I is for INTEGRATION

How important is INTEGRATION for a Gifted Mind?

In my opinion, there is not a strong enough word that I know to express how important I feel it is.  It is nearly as important as knowing you child's triggers and how to handle them.

I use INTEGRATION all the time, especially if my child is going some place new.

My first step is to see if there is a leader of the group, a teacher, parent, etc. and introduce my child to them.  I let them know that, yes, my child has... and may have an issue at some point.

Next I walk my child over to a group that maybe my child has expressed a desire to be a part of.  This is very rare for an Asperger's child like mine, but can happen; usually I have to ask do you want to play with (blank) and not mention the children (if any) that are around or playing with (blank).  I introduce my child to another child, if any, and ask for their name in return for my child, as most likely my child will not even acknowledge the presence of the other child.

The final step is to walk away and allow for whatever is to happen, happen.

That is the very basic and straight forward steps for any parent on INTEGRATING a child into a situation. However, there are steps that take place on a one on one basis before getting to that situation.

Depending on the age will depend on how much can be understood and how you approach the discussion, but you have to have a talk beforehand. I will use going to a new daycare as my example.  That talk could go something like this:

Parent: Mommy has to go to work tomorrow do you know what that means?
Child: No.
Parent: That means you get to go play with some new friends.  Mommy won't be there but there will be a nice lady named _____, who will be there to take care of you.

It is best to have some variant of this talk everyday for as long as is necessary for your child leading up to and the day of implementation.  If it is a daycare situation then see if you can take your child for an hour or so as like a play date while you are there giving your child the ability to get to know the place and adults that he/she will be around with the security of you there if there is a meltdown.  This will lesson the anxiety that some children have.