

Robotization of human feelings and expressions to help people with ASD


A Robot to teach autistic children to communicate...




In my humble opinion

Structured teaching units for students with autism spectrum disorders


What are Structured Teaching Units


Through structured teaching is possible:
- Provide a clear and objective information of the routines;
- Maintain a calm and predictable;
- Meet the student's sensitivity to sensory stimuli;
- Propose daily tasks that the student is able to perform;
- Promoting autonomy.

Physical Structure

1 - transition area
2 - meeting
3 - learn
4 - work
5 - play
6 - working group
7 - computer


Organisation of Time




Organization Area





It is the place for:
- learn to relax;
- to short waiting times;
- allow esteriotipia;
- learn to play (in the presence of adult);
- working symbolic play.


ASD - Help to connect socially



First Contact

Strategy 1 : Experience What the Child Experiences 

Strategy 2 : Move into the Child’s Play Space 

Strategy 3 : Listen to Each Detail of the Parents’Stories
By listening the description of his son’s behavior:
- screaming when someone comes near him, hoarding his trains -

Strategy 4 : Interrupt the Child's Fixed Patterns of Play




Why intervene early?  
There are several reasons to intervene as soon as possible:





What is Early Intervention?




Intervention "family-centered."  

Intervention of "community base"

EI in "natural settings".

The Early Intervention Work?

Energy Intense and Aggressive Behaviors?

When parents describe the child as "aggressive" they mean that she hits, bites, scratches, pinches, pulls hair, spit in the face of the people, give clicks, kicks, and generally use physical force. This term is also used if the child bite his own hand, hitting his head and other self-damaging activities.

In the dictionary "Aggressive" is defined as:
'Characterized by or tending to offensive attacks, invasions, etc. without cause or threat militancy: aggressive acts against a neighboring country.'

So when we use this word to describe children's behavior we are saying that she is attacking us. When she is hurting herself believe that she is attacking itself for no reason?

Violent 'is another word used to describe behaviors like those described above. Often, parents had to seek my help that say things like "My son is becoming violent," or professionals who said they were working with "a violent child."
'Violent' is defined as:
"Extremely strong actions intended to harm people or are likely to cause damage, or involve the use of force to injure or attack. "

When we call for violent children, we suggest that they intend to hurt us. For me, the word violent, evoking images of death and war, not something you give to a child with autism.

We believe they are trying to look after themselves in the only way they know. Do not label this behavior as "aggressive" or "violent", call it "intense energy". The label "intense energy" has none of the trials associated with the words "aggressive" or "violent" and more accurately describes the situation that is happening.

Below are two of the most common reasons for your child to have an intense energy. Understanding why will help you to apply the most effective strategies to minimize the intense energy of the child, as well as new thoughts and beliefs that you can take to help himself to feel more comfortable with this aspect of their the child.

Reason # 1 - Sensory Challenges
We know that the sensory system of our children has many challenges. They may have energy that is being created within them and they do not know to release properly. When we have excess energy in our bodies do some exercise to help free her, autistic children do not seem to realize what is happening to your body and therefore create unique and interesting ways to release that energy. They bite, pinch, squeeze people with determination and strength. The action of biting or nipping actually releases this energy, helping them to organize themselves physically.

1. Take an object like a bouncy ball or a towel.
 -> Bite it. Yes, that's right. Crave teeth in it with all your might.
 -> Do 3 times, each time for 20 seconds.

2. Join hands and press them again, not without enthusiasm, but with all his might. 

-> Do 3 times, each time for 20 seconds.

3. Write on paper how you felt while doing this. 

What I feel and what people say is a relief to feel any tension you have. It feels good to do that! It helps our body. Our children do it for the same reasons. Although the energy they need to release its body is larger than ours. The trick is to help the child to use something to release the energy that is not someone else.They can also give themselves a sensory stimulus banging his head, biting the soft part of the thumbs, beating thighs or feet. In this case, we see children who act as if they were their own occupational therapist, trying to help balance its own sensory system. 

What are the signs? 
You may notice that the child of the following behavior, even before it hit you or pinch you, or you may see an increase of the following behaviors over a period of about 30 minutes before reaching its intense energy.
-> Jump intensely
-> Making voltage body parts, for example, by as much tension on the face which comes to shaking for a while.
-> Crash on any part of the body more vigorously by hand or an object. 
-> Running around the house or room with an enormous energy. 
-> Crying sounds louder than usual. 
-> Becoming more intense and quick to recite excerpts from movies or books. 
-> Asking you questions fired at you, when you know that she knows the answer. 
-> Enter a standard against which asks for something, you give him and the child says no, then back to ask the same thing and when you give back to give her back to say no, and so on. 

If you are unsure of what your child does in the earlier period to have intense energy, become a detective, always walk with a notebook and start writing what you see. Write down what your child does before having intense energy will give you important clues about why they are doing this. Once we know why we can apply the most useful strategy to help her. We want to treat the underlying cause of the intense energy of the child and not just manage the symptoms. 

What to do? 
The idea is to give them the sensory stimulus that they are looking all day, so as not to create a moment that they will seek from us using the "Intense Energy". 

You can do so by: 
-> Start to shake hands, feet and head of the child. 
-> Give it a bear hug, sitting behind the child and involving the arms and legs with the child so that you can make a real tight body. 
-> Roll a large ball care about your child, this is a useful way to give a "bear hug" to an older child or older. 
-> Encourage the child to jump on the trampoline. 
-> For a child older than 14 years, I suggest you make sure that it makes a lot of exercise, like swimming, running, go hiking, jumping on a big trampoline, something they strive same. Do this three times a week. 
You can do any of the above suggestions. Choose the one that you think your child will enjoy most. While doing the first 3 suggestions, should experience the intensity that offers Hurso hugs, squeeze or roll the bag therapy. Increase pressure slowly while watching to make sure that your child is like. My experience is that children who are using the energy due to their intense sensory needs, will enjoy more pressure. 

How to respond to the child when they hit because of this?1. Consider the following thoughts: 
-> The child is hitting me in an attempt to take care of your sensory sitema. 
-> It means nothing about love or respect you have for me. 
-> I can help the child, giving you more sensory stimuli to help balance the body.These thoughts will help you preparer to answer in a calm, peaceful and loving.

2. Squeeze her hands, head and jaw. 
-> If your child is hitting you with his head, offer to shake his head ... if it is to pinch him, offer to shake hands with him ... if she's biting you, offer to put pressure on the jaw line. 
-> Explain that she does not have to bite, pinch or hit their head, and you would be happy to tighten whenever she wants.Now that you know the warning signs, you should be able to give the child the sensory stimulus that it seeks before it reaches the state of hitting, biting or nipping. Take his hand before it gets to you to pressure!


-> When I am working with kids who like to hit, usually as when they hug me pierce my teeth in my shoulder, I always have a little chew toy in my pocket to be able to offer them, or put pillows under t -shirt to protect the shoulders. 
-> If your child can bite you try to move towards the bite and not move away. For example, if your child is biting his arm, push the arm to the bite, you pull your arm will hurt you more. Use your thumb and forefinger and push the two sides of the jaw line of the child, this will not hurt her and she will instantly open the good.

Hitting, biting, give crackling, spitting, pinching, punching, hitting his head, biting themselves to themselves, may be just your child to tell you that they want something. May be the case of a child who is not verbal and a child who is highly verbal. If they believe that people will give them things faster if they knock on people or in themselves, then they will want to click on "fast forward" by doing this. 

What are the signs? 
-> Nip / bite / hit / give punches right after you tell them they can not have anything. 
-> Are having trouble making himself understood. 
-> Beat in different games, usually in a disorderly way, this may be the way the child re-start the game with you.What happens is that people around will start to move faster and "see" better when they hit the adultode suddenly becomes more responsive because they want to prevent the child from her gown. The child may start thinking - "ok, so the way I get more of what I want is to hit, then everyone tries to understand me better." At this point it is important not only that you be aware of when the child is to use energy intense, but also to what YOU do is rem answer to that.  

Try this exercise: 
Answer the following questions in the situation that responds to injury of their child when she wants something or has a problem in communicating what you want. 
-> How is your body reacting? Your heart is beating faster? His hands began to sweat? 
-> How are you feeling? Upset? Sad? Scared? Content? 
-> How do you move? Faster? Slower?
 -> Give the child the object or activity that she is asking?
 -> If you do not realize what she wants, try to offer you different things?So start watching other familiars to interact with your child, how they respond when the child hits them.  
Ask the school or where the child does care how they respond when the child hits them.If your child is hitting something you want to communicate is because someone somewhere is responding more quickly to this type of communication. 

What to do?1. Consider the following thoughts 
-> My child is smart! You are trying to get what you want as quickly as possible.
-> I know what to do. Can I help my child, moving slowly and explaining that I can not see it when it hits me.

2. Move slowly. 

This is very important. Wanting to show children that any form of intense energy will not help them get what they want faster, in fact, this will cause people to slow down. 

3. Explain 
Tell the child does not understand what she wants when she hits him. Also explain that even if she hit, it will not change the situation and you will not do / give what she wants. 

4. Out of the way and give you an alternative. 
Now you know why the child behaves in this way, prepare yourself. If the child wants something and the answer is no:
 -> Please be aware that it can hit you. 
-> Out of the way so she can not reach with their hands, that will give you time to protect himself, taking the child's hands and squeezing them, or offering anything for her biting or hitting, such as a ball or drum.
 -> If your child or adult is taller than you, always have a large therapy ball or a large cushion available, to put between you and the child to protect themselves. Believe that you are strong and keep it in place with all its determination and do not forget. 

5. Do not give your child what led her to bite him. 
This is very important! You want to help the child realize that any kind of intense energy will make her have what you want. This is a very important capability that is teaching the child, it will be socially useful in the following years. 
If you want to give the child what led her to bite you, make sure that asks you to communicate in a different form before giving it. Ask him to point or use an approximation of the word or even plavra. Celebrate your child for doing so and make sure that explains that is giving her what she wants because she communicated differently and not because it hit.

6. Be Persistent and Consistent. 
Do you have a story to move more quickly when the child hits you, so take some time until the child realize that this is not how you respond. Continue to respond in the way as indicated above until the child realize the idea. If you are taking longer than 2 weeks for the child to change this behavior, make sure you follow all the steps above. Maybe you missed an important step? If not, the more likely is that someone other than you, is to respond quickly. Be a detective and find out who this person is.