MomTrusted on Parenting, Kids, and Early Education

Spotting Warning Signs of Autism

While each child is different and develops at a different pace, it’s important to compare what your child is going through to what’s normal. An abnormality may indicate autism. The earlier a developmental delay is identified, the better chances, depending on the level of autism, your child has of integrating into regular school programs. There is growing evidence that shows intervention during preschool or earlier has the largest impact on autistic children. Here are some things to keep an eye out for:

 

Early signs in infants

Even though autism is usually diagnosed between the ages of 2 and 3, there are earlier signs to keep an eye out for, even in infants. If your baby rarely smiles when you approach or smiled at, that may be a sign of a developmental delay.

 

Most babies are babbling and making repetitive sounds by the time they’re 6 months old. Between 6 months and a year, they should start responding to their name. If your child does not seem to be making these noises or responding to their name, they may and early signs of developmental delays.

 

Lack of eye contact

One of the most common signs of autism is a lack of eye contact. This sign can sometimes show in infants, but as your child grows into a toddler, if you notice a lack or avoidance of eye contact, you should look into possible autism immediately.

 

Unusual physical movements

In as early as infancy, autistic children may move differently that those without autism. They may stiffen their limbs, or make repetitive motions with their hands. As they get older, these movements will often continue.

 

Unusual communication skills

Kids with autism often show abnormalities communicating early on. They may not respond appropriately in conversation with peers, struggle alone instead of asking for help or show a smaller variety of vocabulary words than their peers.

 

Sources:

-Wetherby, Amy. “Infant Toddler Checklist.” Communication and Symbolic Behavior Scales Developmental Profile.

-“10 early warning signs of autism.” CBS News.

-Warner, Jennifer. “Cues May Signal Autism in Toddlers.” WebMD.

-Photo courtesy of Stuart Miles/freedigitalphotos.net

The 5 Important Stages of Play

From the time they are born, until the age of 6, children go through five important stages of play. These stages are what teach children motor skills, recognition of others and social skills.

 

1.     Solitary play

Under 2 years

Under the age of two years, babies are exploring the new world around them. They spend most of their playtime making use of all of their senses, touching everything around them, tasting anything they can get their hands on and babbling to hear their own voice. They bang, learning repetition and trial and error. This is all part of starting to learn motor skills, creating functioning, active babies.

 

2.     Parallel play

2 years old

The next stage of play is for 2 and 3 year-olds. Parallel play is when socializing first begins. Babies at this stage play next to each other, but do not interact. Even though they do not acknowledge each other, they do recognize that other babies are there. This is the first stage in stepping outside of one’s self and noticing others.

 

3.     Imitative play

2-3 years old

Shortly after parallel play, children start to imitate those around them. They’ve probably already been imitating their parents and adults in their lives, but at the stage of imitative play, they’re starting to embrace the actions of those their age. This is the first outward sign of acknowledging others.

 

4.     Associative play

3-4.5 years old

While maintaining their independent interests, children play together. They may acknowledge what the other is doing and discuss what they are doing with each other, but they are not yet working toward a common goal. They are not yet playing together.

 

5.     Cooperative play

4-6 years old

Finally, during cooperative play, children start to work toward a common goal. They are working together, or against each other, but most definitely interacting. This is the vital stage where we start to see future socializing skills forming.

Top Educational Books for Tots

Counting books

There’s a whole list of books out there that help kids learn their numbers.

• 1, 2, 3 to the Zoo by Eric Carle explores the magic of numbers as different animals pile on the train to head to the zoo. This story is meant for kids 2-4 years old.
• Counting Kisses by Karen Katz is a cute counting book for kids ages 0-4.
• How Do Dinosaurs Count to 10? by Jane Yolen, for kids 4-7 years old, uses rhymes to help teach readers how to count to 10.
• In David Kirk’s Miss Spider’s Tea Party, for 4-6 year-olds, Miss Spider attempts  to squash her neighbors’ fear of her by throwing a tea party.

 

ABC books

ABC books like these teach children letter recognition:

• Pam Abrams’ Now I Eat My ABCs for tots 0-3 has a yummy food assigned to each letter of the alphabet. B is made of blueberries and O is an orange.
• I Spy Letters by Jean Marzolo lets 0-4 year-olds learn letters through rhyming and hand-painted letters.
•  The classic Chicka Chicka Boom Boom by Bill Martin Jr. and John Archambault tells the story of a, b, c, d and e meeting at the top of a coconut tree.

 

Colors

Teach your little ones colors:

• Justine Smith’s Colors is filled with bright, bolds illustrations. This book is made for children 1-3.
• A kitten hunts for its favorite color in Cat’s Colors by Jane Cabrera.”Favorite

 

Shapes

Help toddlers learn their shapes:

• Every day objects in Justine Smith’s Shapes help kids 0-2 learn shapes. Plus, the rhyming words and colorful illustrations make learning fun.

 

 

Sources:

-“Educational Books for Toddlers.” Scholastic. http://www.scholastic.com/resources/article/educational-books-for-toddlers/

-“Favorite Books for Preschoolers.” Great Schools <http://www.greatschools.org/cgi-bin/showarticle/3607/>

-Photo courtesy of Stuart Miles/freedigitalphotos.net

Sign Language for Babies

Recently, more and more parents have been teaching their little ones sign language, many before they can even speak. The idea is that babies have the cognitive ability to comprehend language, but lack the physical ability to make the sounds. They can, however, learn sign language because the ability to make hand motions comes before the ability to easily form words.

 

Many experts even believe the benefits of learning sign language go farther than communication. Some have found that use of signing as a baby leads to confidence and higher self-esteem later in life. Signing also rewards eye contact, an important component of socializing that they’ll master in their later years.

 

Take the time for a short class, research online or pick up a book on simple sign language. Then start signing to your baby when you speak to him or her. As early or six or seven months, little ones can start using those signs to communicate with you.

 

Manners

“Please” and “thank you” are easy signs to learn, but they’ll help instill manners from the very beginning, making them a habit and giving you the most polite baby around!

 

Food

Teach your baby his or her favorite foods. Signs for “milk” “peas” and “applesauce” could save you a spit up mouthful of mushed up carrots. Plus, the simple signs for “food” and “water” help your baby tell you when he or she is hungry or thirsty.

 

Useful words

Signs for “more” and “done” can be more useful than imaginable. Babies often throw tantrums to show frustration and what’s more frustrating than being unable to communicate? Save yourself a scene by teaching your little one how to ask for more or tell you they’re finished.

 

Sources:

-“Baby sign language: top ten starter signs.” Baby Sign Language

-“Teaching your baby sign language can benefit both of you.” Psych Central

-Photo courtesy of photostock/freedigitalphotos.net

Raising Bilingual Children

The percent of children who speak a language other than English at home has risen from 10% to 21% in the past three decades, according to the National Center for Education Statistics. The amount of bilingual kids is on the rise and, while it’s actually been proven that older children may have an advantage when learning a second language, it never hurts to begin early. Starting off with more than one language as a baby will not slow progress of language in any way and will only advance memorization and problem solving skills. Here are some helpful tips for raising bilingual children:

 

Learn with them.

If you don’t already speak the second language you’re introducing to your child, this is your opportunity to learn too. They better you understand what you expect your little one to learn, the more thorough job you can do teaching them.

 

Start small.

Don’t feel like you need to be a pro and start speaking half in English and half in the chosen language. Start by throwing in a couple bedtime books in Spanish. Or sing simple, children’s French songs in the car. Adding small splashes of the secondary language will help teach your toddler basic vocabulary and concepts, the first start to raising a bilingual child.

 

Hire bilingual help.

Need a babysitter or nanny? Consider hiring one who speaks a second language and request that they communicate with your kids using that language at least 50% of the time. This is a great approach because it incorporates handy, everyday activities with the new vocabulary, making it easier to learn the familiar actions.

 

Take a vacation.

If affordable, travel to a country that speaks the language your child is learning. This is an especially great option as children get older and learn social skills. It will give them the opportunity to use their new language while making new friends.

 

Sources:

-Lowry, Lauren. “Bilingualism in Young Children: Separating Fact from Fiction.” The Hanen Center.

-“Raising bilingual kids: benefits and techniques.” PHD in Parenting.

-“ Fast Facts: English Language Learners.”  National Center for Education Statistics.

-Paturel, Amy. “A Guide to Raising Bilingual Children.” Parenting.com

-Photo courtesy of Phaitoon/freedigitalphotos.net

Mommy Math: Tech Savvy Moms

Kids aren’t the only tech savvy family members out there. Moms make use of their smartphones, computers, social media and even blogs to make their lives easier and keep in touch with friends and family. Crowd Science and Mashable polled groups of mothers on how they use technology to enhance every day life.

Kids Nightmares: What Causes Them and How to Handle Them

Right around preschool-age, children start recognizing that nightmares are only dreams and cannot hurt them. This does not mean your child is any less scared. Your little one still needs your reassurance and understanding. Here’s a little bit of information about what may be causing his or her bad dreams and what you can do to help:

 

What causes nightmares?

1. An active imagination could be part of the reason your child wakes up in a cold sweat. Preschoolers use their imagination to make sense of the world around them. It can be used as their way of working through new information.

2. Children at this age have difficulty separating reality from make believe. They may believe in the Bogeyman as much as they believe in Santa Claus, making their nightmares that much more realistic.

3. Stress can trigger nightmares and stress is often a result of change at this age. Starting preschool is a huge change in preschoolers’ lives so a sense of worry and stress is only natural.

4. If something traumatic has recently happened in your child’s life, that could be the perpetrator. If there was a recent car accident or severe injury, nightmares could be a natural effect.

 

How can you help?

1. Help your child calm down as much as you can. Even though he or she is worked up, it’s important that they lose as little sleep as possible.

2. Try asking your kiddo what the dream was about and then use simple logic to explain that it was only a dream and, even though it was certainly scary, it wasn’t real and can’t hurt them.

3. When talking about the nightmare, keep it short and simple. You want to listen and reassure your little one, but you don’t want to spark their imagination and trigger any new nightmares.

4. Try soothing you child by rubbing his or her back, singing them a song or maybe just giving them a huge hug.

5. Prevent nightmares in the first place by sticking to a bedtime routine. Whether this includes reading a book, telling a story or singing a song, follow the same pattern nightly. Routine creates a sense of safety.

 

Sources:

-“Nightmares.” Kids Health.

-“Nightmares.” What to Expect.

-Photo courtesy of Jeanne Claire Maarbes/freedigitalphotos.net