empower. encourage. expect.
HOW THIS MUSIC HELPS YOUR CHILDREN
Having an autistic or special needs kid always has its own share of difficulties. The goal of these songs is to help out with some of the difficult situations that we, as parents of autistic children, face every day.
These songs do this by reaching the kids in a way that they will accept. Most of the songs The Aus-Sums perform teach autistic and special needs children how to function in different situations they don’t understand or have a hard time controlling.
Autistic children don’t always understand why they feel what they’re feeling or why they are going through the things they experience. It doesn’t matter how many times you try to explain to them what is happening or how to handle what they’re going through, they just don’t understand.
When children are introduced to ideas through music they are more apt to accept it because it is coming in a form they enjoy. The conscious brain doesn’t allow unfamiliar ideas in, but music is familiar. This way the ideas introduced can be accepted by their subconscious and therefore become part of their everyday coping mechanisms.
Parents can also use these songs to prompt their children to make correct decisions in different situations.
The following paragraphs describe the benefits and purposes of our songs.
"WHAT SHOULD I DO"
This song is designed to give autistic and special needs children coping mechanisms for over sensory. When an autistic or special needs child experiences over sensory they can do things like hit their head on things, with their own hand or even other people. They may also just get overwhelmed and have a melt down.
This song gives them activities they can do to deal with the over sensory problem. By repetition and a fun rhythm they will begin to get used to these words. When an issue presents itself they will then in turn be able to know what to do because of this song. If they don’t use the techniques in this song automatically, it gives the parent a tool to use. By just saying,”what should I do”, the child will think of the song and therefore be able to use effective techniques to deal with their situation.
"DANCING ON THE CLOUDS"
This song is meant to just be fun and get children up and active. It also acts as a type of break from the learning songs. The goal of our music is to have the children listen to them as much as possible. By having some fun songs like this, we are able to let them just have fun.
Seemingly this is just another fun song, but it was written with a purpose. Since some autistic and other special needs kids have impulse control issues, we have given them the ability to control their speech a little. I have personally faced this issue with my autistic son.
When a child is upset they are not always able to control what comes out of their mouth. They will repeat phrases that stick out to them from movies, show, or even out in public. Instead of just saying something I would prefer my son not to say when he is upset, I have him say lala. It is a fun way to redirect the anger and try to control some generally unwelcomed language.
"THE LALA SONG"
"SNIP SNOP CHOP CHOP"
I don’t know if I have talked to one parent that has not at some point had a problem cutting their kids hair or nails. This is especially true with autistic and special needs children.
This song can make cutting hair and nails a fun thing. It reassures the children that it will not hurt. It tells them that it needs to be done for hygienic and safety reasons. When you know you are going to cut your child's hair or nails play them this song, or even more fun, sing it with them while they are being groomed. You can even explain the words to them again reassuring them that it will not hurt.
Again this song covers another common issue with general ed and special needs children. I don’t know how many times I have been coughed and sneezed on. Even worse how many times my children have used me as a human tissue.GROSS!
With this song we are reminding your children in a fun way to cover up when they sneeze and cough. We explain to them that germs can spread from coughing, sneezing, and runny noses. We also explain that it doesn’t just affect them, but it can hurt other people by making them sick as well.