"Having simple words that mean complex things but grab attention is the best. Life got so much easier for both us us- him because he could tell me when he needed a break- and me because it let me not stay on high alert all the time trying to catch him when he became overwhelmed"
That is wonderful.
"(I live with PTSD so I know how bad staying high alert is."
Yeah, hypervigilance is an express road to burnout.
"I've been teaching Rockstar what I call baby basics of the mindfulness techniques- at the moment if I can get him to breath and tell me a color it's a good start. Depending on him I talk him through recognising what is overwhelming/what is upsetting him and go from there."
That is a great idea. My favorite mindfulness technique is in a game called We Didn't Playtest This at All, where with certain rules in play you have to do something before taking your turn. It's harder than it looks, but unlike the doorway excercise is fun instead of irritating. You might keep that in mind when your son is old enough for card games with instructions on them.
"Baby basics but I'm hoping as he gets older he will pick it up and use the techniques as part of his own inner dialogue. (That sounds bad when I put it like that but everything you say to children makes an impact and becomes their voice. I'd prefer the impact I have on my sons be positive and constructive)."
No, that sounds fantastic. I wish all parents would speak with the understanding that what they say goes into their child's self-talk. You can't guarantee it will turn out well, but you can certainly decide to put in good ingredients. It's kind of like setting comfort food, they pick what they pick, but you can make sure there are healthy choices in there.
"Three is very young for him to have picked up his letters and numbers. I don't push him- we started off with a board that had animals one side and letters the other- I actually got it because it was set up for the animal/letter pegs to spin- and he loves anything that spins. It kind of built up from there."
That's so exciting! Have you seen the gear toys? Some of them are good for studying science. There are magnetic ones to stick on the fridge, and some that are building sets.
"Just to blow you away- he has been counting- and adding and taking away using objects- since he was 2.5. We figured that one out accidentally at a cafe when he sat there and counted then took away and added more with sugar packets. Clever little cookie."
Zowie! That is impressive. It's going to be a lot of work making other people support both the high and the low spots for him. Usually they want to go all one way or all the other, and that is very destructive.
My partner has this binary puzzle where you have to spin the parts and slide the rod back and forth to get it out. I can't work it, but a math whiz who likes spinny things would probably enjoy it. http://www.cs.brandeis.edu/~storer/JimPuzzles/ZPAGES/zzzSpinout.html
"Thank you so much for the links- I'm going to have fun reading over and coming up with ways we can use them XD "
I'm glad I could help. It makes me happy to see a kid growing up in a supportive family like this.
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Ysabetwordsmith on Chapter 7 Thu 02 Jun 2016 06:48AM UTC
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chaos on Chapter 7 Thu 02 Jun 2016 08:12AM UTC
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