Son-Rise

WHAT IS THE SON-RISE PROGRAMME?

The Son-Rise programme was developed by Mr and Mrs Kaufman after their young son Raun Kaufman was diagnosed with Autism at 18 months. After looking for programmes to help their son and finding nothing the Kaufmans decided to develop their own home-based programme which gradually evolved into the Son-Rise programme.

The Son-Rise programme offers highly effective techniques for designing and maintaining a home-based programme for autistic children.

THE THEORY BEHIND SON-RISE

There are four underlying principles to the Son-Rise programme:

• The importance of having a loving and accepting attitude. The first basic idea is that children with learning difficulties arising out of Autism should not to be viewed negatively. People should be accepting of the child’s behaviourisms. Parents are advised to demonstrate their acceptance of these behaviourisms and in this way, encourage their child to interact. The theory is that the child will work better and become more interactive when they feel that the adult is comfortable with them and accepting of their particular needs.
• The ‘gift’ of a special child. Parents are encouraged to see their child as a ‘gift’, and to respond to them as such.
• The parents are the child’s best resource. Son-Rise believe that parents are the people who understand their child the best and their role in the child’s development is pivotal and should not be underestimated as it is sometimes with other programmes.
• The child as teacher. The pace of a Son-Rise programme and its content is always directed by the child themselves.  This means that others participants (often known as facilitators) have to join the child in his or her world e.g. by mimicking their behaviourisms.  This activity is directed at gaining the child trust.

As trust is gained and the adult is led into the child’s world, the child’s motivation can be used as a teaching tool, simplifying every activity to which the child directs the adult and breaking it down so that the child can better understand it.

Alongside these basic principles the Son-Rise programme also advocates a number of other approaches for dealing with autistic children. For instance, it teaches that parents need to be aware of their child’s sensitivity to sound and find out which level of pitch their child is most responsive to.  Another recommendation is to limit language so the child knows what to focus on.  For example, instead of asking: 'Do you want some food?' it is better to say, 'Food?'

HAVING THE RIGHT ENVIRONMENT

The Son-Rise programme places much importance on having the right environment in which to work with an autistic child. A distraction free playroom is integral to the functioning of the Son-Rise programme. The theory is that children are more likely to process information and interact with others where there are fewer distractions around them. It is also recommended that food and toys are kept out of reach of the child.

Another key aspect of the play room is that there should be only one other person in the room. As a result the whole playroom is then centred on the child and therefore the environment is very predictable.  By making the child’s environment more predictable the child is then unlikely to retreat into their behaviourisms as a coping mechanism and should instead develop trust in their environment and the person working with them.

PROS AND CONS OF SON RISE

There are both pros and cons of using a Son-Rise programme as with any home based education programme. Often the greatest advantage is that the child spends a lot of time with their parents and there are many advocates of its use. However, the sheer volume of one-to-one attention which is required under the programme means that others (including trained facilitators and volunteers) are often required to help. Parents often have the task of recruiting and retaining enough people to help run the programme successfully. This can be difficult particularly in holiday periods and often parents are left to cover providing many hours of the programme themselves which can place a huge burden on them.

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Although the information we have provided here is meant to be helpful to you, Douglas Silas Solicitors cannot be held responsible for any damage or loss caused by any inaccuracy or reliance placed upon it. If you have any concerns about your child, you should seek professional educational or healthcare advice as soon as possible.