Well, we just started using Time4Learning.com which is an online curriculum with interactive tutorials and games. I will post an actual review after we have used it for a while since today is our first day. Anyways, my eldest has always had "issues" with the song "Happy Birthday" literally his whole life. When he was little we had to whisper the song at birthday parties or listen to him scream bloody murder. This was actually one of our first clues that he might have autism. Now for about two years now, he has been able to tolerate the singing at parties and even has started to sing along within the past year.
Now here comes this interactive tutorial about President's Day....The tutorial starts off by loudly singing guess what? "Happy Birthday" to the presidents. Having that song sung unexpectedly threw my big guy into a meltdown. He turned the laptop around and yelled at it in tears. Thankfully none of the other music or animation on the site has bothered him thus far, and he did calm down after it was over and I gave him a hug and turned down the volume. We will see how it goes from here on out. He seems to enjoy the other parts of the program. It's just a reminder that he might be getting better at managing certain issues related to his diagnosis, but they are still there lingering in the background waiting to catch him off guard. It is also a reminder to take your child's sensory issues into consideration when choosing a program or curriculum. Bright characters and colors might look fun but may be too much for your child to process all at once. However, I do think this program looks awesome, and he does seem to like most of it. We also may be able to adapt using the mute button on such occasions in the future.
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