Tip of the Week: Celebrating the 4th!
July 3, 2020
Celebrating the 4th of July is the perfect time to talk about our kids and independence! We all want our kids to be more independent so how do we teach them while keeping their stress level at baseline?
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Keep learning consistent. Even if the first 50 times you see little progress, keep at it. Repetition and consistency are the key to learning new skills.
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Celebrate every achievement even the smallest ones. Showing your child that a lot of patience and setbacks are all part of the process will set the stage for wanting to learn new skills instead of being fearful of trying something new.
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Don’t compare your child to others. Every child with PWS is different and at different levels and that’s ok. If your child is not doing the same things that another child is doing it doesn’t mean that you did something wrong or should have done something else, it simply means that your child is at a different level and that is not due to anything except biology.
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Make sure they are you child’s goals. Learning new skills should be self-driven meaning your child should be the one who shows an interest in acquiring these skills. If you are the only one wanting this to happen then it likely won’t be successful.
Children with PWS can and do accomplish extraordinary things and learning to be independent to their ability is worth all of the effort that goes into teaching these necessary skills.
Happy 4TH!!!!
Patrice Carroll, Latham Centers’ Director of PWS Services, is world-renowned for her Prader-Willi syndrome expertise. She works with Latham students and residents, their families, and other experts, continuously learning and teaching about PWS best practices. If you have PWS-related questions, we invite you to email TipTopics@LathamCenters.org.