Help scale [Free Download]
■Practicing for children with ASD or foreign children to ask for help
Let me explain the "Help scale" with an example of my second son, who is somewhat in the ASD gray zone.
He was a quiet type and always had a smile on his face before he entered elementary school.
Even when a friend took his toy, he smiled.
Even when he was troubled by his tactile hypersensitivity and couldn't touch glue, he smiled.
Even when his float came off in the pool and he was nearly drowning, he quietly sank with a smile... ∑(゜☐゜Ⅲ）
At first glance, my second son didn't seem to have many troubles, but this was alarming!
It's important for both children with and without developmental disabilities, and even foreign children, to practice saying "I don't understand" or "Help!" when necessary!!
So, I made the "Help scale", and just having it seemed to reassure my son a lot.
■How to use
However, in real emergencies, there's no time to pull out the scale, so we need to practice not only pointing but also saying "Help!" and "Assist me" on their own.
When he points to "Help!", I whisper "Help...?" softly, encouraging him to repeat it. This method is called "prompting."
In theater, a "prompter" is someone who whispers lines from behind the set when actors forget their lines. It's the same idea here.
Parents act as prompters, guiding the words. This technique seems to be effective for children who have difficulty speaking.
When he manages to say it, we praise him with "You could say it yourself."
Even for children who frequently rely on adults with "Do it for me!" requests, using the scale to help them recognize whether they need "assistance" or just a "hint" can lead to moments where they realize, "I can do it myself!"
By the way, on a crime prevention Japanese TV program I watched earlier, they said that in situations where you might be involved in a crime like molestation or stalking, saying "Someone, please help!!" is less effective than
"YOU there! Help!!"
This way, even strangers are more likely to help or take specific actions like calling for help.
Japanese people are generally kind, but they don't want to get into trouble, so they often feign indifference until others respond. So, if you really need help right away, I think it's best to talk to them individually.
So, (?), when my child says, "Can someone take it for me?", I respond with,
"Mom is not 'someone'. What is someone's name?"
I playfully nudge them to specify who they are asking, encouraging them to practice naming someone specifically😁
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📝ChatGPT's Notes
Prompt: The technique of parents guiding their child's words as a "prompt" is commonly used in Japanese educational and therapeutic settings. However, this concept might be unfamiliar to readers in English-speaking cultures, where encouraging self-expression through natural conversation is more typical.
Specific examples of crime prevention: The advice on how to respond to situations involving molesters or stalkers is specific to the context of urban public transportation in Japan. While similar advice might exist in English-speaking cultures, understanding the cultural background behind it can be challenging.
🇯🇵 Original post of this article (Switch to 🇯🇵 mode)
Book version of this article：「発達障害＆グレーゾーンの３兄妹を育てる母のどんな子もぐんぐん伸びる１２０の子育て法」 大場美鈴・著（ポプラ社/2017.2）p.129収録 →Amazon.jp
*No translated version is available of this book.
