mostly self care and, or a lot of self care.
And it is basically gives you an IQ score.
So the higher your self care is, if you are four and potty trained for instance, or you're
five and not potty trained, that will have a, that'll have a significant effect on your
IQ.
It will also have a significant effect on your placement and on your um, ability to
be included.
So not focusing on self care is another area where people get stuck.
And this again needs systematic instruction, um, which, which I provide in my online course.
I actually show videos of kids, teaching them to dress.
I have a very, uh, you know, um, a discreet video of my son with, within his showering
routine within my paid online course.
So, so I understand I'm a registered nurse and a behavior analyst and a mom and I understand
how to teach these self care activities, which are just so, so important no matter what the
age of your child is.
I hope you enjoyed that video blog.
If you did, I'd love it if you would leave me a comment and share this video with anyone
who could benefit and to attend a free workshop where you can learn how to get unstuck, attend
marybarbera.com/workshop for more information.
I hope to see you right here next week.