The Relationship Between A Sense of “Self” and Increased Social Functioning

With the New Year, comes thoughts of what has happened in the past year, what will happen in the coming year, and feelings about ourselves and our lives.  But children significantly affected with autism have a limited understanding of the concept of “self”, and often are incapable of forming these kinds of self referencing, reflecting, and predictive thoughts.  They lack the understanding of a self as a being both separate from and connected to others.  Their thinking is so present and context bound, that they also are limited in their ability to think about the concepts of past, present and future, which places another severe limitation on their “sense of self “in the world and their social functioning.

It is difficult for these children to process information  such as their likes/ dislikes, feelings and reactions to their environment, and communicate them to others with a sense of becoming more known and accepted by others as an individual.  To be able to do this would require thoughts about what the other person might perceive  (“Theory of Mind” deficit, Simon-Baron-Cohen) as well as a sense of the influence we have on others just by “being” in their presence.  This “self concept” deficit leads to limited social understanding of themselves in the context of being part of a group as well as a severe impairment in functional language.

Primary causes of the deficit in these areas are impairments in cognitive functioning and body awareness.

“Self “Development Through Increasing Body Awareness

The worlds of many autistic children are significantly restricted.  They tend to focus on people and objects that are closest to their own bodies.  They rely on sensory processing to awaken them to their own presence and the presence of others.  In other words, if it takes little effort to see, hear, tasted, touch or smell something,  these children will usually reaction to stimuli.  Therefore, it makes sense to use the child’s body as the primary teaching instrument for developing body awareness and body intelligence.  Once a child begins to sense their whole body and begins to use it in functional ways,  a sense of presence and identity begin to emerge.

Dr. Arnold Miller, Clinical Director of the Language and Cognitive Development Center in Boston, Massachusetts, emphasizes the importance of developing body awareness in autistic children in his method, The Miller Method.  Dr. Miller has been teaching his method for over 35 years and has developed strategies that are practical and common sense, but that are rooted in knowledge of the neurological dysfunction in autistic children.

Techniques used in the Miller Method to enhance body awareness are:

• Rough and tumble play
• Tickling
• Face-touching
• Elevation (activities on raised platforms)
• Pressure or weighted related activity (pushing, pulling, weight-bearing)

These kinds of activities help children “feel” their bodies.  They become more aware of what they are doing and therefore have more potential to “think”  more about what they are doing and what the result of their “doing” might be.  Dr. Miller says that once autistic children develop a generalization about themselves as “doers”, they begin to form a sense of self as someone who can do many different, specific things.   Therefore it is important to expand on the kinds of physical experiences a child encounters, because many of the children do not create the expansions on their own.  Varied and novel experiences lead to more body awareness as well as cognitive development.  These self awareness mark the beginning of an emerging identity.

Developing “Social Thought” Through a Sense of Self

Once the child begins to experience frequent thinking about themselves and what their bodies are doing, it is easier to teach them about other people and what their bodies can do.  Once the concept of the body and using the body to affect one’s surroundings has been formed on a “self level”,  it becomes possible for these children to connect thoughts about what others are doing and most importantly about what they might “want” others to do.  As this kind of relational thinking increases, the potential for functioning language increases as well.   Children begin to anticipate how to use their body and to think about what the other person is going to do.  These awareness also lead to stronger emotional experiences, which is an important aspect in forming the foundation of social communication and relationships. Social games that encourage more understanding and awareness of the self in the context of another person, a group and the outcome of games are vitally important strategies in encouraging self and social development.  Such games include:

• Hide and Seek
• Tag
• Musical Chairs
• Tug-of-war
• London Bridge
• Jump Rope
• “Helping” games

Developmental strategists emphasize the use of the element of “surprise” or “stopping” in the middle of a game, to increase the awareness and attention of the child.  Emphasizing what the child “did” and what part they played in the game is more important than focusing on the concepts of winning or losing.

Building an Identity at Home and at School

It is important to pay attention to details about these children, whether they exhibit any awareness of them or not.  Every person has an identity, a sense of self based on physical attributes, emotional styles, talents and interests.  An autistic child is no different, except that they are individuals restricted and confused by how information is processed and transmitted through the mysterious haze of autism.  So we have to help them become more aware of the traits that make them special.  We have to teach them how to express who they are (their wants, needs, feelings) in whatever way the can.   Strategies for building an identity at home include;

• Putting a picture of the child on the door of their bedroom
• Telling them all about themselves, repeatedly
• Writing a list of traits, reading and acting them out
• Covering their walls with pictures of themselves doing a variety of activities with a variety of people.
• Giving them chores that you rely on them doing
• Having friends over to the house to see them in their special environment
• Make sure they know their address and communicate about their home in whatever way they can
• Let them choose new and novel additions to the home environment

In the school setting, it is important for body awareness and identity to be built into the child’s program.  Kid’s should, 1) have jobs in the classroom, 2) be given attention and rewards for their work, 3) be called up in front of the class and have other children positively react to them, 4) be asked about how they feel and what they want, and 5) be encouraged to make choices that please them and that are within their level of understanding.

The Concept of Time:  Past and Future

By teaching the children to think about their bodies, to think about others, and to anticipate the interactions between themselves and others, you are helping them develop as sense of who they are in the world at any given moment.  With a stronger sense of themselves in the present, these children can be taught the concepts of past and future, tomorrow and yesterday, because the stronger sense of self will create more intensity in their thoughts and feelings.  This can cause an increase in the  ability to recall the past or project into the future.  Next month, I will talk more about developing strategies to increase the understanding and application of the concepts of past and future, as well as the emotional concept of empathy.  As the New Year approaches, include the children in the process of creating holiday rituals to show their personalities and preferences.  Help them start the New Year feeling more of their presence, influence and importance in the family and the holiday celebrations.