What are your essential stimuli?
I'm a behavior analyst. In my current role, I work primarily with individuals who have a diagnosis of Autism Spectrum Disorder. At a very basic level, I assess their behaviors and develop research-based plans to help them learn skills to more successfully and independently interact in their natural environments. Pairing my direct experiences with reading and learning from self-advocates, I've found that a recurring element within the autism community is the different sensory experiences that often occur.
A few years back, I was working with a teenager who was struggling to learn new information presented in class. I met with him to get his take on what was happening in the class, and asked if he thought he might do better sitting closer to the front. He explained to me that he could hear the teacher well from his current seat. The problem was that he could hear everything else equally as well - the kid chewing gum three seats over, the cars driving by on the street, or a locker slamming shut down the hall. He wasn't able to distinguish which stimuli were essential and deserved focus, and which he should block out. And even if he did figure out what to attend to, he'd next have to figure out how. That was a watershed moment in my career, and forever changed the way I approached treatment with my clients.
That conversation continues to resonate with me personally as well. What is essential? What does that mean? Particularly this past year, when so much has changed in such a short amount of time, it has been easy to get lost in shuffle. When there are so many things that have to "get done," the practice of being intentional about the things that you "do" fades away. So the title of my blog is a nod to my struggle in figuring out what is essential in my life. What deserves attention? Contemplation? Energy? What must I have to live? And because just living is not enough, what must I have in order to live fully?
Often people rattle off typical categories - God, family, friends, work, etc. Daily life doesn't happen in large categories though. It happens in a million tiny moments, and you have to decide which of those moments stay with you, and which you let go. You have to decide what you'll participate in, who you'll talk to - what you're willing to trade time for. If you're not careful, those decisions start to become less deliberate. You start to go through the motions, and that's no way to live. This blog is the start of me getting into the weeds, and sorting out the essential stimuli in my life. "Slow down. Look around. Take in."
I hope that at the very least, it helps you consider what's essential to you, and how you can cultivate that.
A few years back, I was working with a teenager who was struggling to learn new information presented in class. I met with him to get his take on what was happening in the class, and asked if he thought he might do better sitting closer to the front. He explained to me that he could hear the teacher well from his current seat. The problem was that he could hear everything else equally as well - the kid chewing gum three seats over, the cars driving by on the street, or a locker slamming shut down the hall. He wasn't able to distinguish which stimuli were essential and deserved focus, and which he should block out. And even if he did figure out what to attend to, he'd next have to figure out how. That was a watershed moment in my career, and forever changed the way I approached treatment with my clients.
That conversation continues to resonate with me personally as well. What is essential? What does that mean? Particularly this past year, when so much has changed in such a short amount of time, it has been easy to get lost in shuffle. When there are so many things that have to "get done," the practice of being intentional about the things that you "do" fades away. So the title of my blog is a nod to my struggle in figuring out what is essential in my life. What deserves attention? Contemplation? Energy? What must I have to live? And because just living is not enough, what must I have in order to live fully?
Often people rattle off typical categories - God, family, friends, work, etc. Daily life doesn't happen in large categories though. It happens in a million tiny moments, and you have to decide which of those moments stay with you, and which you let go. You have to decide what you'll participate in, who you'll talk to - what you're willing to trade time for. If you're not careful, those decisions start to become less deliberate. You start to go through the motions, and that's no way to live. This blog is the start of me getting into the weeds, and sorting out the essential stimuli in my life. "Slow down. Look around. Take in."
I hope that at the very least, it helps you consider what's essential to you, and how you can cultivate that.
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