And that is the main goal of all the therapy they go through today: to learn skills to live effectively in the world around him while also being able to express his needs and what he has to have to meet those needs.
One of the best definitions of self-awareness I've found is from the Pathway To Happiness website:
"Self Awareness is having a clear perception of your personality, including strengths, weaknesses, thoughts, beliefs, motivation, and emotions. Self Awareness allows you to understand other people, how they perceive you, your attitude and your responses to them in the moment."
And here's a bit of inspiration for caregivers struggling with their kiddos in this area. This is a recent school assignment Jaimie completed called, "ABC's of ME!". Enjoy!
The ABC'S of Jaimie:
(Jaimie's answers are bolded. You'll see she was prompted alot with 'because', etc.).
A - An adventure I would like to have would be...going to a place where stuffed animals are alive.
B - One of my favorite books is...Babysitters Club series because they are interesting.
C - The craziest thing I have ever done is...jump off the climbing wall in my basement.
D - The most difficult thing I have ever done is...swim across the pool without a life jacket.
E - The easiest subject in school is...art because I'm very creative.
F - One quality I look for in a friend is...kind because I don't like mean people.
G - I think peas are really gross because...they are slimy and taste gross.
H - My hope for this year is...going to West Ed Water Park for a field trip with Mama.
I - A topic that interests me is...zhu zhu pets because they are like real hamsters.
J - Something that brings me joy is...getting ice cream because I don't get it often.
K - If I were made king of the world I would...ask my maids to bring me money.
L - I love to eat candy because it is sweet and sugary.
M - If I had a million dollars I would...buy all the zhu zhu pets in Canada.
N - I will never...ever, ever eat peas because they taste bad.
O - When I play outside, I like to...swim because swimming is my favorite summer activity.
P - I am proud of myself for...100% on all spelling tests because I am a good speller.
Q - A question I have wondered about is...how computers work.
R - I respect people who...are nice to me because I don't like people who are mean.
S - A sport I enjoy is...swimming because I love the water.
T - I would love to travel to ...Calgary because I want to see Maddie.
U - Something unique about me is...I have Sensory Processing Disorder.
V - My favorite vacation spot is...going to Maddie's house because I miss her.
W - I wish...I had all the zhu zhu pets.
X - I get really excited when...we're going on the LRT.
Y - I always say, "Yes!" when someone asks me to go to the library because I love books.
Z - If I were a zoo animal, I would be a penguin because penguins are my favorite animal.
This post was written as part of the Best of the Best (BoB) Edition 11 on Family Life - Fun, Loving and Special. The full BoB post will be published with articles from other bloggers on October 15th.This definition truly outlines why I think taking the time to teach self-awareness is such a gift. I've worked on this with Jaimie her entire life and still do. It will always be something we'll need to work on but she is leaps and bounds further than she was even a few months ago because she understands herself. Teaching this to her has helped her understand herself and her needs; how to express those needs to us and to others; to feel better about having SPD and other issues and not feeling shame or embarrassment about that; and being able to advocate for herself. Jaimie (and folks like the inspirational Temple) are living proof that self-awareness is possible in our kiddos. Don't give up on them or listen to those who say they can't learn it. They all can to a certain degree. Keep trying!
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