Picture Communication Cards with Emotiblots
Children on the autism spectrum need more clues during the day to help them understand how events follow each other and give them an extra layer of safety by letting them know what's coming next (in my opinion every child benefits from this though). Our son (Aron) is on the high functioning end of the spectrum. We learn as we go - many times by trial and error - and we're doing our best to help him, but it's not a smooth ride. I don't think people are aware of the downsides of this disorder, so I'm planning to be more open and transparent to help others while I'm learning too. Love and patience are key elements in raising any kid, but children on the spectrum needs even more of both. Love is always there per se, but patience is a tricky bastard, and leaves the house easily when you need it the most. So we also have to learn a lot about ourselves, question our reactions, techniques, behaviour in whole. We have to find our inner peace and balance and strengthen our ability to stay calm in all circumstances, because that's one of the main things that can help autistic kids improve.
Because visual schedule is very helpful, I started to search the internet for such cards, based on Aron's kindergarten teachers' and psychologists' recommendation. And I couldn't find any consistent, high-quality stuff. None. Nowhere. Maybe I didn't look hard enough, maybe I'm just too picky, I don't know. But I think these kids, who are especially sensitive to art and visuals in general deserve something better. Nothing's wrong with stick figures, I know they work fine as well. But I think I have to use my ability to give something better to these kids, including my son.
I've been struggling to find a good solution to draw different schedule cards quickly, still in a consistent way, that both Aron and me liked. It pretty much seems that I've found it when I started to paint the Emotiblots. Aron loves them, I love creating them, and as a plus, Hanna, my four years old daughter, loves them too.
I decided to paint these cards, similar to the so called "Picture Exchange Communication System" cards for my kids to help them expressing their feelings and also with their daily schedule. You can also try them with your kid(s), even if they don't have any developmental problems. I think they are useful for all of them. Please let me know if you have any questions or ideas, and please share this so it can reach parents with children on the spectrum. You can follow the process on Instagram or Facebook. You can download the cards here. A kártyák itt tölthetők le.
Thanks! Zita