Written by Gayle Nobel
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Tuesday, 27 July 2010 22:04 |
Blog-a-thon: Day 1
I’m excited to get back to writing/blogging on a more regular basis. I invite you to travel along with me as I begin my own personal mid-summer blog-a-thon. My intention is to share inspiration and information for the journey of living well with autism, whatever YOUR autism may be. Autism is a metaphor for life’s challenges so in a way, we are all living with autism in some form or another.
“Breathe” works for wee ones too!
Last week I was sitting in the waiting room at LIFE, the center where my son Kyle goes to occupational and music therapy. This is a wonderful place, hence the 55 minute drive one way to get there each Tuesday. Besides his amazing, insightful, and very patient therapists (Angela, Kathleen, & Rich), I am often impressed by the staff/child interaction I observe in the halls and waiting rooms.
Every Tuesday, while I am waiting for Kyle to finish his OT session, a group of little ones files through the waiting room on their way to the therapy room for PE. These are all very young kiddos with special needs of some type. Usually, someone is crying/tantruming on the way in or out. As the group was going in last week, a boy began screaming and crying. Ever so patiently, his teacher spoke gently to him reminding him he would not be able to join the class for PE if he continued to scream.
What I saw after this was very special! She asked him to take some deep breaths. This little guy (no more than about 5) got quiet and took a few deep breaths. He was adorable as he tried so hard to take those big exaggerated breaths. I couldn’t help but smile. Then, lo and behold, he was able to get himself together and stop crying for awhile. After that, he could use words to tell his teacher what he wanted.
Once again, I got to experience the magic of the breath but in a different context.
Does this mean “Breathe” can work at any age? I believe so.
This scenario could have gone so many ways particularly if the teacher had chosen to match the boy’s upset with her own upset. His teacher was a shining example of being responsive rather than reactive. She appeared so calm as she taught a powerful lesson. I imagine it was a lesson she needed to teach often with this particular boy. And, I imagine she must have been “breathing” too :-).
I was moved as I got to observe “Breathe in action”. What a great reminder of the beauty, simplicity, and effectiveness of the simplest tool. Breathe!
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