Jack – Decreasing in obsessiveness of smell

Dec 12-16, 2011: Smell.

I noticed from the first day that Jack has a routine pattern: he will smell most of the things I introduced to him. WOW, even food itself, he also will smell before eating. Can you imagine if you are having a meal with a person who always bring the food near to his nose to smell and then eat it?

I have done a lot of therapies with Jack for these past days. This week I made a yeast flour play-dough for the kids in the centre to play with. Before I passed the dough to the children to play with I have taken some of the dough to turn it into a ban to steam it for the kids to taste. Kids enjoy the steam ban.

To my surprise when I introduced the yeast play-dough to Jack, he did not take it to the nose to smell it. He was able to accept the smell of the yeast with the flour. He takes the dough and put it into a cup with a spoon. He imagines it to be ice cream. This is an imaginative play, Jack has. Jack feels proud, he insisted me to allow him to bring his “ice cream” back home to share with his father. Imagination needs creativity to express itself. I eventually help him to put the cup with the dough and spoon into a plastic bag for him to bring home. Jack was happy.

How many times we as an adult will appreciate the little sweet hard work the child has done and want to show to us? Many time we as adult have forgotten the importance to show appreciation for the child’s hard work and give them a little motivation. We are too academically oriented.

Last week I made a different texture of dough. Jack has also made an ice cream to show to his father. I overheard his conversation with his father, his father praised him with “clever boy”. Such little praise will go a long way of boosting up the confidence of your child.

Rebound therapy really does wonders to the brain of Jack. His tendency to smell things near to the nose also decreased. His ability to recall the words which were taught to him also improved. His speech and vocabulary improved as well.