My grandson KENAN
by Yalcin
(Bridgeport, CT USA )
Hi,
Until age 7 my grandson Kenan did not speak a word and he was wearing diapers. He did not have any characteristics of autism like constant certain motions.
During his early childhood days he was constantly watching "fantasia" animation music. Even though he did not speak a word he was able to voice the tunes. This is how we discovered his ability in music.
He has also been involved with Ice Hockey and became a perfect skater. Past two years he significantly improved his verbal communication with proper words and prononciations.
His unique characteristic of autism is "TV Talk" in otherwords he voices the characters from "Sponge Bob /Square Pants" show very often.
He started taking piano lessons 6 months ago (one session per week). He hardly finishes beyond 20 minutes of the 30 minute session. However, he has an "Exceptional ear".
During the last session the instructor played "When the saints go marching in" song for the first time and Kenan repeated the song with minor errors.
Questions:
What approach should I take to overcome his frustration?
Sincerely
Yalcin (grandfather)
Dana:
Hello Yalcin,
Your grandson is lucky to have you take such an interest in him and in his music.
There is no one-size-fits-all solution to the problem of your grandson's frustration. This is an issue which means lots of searching and trial-and-error on the part of those who love him. But there has been much helpful information written about autism and music, much of it free for the having on the internet.
Please look around at all the pages on my site regarding autism and music... I think you will find some helpful insights here, from me and especially from others. Good luck.
Dana