HAIRCUTS

RECENTLY HAD A FRIEND WHO HAS A FAMILY THAT INCLUDES A VER YOUNG  AUTISTIC BOY AND THERE HAS BEEN A BIG PROBLEM WITH  HAIRCUTS

AFTER I WROTE HER I THOUGHT THAT THIS WAS A REALLY GREAT TOPIC FOR THE JOURNAL SO HERE GOES:

SO MNAY PEOPLE HAVE TROUBLE GIVING OUR KIDS HAIRCUTS- - - JUST IMAGINE HOW IT MUST BE FOR THEM THATY CANT TALK  AND TELL US THEY ARE SCARED. THEY CANT DIGEST ALL THE NOISE AND VIBRATION "TYPICAL " KIDS CAN - -  WHAT TO DO??

JUST THE SOCIAL ACT OF GOING TO A SALON OR BARBER IS INTIMIDATING  FOR SOME PEOPLE.  OUR KIDS WALK IN AND BETWEEN THE MIRRORS, THE RUNNING WATER, THE BLOW DRYERS, PEOPLE YAKING, SCISSORS AND  RAZORS MAKING NOISE TO THE GARB THEY PUT ON YOU WITH THE STIFF CRUNCHY PLASTIC CAPE TO THE LITTLE PAPER AROUND YOUR NECK IT IS A WONDER A NORMAL PERSON DOESNT LOOSE IT!  HOW CAN WE EXPRCT OUR AUTISTIC KIDS TO GET IT?

SOMEOF THE SUGGESTIONS I MADE WERE :

FIRST OF ALL A SOCIAL STORY ABOUT GOING TO THE SALON-- IF YOU WANT A BUZZ CUT OR ONE THAT REQUIRES THE RAZOR YOU NEED TO DE-SENSITIZE YOUR CHILD . DR. STAN SWARTZ HAD A WONDER WAY TO DO THIS. HE WOULD TAKE SOME RAZORS OR CLIIPERS AND WHEN THE KIDS WAS DOING A PREFERRED TASK HE WOULD START WITH JUST A CONVERSATION ABOUT THE CLIPPERS WHILE HE WAS HOLDING THEM WHILE THEY WERE OFF--THEN HE WOULD TAKE ANOTHER OCCASION ON ANOTHER DAY TO RE-INTRODUCE THE CLIPPERS MAYBE BY JUST SETTING THEM DOWN ON THE TABLE WHILE THE CHILD WAS DOING ANOTHER PREFERRED TASK--NOT TURNED ON OR PLUGGED IN. THENTHE NEXT TIME HAVE THE CHILD TRY TO TOUCH THE CLIPPERS HOLD THE CLIPPERS DISPELL THE FEAR OF THE CLIPPERS AND FINALLY WORK ALL THE WAY UP TO TURNING ON THE CLIPPERS SO THEY CAN ADJUST TO THE VIBRATION AND THE NOISE--IF YOU HIT A WALL GO ONE STEP BACK BUT JUST KEEP AT IT ONE STEP AT A TIME.  THE FINAL STEP DR. SWARTZ TOOK WAS TO HAVE HIS SON  PICK UP THE RAZOR AND CUT HIS OWN HAIR SO THE CHILD COULD SEE THERE WAS NOTHING TO BE AFRAID OF. BEFORE YOU KNOW ITYOU CA BE CLIPPING THE HAIR.

ALSO A COUPL OF THINGS I RECOMMEND IS IF YOU NEED TO GO TO A SALON TRY TO MAKE AN APPOINTMENT AS THE VERY FIRST OR VERY LAST OF THE DAY SO THINGS ARE SIGNIFICANTLY QUIETER. TALK TO THE HAIRDRESSER AND TELL HIM OR HER A LITTEL ABOUT YOU CHILD AND TRY TO GET TE SAME ONE AND DEVELOPE A RELATIONSHIP.  YOU CAN ALWAYS TRY A SCISSOER CUT IF THE RAZOR IS NOT WORKING -- IF YOU TRY TO CUT AT HOME I USED TO PUT MY GUY IN FRONT OF THE TV WITH A FAVORITE MOVIE VIDEO SO HE WAS LESS AWARE OF WHAT I WAS DOING AND MORE INTO THE MOVIE. PORTABLE DVD PLAYERS ARE GREAT FOR THE SALON AND IF YOUR HAIR PERSON HAS A TV ASK ABOUT A MOVIE OR SHOW THAT MIGHT APPEASE THE CHILD

DONT MAKE IT A FIGHT BE AWARE IT IS A VERY SCARY THING FOR OUR KIDS AND THE MORE YOU HOLD THEM DOWN OR RESTRICT THEM THE MORE THEY WILL FIGHT AND RESIST GOING IN THE FUTURE   I HAVE A GREAT GUY IN THE UPLAND AREA IF YOU NEED A REFERRAL JUST EMAIL ME AT DAKSOPENDOOR@AOL.COM .

JUST REMEMBER THAT THERE ARE WAYS TO CONQUER  AND BEING AWARE  OF THE THINGS THAT SET THEM OFF WILL MAKE YOUR JOB EASIER IN THE FUTURE!