More Recess!

​Last weekend I wrote about all that I’ve learned from people with autism. Many of you have shared your personal insights, which I am eager to include in the upcoming weeks. Today, I want to share something I learned from my 5-year-old son yesterday.
 
Noah is an early riser. So before church, after I put dinner in the crock pot, we were playing a board game while the rest of the family slept. As players advance around the board, they are given opportunities to answer questions about various scenarios and how they feel or how they would respond. Noah got the question, “A child is being very loud in the classroom. What should the teacher do?” Noah grinned and answered in a bold, matter-of-fact manner, “Take him outside for recess so he can make even more noise!”
 
I wonder how many of us would have initially considered a form of punishment; a way to restrain the student’s noise and movement for the sake of the other students in the room, or even for the teacher’s desire to maintain order.
 
Yet Noah’s response reminded me that kids are noisy for a reason! Sometimes the best response might be to recognize that their behavior is often communicating a need, and meeting that need should be a top priority.
 
Thanks to Noah’s insights—and to all of yours—I continue to learn every day. I hope you will join me in being incited toward greater effectiveness in our interactions with others!