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Mom, I want to do it alone!

Simple!
The child must have the ability to perform a range of routine, of the behaviors that are required on a daily basis as undressing, dressing, preparing the backpack, preparing the table, tidying up, washing...
These authorities allow the child to be active and involved in daily life and not passive to the actions of the parents or caregivers.

In our daily life, to carry out any of the activities, we use some of the skills that allow us to reach the goals we have set for ourselves.

What is hidden behind a autonomy?

The expertise required during the performance of the autonomies daily are many and complex; first of all, the autonomy is a praxis, or a sequence of movements with one end in view; therefore, it requires: 

  • the knowledge and mastery of the motor skills that task requires 
  • ´mental organization the sequence of steps necessary to complete the task
  • working memory that ensures to remember the sequence to be followed
  • inhibitory control that allows you to select the movements and behaviours appropriate 
  • cognitive flexibility to adapt their behaviour to the needs of the moment.

All of these activities are not completely innate in the individual have a biological basis, but are gradually updated through the exercise and you are already in the small child, becoming more and more complex and sophisticated.

When the baby is ready?

The government should be teaching respecting the age of the child.
Let's see together the broad lines of what happens in developing these skills.

  • 15 months: the child begins to acquire autonomy at the time of the meal, holding the spoon, and begins to wish to eat alone, something that will autonomously by 24 months.
  • 18 months: begins to undress, starting from the clothing to the extremities of his body, for example-socks, gloves, and a hat to complete the autonomy to undress and dress up around 3-4 years, when it will also be able to unfasten and fasten the buttons. 
  • By 24 months, the child can wash and dry their hands and face. 
  • 4-5 years, finally, I began to do the same things of the parents, therefore, use case, wash up, set the table, eat alone.
  • By 5 years, the child can dress respecting the right and the reverse. 
Autonomia

How can you teach a range?

To foster in the child this important exercise, we can offer you the opportunity to build their autonomy and give him occasional activities that respond to his interest and motor development.

To teach autonomy, can we use elementary and functional principles of applied behavior analysis, in particular, thetask analysis  (Task Analysis) who, without knowing, every parent is already put into act  on a daily basis.
The Task Analysis indicates a procedure that allows you to decompose a skill (or skills) in the sub-skills are more simple it requires to be performed. This procedure, therefore, provides a hierarchy of skills that corresponds to a sequence of the objectives of teaching and learning.

Let's see in practice how to break down an autonomy in many small steps. 

autonomia-bambino 3

Eat with the spoon only

  1. take the spoon
  2. collect the food
  3. bring it to his mouth
  4. rest the spoon
Mamma, voglio fare da sola! - Centro Tice

Do the backpack

  1. take the objects
  2. to put it in
  3. close the pocket
  4. take the zipper
  5. close up at the bottom
bambino autonomia scarpe

Tie their shoes

  1. take a snare
  2. crossing over the shoe
  3. take the other lace 
  4. crossing over the shoe
  5. take the lace underneath and pull it to the inside of the hole formed by the intersection of two lace-up
  6. take a string and make a ear
  7. do the same with the other strap
  8. approach
  9. cross
  10. take the flakes
  11. pull
bambina-autonomia

Pull up the zip of a sweatshirt

  1. take the ends of the sweatshirt
  2. bring the flaps
  3. fit the zip
  4. pull the zip to the top

The government of dress and undress you can suggest to start using  clothing more extensive, which facilitates the movement, and if you have difficulty,  do  before the activity on a doll  as the coordination oculo-motor is facilitated.

How do you teach the sequence?

The parent can teach a sequence of actions altogether or decide to leave to ask one step at a time and to help ultimately the child in the other steps.

To teach about the chain of behavior in the passage, the parent can use two different procedures: 

  • can starting from the initial step (linkage antegrade), and only  when this is mastered, it goes on to teach the second action, and so on,  “tying” the first step to the second, and so on.
  • can start from the last step (linkage retrograde), and only when this is mastered, that is, when the person knows how to “complete” the task, goes on to teach the action that logically precedes it, “tying” the last to the penultimate.

All of these steps in the various autonomy can be requested by the parents in several ways:

  1. doing the actions with the child
  2. accepting help from the boy
  3. educating the child with verbal commands
  4. by using a sequence of images or videos of the routines.

When it is the turn of the children to try, let him try! 

Well now all working!

Martina Semino

Martina Semino

Neuropsicomotricista 
After his master's Degree in sciences and techniques of preventive and adaptive motor activities, he earned his Master's degree in Behavior Analysis Applied (ABA) first-level and specializes in augmentative alternative communication with new technologies and infant massage techniques. Tice is responsible for supervising and conducting the paths of Neuropsycomotricity.
 
If you have any questions, write to Martina Semino