Bus Rides

My daughter thinks it is just the funnest thing riding the school bus. Yesterday, she glowed so big as she stepped off & as I took a photo! I wanted to know all about her first day at kindergarten, but all she wanted to discuss was how she loved the bus and that she sat next to one of the neighborhood girls. As I watched her "climb aboard" early this morning I stopped to think of how hard it is for some of the kids I work with to get on/off a school bus for preschool or to ride public transportation buses/subways. It takes balance (climbing steps, sitting in seat, and maneuvering between aisles/ seats), ability to wait in line, sensory processing (not getting motion sickness, not being bothered by visual input out of window and within bus, not being bothered by noises or the touch of anothe kid on the seat next to them, discrimination, alertness, self-regulation), sequencing and problem-solving (when to get off of the bus or when to stay seated, timing ( the exact timing to step up and walk or wait for door to close/ open), language (to talk to peers or bus driver), receptive communication (listen to peers, follow verbal instructions given by bus driver or other staff), attention span, & social skills. What a list! But so many of the kids with developmental disabilities such as autism (ASD), cerebral palsy, and other diagnoses have such a hard time in all of these areas! The bus ride is like therapy in which it gives these children opportunities throughout the school year to make progress in all of these areas of development!