In Strasbourg, this father is looking for volunteers willing to participate in the development of his son, who has mild autism.
Foued, 37, is the father of 3-year-old Abdallah.
Last February, the family learned that the little boy had an autism spectrum disorder.
A few days ago, this dad posted a rather peculiar announcement on his Facebook account.
He is looking for at least 35 volunteers per week who agree to participate in the awakening of his son by playing with him. “Volunteers must take turns every 1h30 in the games room”
A game-based development method
The family is followed by Autism Hope Towards School (AEVE), an association, made up entirely of volunteers, promoting the “3i method”, a technique for treating autism.
This method was born in 2004, when Catherine de la Presle developed tips for treating her grandson Augustin, suffering from autism spectrum disorders. It was then inspired by the Sun-Rise method, developed shortly before by two American psychoanalysts. The principle is simple: awaken the autistic child through non-directive games and create an exchange through imitation.
- This method is intensive because it stimulates the child all day, every day, so that he does not lock himself “in his bubble”.
- She is individual because the child is isolated and benefits from the full attention of volunteers, face to face.
- Finally, she is interactive because it is about capturing the child’s attention through activities and playful exchanges that he chooses himself.
“Overall, the method consists of arranging a neutral room for the child with specific toys that will help him to develop” indicates dad, interviewed by News Strasbourg.
Progress step by step on the way to school
“The first phase consists in imitating the child to show him that others exist because autistic people do not have the need to imitate. However, when we do not imitate, we do not learn”, develops the father of little Abdallah. The playful exchange and imitation will particularly stimulate mirror neurons, brain cells that play a role in learning and in the creation of social bonds. Once this first step is successful, we try to get the child to imitate the adult in turn.
“The second phase consists of reducing the hours in the games room, in order to mix them with outings outside”, Foued continues. He adds : “This allows us to see if he manages to endure the world around him, because autistic people are very receptive to it: they can hear a cry ten times louder than us, for example “.
Finally, the third and final step concerns the return to school. “A return to school which can be done in a group, with the possibility of learning like other children in order to find a social life and not to be obliged to go to a specialized institute “, details Foued, sports educator in life.
“The 3i method allows each child to evolve and grow. There is hope for all families ” said Josette Domingos, president of the Lud’Eveil association.
Every little bit of progress is a step towards victory.
If you want to help Abdallah and his family, you can contact Foued on 06 46 00 33 54.
Pauline Gaudry
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