Tag Archives: nonverbal

I asked chatGPT to “write an Individualized program plan (IPP) for the California Self Determination Program (SDP)”

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I asked chatGPT to “write an Individualized program plan (IPP) for Henny Kupferstein, who is autistic and is needing new updated program outcomes to stay on the California Self-Determination Program (SDP)”

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Individualized Program Plan (IPP) for Henny Kupferstein

Background Information:

Henny Kupferstein is a 25-year-old individual who has been diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder. Henny currently resides in California and is enrolled in the Self Determination Program (SDP). The SDP is a program that provides individuals with developmental disabilities with the ability to choose their own service providers and set their own goals.

Henny has been a part of the SDP for two years, and it is now time to update their program outcomes to ensure they are meeting their current needs and goals.

Current Supports:

Henny has a support team that includes their family, a behaviorist, a speech therapist, and an occupational therapist. They currently receive the following services:

  1. Behavioral therapy: Henny receives 10 hours of behavioral therapy per week to work on improving social skills and reducing self-injurious behaviors.
  2. Speech therapy: Henny receives 2 hours of speech therapy per week to improve communication and language skills.
  3. Occupational therapy: Henny receives 2 hours of occupational therapy per week to improve fine motor skills and sensory integration.

Current Goals:

Henny’s current goals include:

  1. Improve social skills and reduce self-injurious behaviors.
  2. Improve communication and language skills.
  3. Improve fine motor skills and sensory integration.

Updated Program Outcomes:

Based on Henny’s current needs and goals, the following outcomes are recommended for their IPP:

  1. Increase socialization opportunities: Henny will attend a weekly social skills group and participate in community-based activities with peers to improve social skills.
  2. Increase communication opportunities: Henny will attend a weekly conversation group and work with their speech therapist to develop a communication device to increase communication opportunities.
  3. Increase sensory integration opportunities: Henny will participate in daily sensory activities at home and work with their occupational therapist to develop a sensory diet to increase sensory regulation.
  4. Increase community involvement: Henny will attend community-based activities and volunteer opportunities to increase community involvement and build social connections.
  5. Develop self-advocacy skills: Henny will work with their support team to develop self-advocacy skills to improve their ability to make decisions and advocate for themselves.

Service Providers:

Henny will continue to receive services from their current service providers, including:

  1. Behavioral therapy: Henny will receive 10 hours of behavioral therapy per week from their current behaviorist.
  2. Speech therapy: Henny will receive 2 hours of speech therapy per week from their current speech therapist.
  3. Occupational therapy: Henny will receive 2 hours of occupational therapy per week from their current occupational therapist.

Monitoring and Evaluation:

Henny’s progress towards their goals will be monitored and evaluated on a quarterly basis by their support team. Progress will be measured using data collection and observation of Henny’s behavior and skills.

Plan Implementation:

The implementation of this IPP will begin immediately. Henny’s support team will work together to ensure that Henny is receiving the appropriate services and supports to achieve their goals. Any modifications or changes to the IPP will be made as needed to ensure that Henny is receiving the best possible support.

Feedback 1 thumbs-down

behavior therapy is no longer a preferred treatment for autistic people. Additionally, autistic adults do not have coverage for OT or PT or SLP as indicated. Lastly, autistic people's program outcomes should be specialized based on their wellbeing dreams and goals. A wellbeing assessment must consider what the person finds enriching, cognitively nourishing, and creative expression. Finally, community inclusion must begin with gainful and meaningful opportunities at engagement with career peers.

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Individualized Program Plan (IPP) for Henny Kupferstein

Introduction:

Henny Kupferstein is a 28-year-old individual with autism who is seeking to stay on the California Self Determination Program (SDP). This IPP is designed to update and individualize her program outcomes to ensure that her goals and needs are being met in the most effective way possible.

Goals

  1. Social Skills – Henny struggles with social interactions and is seeking to improve her ability to communicate effectively with others. Her goal is to develop a set of social skills that will allow her to interact more confidently and independently with others.
  2. Self-Advocacy – Henny is seeking to develop skills that will enable her to advocate for herself and make decisions independently. She wants to learn how to navigate the world and communicate her needs effectively.
  3. Employment – Henny has expressed an interest in finding part-time employment that aligns with her interests and abilities. She is seeking support to identify potential job opportunities, prepare for interviews, and develop the skills necessary to succeed in the workplace.
  4. Independent Living – Henny is seeking support to develop the skills necessary to live independently. This includes learning how to manage finances, plan meals, and maintain a clean and safe living environment.
  5. Health and Well-being – Henny is seeking support to maintain her physical and emotional health. This includes learning how to manage stress, establish healthy habits, and access appropriate medical care.

Objectives

  1. Social Skills:
  • Henny will participate in weekly social skills training sessions with a qualified therapist.
  • Henny will identify three new social skills she wants to learn each month and will practice using them in a variety of settings.
  • Henny will participate in one social activity each week with a group of peers.
  1. Self-Advocacy:
  • Henny will participate in self-advocacy training sessions with a qualified therapist.
  • Henny will identify three new advocacy skills she wants to learn each month and will practice using them in a variety of settings.
  • Henny will develop a written list of her personal preferences, strengths, and areas of need, and will practice using this list to communicate her needs to others.
  1. Employment:
  • Henny will work with a job coach to identify potential job opportunities.
  • Henny will participate in interview skills training sessions with a qualified therapist.
  • Henny will work with a job coach to develop the skills necessary to succeed in her chosen field.
  1. Independent Living:
  • Henny will participate in weekly independent living skills training sessions with a qualified therapist.
  • Henny will identify three new independent living skills she wants to learn each month and will practice using them in a variety of settings.
  • Henny will work with a therapist to develop a personalized plan for managing finances, planning meals, and maintaining a clean and safe living environment.
  1. Health and Well-being:
  • Henny will participate in weekly stress management training sessions with a qualified therapist.
  • Henny will identify three new healthy habits she wants to develop each month and will practice incorporating them into her daily routine.
  • Henny will work with a qualified healthcare provider to establish a plan for accessing appropriate medical care.

Conclusion:

This IPP has been designed to help Henny Kupferstein achieve her goals and meet her individual needs in the most effective way possible. The outcomes outlined in this plan are designed to be flexible and adaptable to meet Henny’s changing needs over time. Regular progress reports will be provided to ensure that Henny is making meaningful progress towards achieving her goals.

Feedback 2 thumbs-down

social skills is no longer a preferred training for autistic people. It reinforces robotic and scripted socialization which may cause feelings of insecurity when masking authentic expression. Additionally, autistic adults do not have coverage for licensed therapists who have a peer-reviewed trauma informed protocol for autistic adults seeking psychotherapy, and spoken communication is not reliable in a talk therapy construct. Lastly, autistic people's program outcomes should be specialized based on their wellbeing dreams and goals that are consistent with their autistic identity and evolving esteem of self. A wellbeing assessment must consider what the person finds enriching, cognitively nourishing, and creative expression using their family values and cultural preferences. Finally, community inclusion must begin with gainful and meaningful opportunities at engagement with career peers, who are also situated within an autistic culture to maximize net value to the autistic providing labor. Self advocacy is not a preferred functional state, as it leads to burnout and tokenism. The alternative is to start finding a circle of support that is enriching to the individual, where licensed personnel can be expected to perform with cultural competency inherent in their professional standards. Lack of standards leads to abuse and harm to the vulnerable autistic who may not be interested in masking to perform in a self advocacy role.

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Introduction:

Henny Kupferstein is a 32-year-old autistic individual who has been approved for the California Self-Determination Program (SDP). The goal of this IPP is to develop new and updated program outcomes to support Henny in achieving her individual goals and maximizing her potential for independence, personal growth, and community participation.

Section 1: Goals and Objectives

  • Goal 1: Enhance Henny’s social and communication skills to improve her ability to interact with others and build meaningful relationships.
    • Objective 1: Henny will attend a social skills group twice a week for three months.
    • Objective 2: Henny will practice initiating conversation with peers and participating in group activities during social skills group.
    • Objective 3: Henny will attend a public speaking course once a week for six months to improve her communication skills.
  • Goal 2: Develop Henny’s independent living skills to increase her ability to live on her own and manage daily activities.
    • Objective 1: Henny will attend a cooking class once a week for six months to learn basic cooking skills and meal planning.
    • Objective 2: Henny will practice doing laundry, grocery shopping, and managing her finances with the support of a coach for three months.
    • Objective 3: Henny will work with a job coach to identify potential job opportunities that match her skills and interests.
  • Goal 3: Increase Henny’s physical activity and improve her health a
    • Objective 1: Henny will join a yoga class once a week for six months to improve her flexibility and balance.
    • Objective 2: Henny will walk for 30 minutes three times a week with the support of a coach.
    • Objective 3: Henny will work with a nutritionist to develop a healthy eating plan and make healthier food choices.

Section 2: Supports and Services

  • Henny will receive the following supports and services to achieve her goals and objectives:
    • Social skills group twice a week for three months
    • Public speaking course once a week for six months
    • Cooking class once a week for six months
    • Job coach to support job search and application process
    • Coach to support independent living skills development for three months
    • Yoga class once a week for six months
    • Coach to support physical activity and walking routine for three months
    • Nutritionist consultation to develop a healthy eating plan

Section 3: Timeline and Evaluation

  • The IPP will be implemented immediately, and progress will be evaluated every three months.
  • The progress will be measured based on the achievement of the objectives set for each goal.
  • If progress is not being made, the IPP will be revised to ensure that Henny’s goals are being met.

Conclusion:

The above IPP outlines Henny Kupferstein’s goals, objectives, supports, and timeline for achieving her desired outcomes. This plan has been developed to ensure that Henny receives the necessary supports and services to maximize her potential for independence, personal growth, and community participation.

Feedback 3 thumbs-down

autistic people do not learn from social skills, and it is not recommended for adults or children. Autistic people who do not rely on spoken communication prefer to identify as nonspeaking rather than non-verbal. autistic adults do not need therapies to live independently, but rather personal assistance to help with motor skill tasks and maintaining a home to safety code with regard to cleanliness and organization. 

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Henny Kupferstein: Individualized Program Plan (IPP)

Goal 1: Improve communication skills

Objectives:

  • Increase the use of functional communication by 50% in social situations (e.g., greetings, requests, comments).
  • Improve understanding and use of nonverbal communication (e.g., body language, facial expressions).
  • Use assistive technology (e.g., communication apps, speech-generating devices) to support communication in daily activities.

Strategies:

  • Provide individualized communication training, including use of social stories and visual supports.
  • Provide opportunities for social interactions and practice communication skills in real-life settings.
  • Incorporate assistive technology into daily routines and activities.

Goal 2: Develop independent living skills

Objectives:

  • Increase independent completion of self-care tasks (e.g., dressing, grooming) by 50%.
  • Increase independence in meal planning and preparation by 50%.
  • Increase ability to follow a schedule and manage time effectively.

Strategies:

  • Provide individualized training on self-care tasks and meal planning/preparation.
  • Use visual supports and task analysis to break down complex tasks into manageable steps.
  • Provide opportunities for practice and feedback in real-life settings.

Goal 3: Improve social skills

Objectives:

  • Increase participation in social activities with peers by 50%.
  • Improve understanding of social cues and nonverbal communication.
  • Develop and maintain positive relationships with peers and adults.

Strategies:

  • Provide individualized social skills training, including role-play and modeling of appropriate social behaviors.
  • Facilitate participation in group activities, such as social clubs or community events.
  • Provide opportunities for Henny to practice social skills in structured and unstructured settings.

Goal 4: Enhance community participation

Objectives:

  • Increase participation in community activities by 50%.
  • Develop and maintain positive relationships with community members.
  • Increase knowledge of community resources and services.

Strategies:

  • Provide opportunities for Henny to participate in community activities and events.
  • Facilitate introductions to community members and encourage positive interactions.
  • Provide information and training on community resources and services.

Note: This is just a sample IPP and should be modified to fit Henny’s specific needs and goals. It’s important to involve Henny and their family in the planning process to ensure that the IPP is individualized, realistic, and achievable.

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Introduction:

Henny Kupferstein is a 24-year-old individual with autism. He is non-verbal and uses a communication device to interact with others. Henny has been part of the California Self-Determination Program (SDP) for the past year and has made progress in achieving his goals. However, it is time to update his program outcomes to ensure that he continues to receive the support he needs to thrive.

Assessment and Planning:

Henny’s current goals were reviewed, and a new assessment was conducted to identify areas where he needs support. Based on the assessment, the following outcomes were identified:

  1. Communication: Henny will improve his ability to communicate his needs and wants through his communication device. He will also learn to use gestures and facial expressions to express himself.
  2. Social Skills: Henny will develop social skills to interact with his peers and community. He will learn to initiate and respond to social interactions appropriately.
  3. Independent Living: Henny will learn skills necessary for independent living, such as dressing himself, cooking, and cleaning.
  4. Self-Advocacy: Henny will learn self-advocacy skills to communicate his needs and wants and make decisions that affect his life.
  5. Community Engagement: Henny will engage in community activities and develop relationships with community members.

Interventions and Supports:

The following interventions and supports will be provided to help Henny achieve his program outcomes:

  1. Communication: Henny will receive communication therapy twice a week from a qualified therapist. The therapy will focus on improving his communication skills, including using his communication device, gestures, and facial expressions.
  2. Social Skills: Henny will receive social skills training twice a week from a qualified therapist. The training will focus on initiating and responding to social interactions, understanding social cues, and developing friendships.
  3. Independent Living: Henny will receive training on independent living skills twice a week from a qualified trainer. The training will focus on dressing himself, cooking, and cleaning.
  4. Self-Advocacy: Henny will participate in self-advocacy training once a week from a qualified trainer. The training will focus on communication skills, decision-making, and advocacy.
  5. Community Engagement: Henny will participate in community activities with the support of a community coach. The coach will help Henny develop relationships with community members and engage in activities that interest him.

Progress Monitoring:

The progress towards the program outcomes will be monitored every three months by the support team. Any necessary changes to the IPP will be made at this time to ensure that Henny is receiving the best possible support.

Conclusion:

The above IPP outlines the program outcomes and interventions for Henny Kupferstein. It is expected that with these interventions and supports, Henny will make progress towards his goals and achieve a more fulfilling and independent life.

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Introduction:

Henny Kupferstein is a 28-year-old autistic individual living in California who requires an Individualized Program Plan (IPP) to stay on the California Self-Determination Program (SDP). The purpose of this IPP is to create a comprehensive plan that addresses Henny’s needs and goals, and outlines the necessary services, supports, and outcomes required to meet those needs and goals.

Assessment:

Henny’s assessment indicates that she has significant communication and social interaction difficulties, along with sensory sensitivities, anxiety, and difficulty with emotional regulation. She requires support in developing independent living skills and managing daily routines. She has expressed an interest in pursuing a career in music therapy.

Goals:

  1. Improve communication skills: Henny will improve her communication skills by using augmentative and alternative communication (AAC) devices to express her thoughts and emotions effectively.
  2. Improve social skills: Henny will improve her social skills by attending group therapy sessions and engaging in structured social activities.
  3. Increase independence: Henny will increase her independence by learning daily living skills, such as meal planning, grocery shopping, and managing her finances.
  4. Develop career skills: Henny will develop career skills by enrolling in a music therapy program and pursuing a career in the field.

Services and Supports:

  1. AAC Devices: Henny will receive training on AAC devices to improve her communication skills.
  2. Social Skills Group Therapy: Henny will participate in social skills group therapy sessions to improve her social skills.
  3. Occupational Therapy: Henny will receive occupational therapy to improve her independent living skills.
  4. Music Therapy Program: Henny will enroll in a music therapy program to develop her career skills.

Outcomes:

  1. Henny will effectively communicate her thoughts and emotions using AAC devices in different settings.
  2. Henny will demonstrate improved social skills by initiating and maintaining social interactions with peers.
  3. Henny will perform daily living activities independently.
  4. Henny will complete the music therapy program and obtain a job in the field.

Implementation:

  1. Henny will receive training on AAC devices for communication in therapy sessions and in the community.
  2. Henny will attend weekly social skills group therapy sessions.
  3. Henny will receive occupational therapy services for daily living activities.
  4. Henny will enroll in a music therapy program and complete the program.

Review:

This IPP will be reviewed annually to ensure that Henny is making progress towards her goals and to revise any necessary services and supports to meet her changing needs.

Dr. Henny’s Piano Method Books

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Looking for my piano method books?

RED BOOK 1 – The Doogri Method(TM) Piano Curriculum: Red Book 1

ORANGE BOOK 2 – The Doogri Method™ Piano Curriculum: Orange Book 2

Amazon link

BOOK: Perfect Pitch in the Key of Autism 

A Guide for Educators, Parents and the Musically Gifted by Henny Kupferstein and Susan Rancer, August 1, 2016. iUniverse.com

My Autistic Fractals in the 4th Dimension of Consciousness

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In UNIPAZ, Brasilia, I had the honor of presenting my lived experience to a class of transpersonal psychology students. In my presentation, I demonstrate how my eyes sees objects as conceptual fractals from within the 4th dimension of consciousness. You may notice some gaps in the talking. This video has been edited to remove the Portuguese translation provided in realtime by Alfredo. 

English transcription of presentation at UNIPAZ, Brazil:

Being in the United States diagnosed as autistic, provided me a really nice fancy package to understand my differences. But the more I understood myself, the more I was witnessing the trauma of those who did not have the privilege of this identity. As you are going through transformation in your education, you are experiencing an evolution of your own identity. That is a privilege that you now have, because you can choose this process. 

The autistic child is under identity threat all the time. They enter the world with genetic memory and skills that cannot be explained. I can explain it in language that is accessible to the mainstream. I made it my mission to become an academic student and to use theories of transpersonal psychology to explain what people cannot observe. When we say, “autistic people are deficient” in this, that, or that, we are using traditional metrics to put people into a box of comprehension. 

Hypothetically, if my eyeballs work differently than your eyeballs, this is what the world looks like to me. I’m looking outside the window at the tree. 

The nautilus is a mathematical shape. Where does it begin, and where does it end? So, just for aesthetic purposes, I will begin from the center, because I like my lines to be clean. 

So this is the traditional nautilus shape that you see if you’re interested in this stuff. The more you stare at it, the more distortions begin to take shape. Perhaps in the first second that you looked at it, it appeared one dimensional. I believe that the brain has a 3-second time-lapse of perception, and after 3 seconds, you may start noticing a second dimension. So after three seconds, you may notice a 2-dimensional shape.

The moment you have a third dimension, it becomes obvious because you now have to have a negotiation in your brain, if the nautilus shape begins at the tip, or the center. This negotiation is your fourth dimension. 

My eyes give me a perceptual sphere that begins in the 4th dimension, and then I have to do a negotiation to dissect the components. Here is my fourth dimension. My eyes see a grid on an axis, but I don’t see all of the boxes simultaneously.

Every three seconds, the boxes change—and I will show you. 

So perhaps in the first three seconds, I receive A3, A4, C3. Inside A3, A4, C3, I have to make a picture-puzzle, which is this. 

But I wait three seconds, and now I have this. 

So, this might look like abstract art, but my work is very deep and very meaningful. Because not only do I have the privilege of doing these negotiations, I also have the privilege of taking every cube, and going into the fractal of its meaning. So although you see the nautilus as a potential fractal, I perceive my world primarily as existing perceptually in the negotiation space of creativity, where I can hold the multitudes simultaneously and it becomes irrelevant on that material dimension. I say material because that is my baseline, because that is my normal, and in that beautiful place, it becomes irrelevant to me whether the nautilus begins in the middle or at the end. 

Therefore I challenge the traditional explanation of moving up or coming down, because I believe that autistic people have access to the potential of thoughts and concepts from the interstitial space, the space between the one and the one. It’s the space that is the beginning of everything in the future. 

So if you’re asking an autistic child in the classroom to do reading comprehension and he says “oh look it’s a beautiful bird,” then in the United States we say “you’re stupid, you have to go to the special class” and we rob the child of the opportunity to gather information in a setting that is considered normal. So the autistic child learns to derive pleasure from the paranormal.

I call this the party in my head and I only share it with people that feel safe to me because my worldview exists of objects which are also fractals which are also fractals, and fractal objects that have infinite possibilities of perception. I can do that with observing children in a classroom and knowing immediately the depth and breadth of their existence. I can do this by reading multiple research papers and finding a connection. When I do data analysis it feels to me like a synthesis of deeply meaningful symbols.

Many researchers like to share their work but they don’t derive pleasure from doing the mundane mathematical work. So I want more people to be envious of the pleasurable experiences that I have and to eliminate the stigma of difference by recognizing that the child who has a revelation in his creativity, this is the child who is not having deficiencies that can be defined by the non-autistic person. It’s only the autistic child himself who can describe how he perceives his deficiencies.

The privilege I have with transpersonal psychology is to use scientific terms to provide meaning and to make meaning of my existence. But I don’t intend for my work or my research, I don’t intend to colonize the experience of other autistic people with my worldview. If there’s somebody who wants to identify with deficiency, I can accept that. if you want to say that you have a sister who suffers from lesbianism, that’s okay. If you want to say this is a person living with autism, that’s okay. 

For me to have an identity to feel like something normal, I have to be allowed to say I am autistic. I have been able to feel like my experience is indigenous to me, so all my work that I do takes the position of liberating my experience from the medical pathology paradigm and moving through it, not up or down to it, so that other people can make meaning of my experience. 

So I want to invite you as you are encountering people who are severely other than you, remember that they come at you from the fourth dimension and in  your social encounter you have an opportunity to play creatively and create something new together. And that is called transcendence.

Thank you so much.

You may notice some gaps in the talking. This video has been edited to remove the Portuguese translation provided in realtime by Alfredo. 

 

 

Rapid Prompting Method (RPM) and AACs for nonspeaking autistics

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RPM is a method for teaching academics to non verbal and autistic students, which may lead to independent typing.  Many of my piano students use RPM during the lesson and to support their schooling. HALO is a non-profit organization providing RPM, which is academic instruction leading towards communication for persons with autism. Soma Mukhopadhyay developed Rapid Prompting Method to teach her own son Tito who is a published writer despite his autism. HALO’s clinic in Austin, Texas is where she conducts 1:1 Soma® RPM education and training. 

Resources

Watch the movie from my https://hennyk.com/resources/ page: 

Then, see the videos on Soma’s page http://www.halo-soma.org 

Online Support

Meet Nico: The Autistic Teen Who Talks with Piano Fingers

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This video was directed by Nicolas Joncour, a pianist and university student in France. Nico spells to communicate. He shared his message about nonspeaking autistics and what he wants the world to understand. Click for captions, or full transcript below:

I was born in October 1999 in France, a country that was not ready for me. I resembled my maternal grandpa, and my personality was like my father. I don’t remember much from when I was a baby, but I remember books. I read books in my bedroom. By reading, I learned a lot.  I had musical notes in my head since I was born. I think I have antennas on my head for music!

“GUITAR” was my first word, but I had to wait until my third birthday until I got my first guitar. When my family sings Happy Birthday, it feels like a jackhammer to my head. But the electric candle from the cake had a pleasant happy birthday song, which was more exciting.

In school, when I was 3, the teacher understood that something was different about me about me, even though the family doctor did not notice anything.  I was 9 years old when I realized that I was not like everyone else everyone else around me. I felt different and knew I was autistic. From that age on, people called me out for being autistic.

The Shoah Holocaust Memorial in Paris was of great interest to me. Most people were surprised that I was the one asking to attend. “How could this 10-year-old understand the story?”–they wondered.  

I was 12 when we adopted a dog from the shelter in Fougères and brought her home to Rennes. I chose the name Fourenne for her to combine the names of both towns. She knows that I love her but I can’t play with her–it’s hard.

Today at the university, it is different than my schooldays. This is because I am recognized as a student, just like all my peers. I describe my personality as reliable, you can count on me, honest, and a high defender of justice. But when strangers first see me, they usually think I am stupid, deaf, and can’t understand what they are saying.

I can’t control the sounds that I make. I do try to control it and to make less noise. It is very difficult for me to learn to play the piano, but when I play an instrument, I decide what gesture I want to make. I am in control. I calculate in my brain to successfully move from one key to another. When I do math, I can feel my body. Playing piano gives me the ability to be the master of my spirit.

Henny: Nico,  if science fiction would make it possible for autistic people to use math in their heads to control speech, do you think we should ask people to do math to feel their mouth?

It would be great to realize that, to make it possible. I would like to speak. I love Math. I wish language would be as easy as mathematics.

And do you think that we should push autistic people to use speech?

I want to talk, to speak, but not by way of force or pressure. It would be like forcing my mom to speak with a lot of people and being social in a large crowd.  Mom: “It’s horrible, it’s a torture”.

A really bad key or a wrong note played is like a knife on the brain! It is very painful. But when people see me playing a wrong key, they think I cannot read the notes.

They must understand that I have no capacity to control my gestures and movement. They should have a different opinion, but the problem is, that I can’t force them! Teachers of young autistic children must understand that we are clever, we can learn. Parents should understand that we are real people on the inside.

In ten years from now, my dream is to be the pope! I want to be the pope for people who are oppressed–people who have no education. In ten months from now, I just want to pass my exams.

I want the world to look like you, Henny.

Thank you, Nico!

Concern: Skype Piano Lessons Will Never Work for My Autistic Child Because…

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I only teach piano to nonspeaking and autistic students. All the lessons are online through Skype or FaceTime, even for families who live locally nearby. This helps me reach students all over the world and in underserviced areas. The format is a 1:1 personalized lesson, not a class taught to more than one student. Oftentime, parents will worry about the online format, given their child’s history of requiring hands-on support or in-person prompting. Other parents often remark that they are unsure if the iPad would be a distraction during the lesson. Lastly, many parents wonder how the lesson proceeds if the student runs off or steps away from the instrument. Please read: Why Piano Lessons for My Autistic Child? Top 10 Questions Answered by Autistic Piano Teacher. Here are some frequently asked questions to dispel some fears about the online structure.  

Sensory

  • Your child will also do better if I am in their learning space without being in their physical face.
  • Driving in rush hour traffic and reorienting to the teacher’s house and the smell of her dinner cooking may be too much for one day.
  • Having a lesson in the comfort of your home is optimal where the sensory accommodations are already established.
  • I am autistic too and I arrange my environment to accommodate my sensory needs. Once organized, I am able to be fully focused on the teaching. I can’t have people in my space while I teach.

Physical

  • Mother providing hand-over-hand support to nonverbal autistic piano student with dyspraxia

    Dogs and pets are welcome, if that’s what the student likes. I even teach turtles, cockatoos and Darth Vader.

  • It is important that the room be arranged with everything comforting. All efforts should be made to turn the piano lesson room into a safe space.
  • Some students require upper core support, so experimenting with lumbar-support chair or office chair may be helpful.
  • Arms should be like the capital letter L extending to the piano. However, many students spend the first year with elbow and shoulder support, rendering their hands in the T-Rex position. The awkward posture helps build proprioception in the fingers, which are the farthest point to receive motor signals. As the fine motor skills become reliable, the hands lower into the L posture and support is faded.
  • Some students sit with pretzel legs, one knee up to the chin, or on swiveling chairs. All postural adjustments are encouraged and discussed to enhance accuracy of the finger movement.
  • If the child utilizes larger sensory tools, keep (for example) their trampoline and bouncing balls nearby. The student may utilize anything they need to redirect their body to the piano during the lesson.
  • If the student runs off or rolls on the floor, I don’t consider that a “behavior problem”. Parents should never drag the child back to the piano, bribe them, or threaten with a punishment. Rather, I encourage the student to return to the piano using a variety of tools that I have taught them.

Visual

  • From my observation, almost every student so far has displayed a photographic memory. They will take a quick peripheral glance of the material and almost never refer back to the page for visual prompts. Instead, they are ‘reading’ from their heads.
  • The student is not required to “look” at me. This means that the device is set off to the side where I can see their profile while seated at the piano. I do not allow parents to prompt “look at the book!” or “look at Miss Henny!”
  • If I require the student to use their eyes in any way, I will instruct them on the best strategies to accommodate their visual depletion rates and perceptual differences.  
  • Students with visual impairment, cortical, TBI, or congenital, are encouraged to consider learning to play from written music. Accommodations are made to enlarge the music, use clamp-on magnifiers, colored overlay filters, and a referral to an Irlen diagnostician. At this time, I am not skilled to teach braille note-reading.

Auditory

  • Piano student wearing noise-cancelling headphones during lesson

    It’s quite alright if the student covers their ears or wears noise-cancelling headphones. These devices are designed to silence the disrupting surround sound and filter only the dominant sound they wish to hear, which is the piano.

  • Students may appear to be bothered by the sound distortions to my voice on the iPad. The volume may be lowered, we can try to call again with a better connection, or complete the lesson using a smaller device (cellphone).
  • I almost never play on my piano together with the student because our pianos are very likely in different tuning. I use the classical guitar to accompany the student. I slide my fingers to adjust to your tuning, rather than making the student adjust to mine. With the nylon strings, it is a warm and pleasing non-metal sound which is quickly an instant favorite for many.
  • You will notice that I NEVER repeat any instructions and speak in age appropriate language. I don’t require that the student appear to be actively listening in a manner that has been determined as appropriate by others. Rather, I keep teaching knowing that he can hear me from any point in the house.

Accommodation

  • student foot on pianoSome students are bothered by seeing themselves on the screen. For the first few weeks, they find it helpful to cover my face onscreen with a post-it note.
  • A post-it note can also be used to hide the notification bar and charge percentage, which distracts many students.
  • Sensory stim toys are encouraged, so please do keep your string and straw collection nearby! I’ll show the student my collection and encourage the use of all available tools to organize the physical body.
  • When there is a siren or airplane on my end, I will press mute on my computer.
  • Students who wear hearing aids or cochlear implants may remove them if the sound is distorted or overwhelming. We learn to feel our way around the instrument and listen for vibrations to correct the notes when playing.
  • Vocal stimming and all stimming is ignored. It doesn’t bother me and I continue to teach.
  • Crying or screaming is a non-issue for me, but it is discussed to learn more about the triggers. These triggers are resolved with an agreed upon accommodation, and the lesson continues.
  • Students may be dressed, in their underwear, or wearing anything that is comforting to them. I am not perturbed by students who suddenly strip.

Literacy

  • Parents sometimes insist that their child “can’t” or “doesn’t” read yet. A student does not have to prove that he can read in order to be able to read. Many students are hyperlexic and have an early ability to read without ever being taught. I presume competence until otherwise proven.
  • During the lesson, I will sing the lyrics of the song rather than the note names. This encourages the student’s eyes to hunt for the next note to play based on where he’s up to in the song. The parent may observe that he is reading and finding his way through the book.
  • I also ask students to sing the lyrics of a song. I prompt by speaking the lyrics first, and then have them play and sing. This offers the learning opportunity for pre-readers to learn phonetic skills on the fly, and piece reading concepts together almost instantly. Within 3-4 weeks, students are often literate above their age level.

Communication

  • Student is spelling on a RPM laminated letterboard to communicate during the lesson

    All types of communication is welcome. However, I have a strong preference for families to already be experienced in the Rapid Prompting Method (RPM) and/or Facilitated Communication (FC).

  • Please have the AAC device on hand for communication during the lesson.  
  • I never ask a question and demand an answer, spelled, spoken, or signed. I presume competence and ask instead: “Which one is that starting note? Show me on piano”.
  • The piano becomes the instrument to demonstrate knowledge much like the letterboard is a tool to spell a response.
  • I am knowledgeable in basic American Sign Language and do try to sign while I speak to build fluency.

Social

  • Parent often request an assignment to play for grandma, or family Thanksgiving party, or for a school talent show. These requests are challenging to the student’s progress. They are a tease to what the student may want to do but may not be technically ready to do at that point in time. Playing piano publicly as a form of socialization is truly the highest compliment to your child’s training. However, please allow me to direct the pace and type of socialization.
  • Oftentimes during the second year of instruction, I will recommend that a family visit their local church and obtain permission to sit in the back while the choir rehearses. At that point, the student is ready to not only follow along on the sheet music, but they are skilled in solfege and sight-singing. It is delightful when the perfect pitch musician from the back of the room begins to sing without a pitch prompt, while most choristers are waiting for the note from the pianist.
  • Other socialization options are offered as time goes by and connections are made in your local and broader musical community.
  • The student and their family are informed when they are ready to join a band, orchestra, choir, or audition for colleges.

Learning

  • Your child’s learning style will be actively assessed in the first year. How they take in information, how they process and produce may be very different.
  • After the assessment, I will ask the student to rearrange their learning and productivity around their strengths. Sometimes a parent will insist “but my child needs a visual aid” or “can you just play it for them so they know what it sounds like?” I don’t teach in the traditional manner where supplemental supports are offered. Rather, the student is encouraged to use strengths from within to flourish.
  • It is my goal to build an independent musician who can demonstrate their talents on any piano from anyone’s music, without colored stickers, highlighters, and adaptive tools.

Emotional

  • I no longer teach students who have been exposed to Applied Behavior Analysis (ABA) interventions. The forced compliance and normalization takes a heavy toll on the child’s psyche. They become prompt dependent and wait for instructions to complete a task. I don’t offer ABA styled instruction in the lesson, nor do I allow parents to use ABA language during the lesson, such as “After piano, you will get MineCraft time”.
  • The lessons will be most successful if a healthy student-teacher relationship has occurred in the past. If every student-teacher encounter has resulted in trauma, I will be perceived as a threat. This would require the lessons to be hijacked by the emotional needs and relationship building, and little learning will take place.
  • Students who are homeschooled or unschooled may not consider me to have anything to offer to them, as they are accustomed to pace their learning based on their strengths rather than a class schedule. This is a positive and I work to build that learning relationship, but there may be lots of resistance at first.
  • Sometimes a student is having a rough day. We pause the learning and discuss it. It is not conducive for anyone to be forced to learn when there are other things going on. Sometimes a mere acknowledgement of their disposition is enough to get back on track without derailing the entire lesson.

Music Teachers — Learn the evidence-based method and teach piano to autistic students. Qualified piano teachers and senior-year music majors are eligible to enroll in the Doogri Institute training program. Click to learn more and inquire about your own professional training, and how to become a licensed Developmental Music Educator™ (LDME).

Please read: Why Piano Lessons for My Autistic Child? Top 10 Questions Answered by Autistic Piano Teacher.

 

Kaegan – Nonverbal perfect pitch piano matching test

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Kaegan (21) is able to demonstrate perfect pitch during his 3rd piano lesson, thanks to the piano matching test. Did you know that 97% of autistic people have perfect pitch? (Kupferstein & Walsh, 2015). One obvious clue that it was time to test him came when Kaegan was singing the notes just from reading it, even before he heard it played from the piano. Please read about the nonverbal paradigm research study and the Rancer Method book for teaching music to gifted students, titled Perfect Pitch in the Key of Autism.

Source:

Kupferstein, H., & Walsh, B. J. (2015). Non-Verbal Paradigm for Assessing Individuals for Absolute Pitch. World Futures, 72(7-8), 390-405.

“Can perfect pitch be a problem when teaching note-reading to piano students?” Interview with Dima Tahboub

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In this interview with Dima Tahboub of DoReMeStudio.com, we discuss how the Rancer Method builds neurological pathways to have magnify the gift of perfect pitch. Instead of the gift being a problem, there are surprising byproducts of the neuroplastic changes and visual motor cohesion, changes in eye tracking, and explosions in speech and vocalization.

Henny Kupferstein is the co-author of Perfect Pitch in the Key of Autism, the book on the Rancer Method designed to teach note-reading for gifted students.

me showing off my stim toys while student learned to use his sensory need as a overwhelm-preventative instead of a crash-erase.

Teaching piano student to stim as overwhelm prevention

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me showing off my stim toys while student learned to use his sensory need as a overwhelm-preventative instead of a crash-erase.

Me showing off my stim toys while student learned to use his sensory need as a overwhelm-preventative instead of a crash-erase.

Two nonverbal preteens played the piano yesterday. They are my tough fighters, but also spell using RPM (Rapid Prompting Method) letterboards. They frequently type their complaints about their brain-body disconnect and how embarrassing it is that they can’t show through their fingers that they know the music.

Me: “Who else sees your body like this? In what other situation?” WHEN IM OVERWHELMED

“Do you know the difference between physical, emotional, and sensory overwhelm?” NO

And then the Henny-lecture began:

“Play one line, and then go back to the sink and play with the water. That’s what your body needs in order to erase the overwhelm. I don’t want you to wait until your body crashes and then you look like a person who is embaressed of yourself. Go back to the sink to prevent overwhelm. Do we have a deal?” YES

Perfect Pitch in the Key of Autism A Guide for Educators, Parents and the Musically Gifted

READ: Perfect Pitch in the Key of Autism
A Guide for Educators, Parents and the Musically Gifted

He then played three lines instead of 1, went to the sink. Returned. Played two more lines. Sink. Returned. Thanked me….

I teach awareness of self, so they can make choices. With other autism interventions (such as ABA), they are conditioned to be so prompt dependent, they they lose touch with internal functions. They forget to read their own body signals. In my work teaching piano to nonverbal and autistic students, I undo that damage. Each time they stim, I announce like a translator “you just did that with your fingers near your eyes because you wanted to erase the work of reading treble and bass clef together for the first time”.

As an autistic person, I live inside their sensory experience and can read them instantly. By offering these nuggets, they can learn to connect what they do with why they do it. Eventually, they can reach for those stims as preventative tools. For a list of stimming ideas, see my resources page.

“The Right to an Education”, Article Typed by Non-Verbal Autistic Piano Student with Dyspraxia

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NICOLAS JONCOUR

NICOLAS JONCOUR

Article typed by Nicolas Joncour, Piano Student

[First appeared in ZOOM Autism Through Many Lenses magazine, Issue 9, p. 20]

A decent life in France is practically impossible for an autistic student, especially if you are nonverbal like me. In special schools there is no real education, and the psychiatric hospital remains the norm. As my mother encounters more and more difficulties to enroll me in a normal school, the only solution to an equal opportunity is maybe to leave France. I want to go to university to study the Holocaust as people with disabilities are still destined to horrific fates.

My hope is to study history and the Holocaust, a subject that has intrigued me for almost six years. Specifically, Operation T4, which is the eradication of the people with disabilities by the Nazis. Perhaps the Holocaust interests me because I feel the discrimination in relation to my disability. The eyes of others are like deportation camps without return for me.

Without my mother I would likely be in a psychiatric hospital. The right to education definitely remains the domain of utopia. The more I grow, the more I realize I do not have my place in society. I have to fight to deserve to dream. My disability, autism and dyspraxia, makes me look like a mentally-challenged person. People talk to me as if I am a small child, and they watch my gestures as if I am a monster.

The reality is that all their looks are like the slam of a cattle wagon door. My connections towards the victims of Operation T4 are very strong, and my reality joins their fatal destiny. I have faith that helps me, and God gives me so much love that I do not feel alone. I think I have the right to denounce my condition and my social discrimination as long as I would suffer of it. The right to a dignified life is my fight, and I recently joined the ENIL Youth Network to create change. Nonverbal autistic people demand recognition of their right to a real education.

My life would be rather simple if people would consider me as a person rather than a thing to eradicate. I want my intelligence to be recognized without having to meet the low expectations of people who doubt me. The peculiarity of my disability is that I understand very well what kind of people I have to deal with. The inability to defend myself makes me vulnerable to all attacks. Not being able to express oneself orally is a very hard way to live.

People do not consider my written prose without doubt. Not even my relatives who do not understand autism. To be recognized, mentalities must change, and the way we move, having no eye contact and no speech, shouldn’t exclude us from living a fulfilled life. For this to happen, we need the right to education, an education which mustn’t be negotiable and should be accessible to all.

Nicolas Joncour is a 16-year-old nonverbal autis­tic student who types. He lives in France and is homeschooled and in mainstream school for a few hours per week.

Follow him on Facebook and visit his blog.