Davis Stepping Stones 1 and 2 

Who is the program for?

Children with autism under the age of eight.

Autistic people of any age with very limited (or no) speech.

The program consists of four stages.

 

1: Support Person Tools

 

Each support person (parent, teacher, etc.) learns two mental strategies to help them stay calm and relaxed while working with the child. These tools are called “Release” and “Scale.”

Release helps relieve stress, tension, or anxiety. Autistic people are often very sensitive to the environment and the emotions of people around them. If we feel anxious, we can unwittingly increase their anxiety. By staying calm, we create a comfortable environment for the child and improve their receptivity to learning.

The Energy Dial helps regulate energy levels and maintain positive interactions with the child.

 

2: Self-Awareness

 

The child (participant) is guided through a process that helps them become more present in the world, develop accurate perceptions, and become aware of themselves as a separate individual.

This process includes:

Auditory Orientation – the participant listens to a specially designed sound through headphones before the program begins and, if necessary, during the sessions. This sound, called the "Ting Sound", was created by Ron Davis to help develop accurate, stable perceptions and awareness of their separateness from others. This sound allows the child to focus, perceive body signals, and notice the world around them.

Release – a tool for managing stress and anxiety.

Creating models of "Me", "Other", and "Others" from plasticine.

Exploring the concepts of "Me", "Other", and "Others" in real life.

 

3: Concepts for Life

 

As the child begins to better understand themselves and the world around them, they are helped to grasp basic life concepts that they may not have mastered before.

Basic concepts include:

change,

consequences,

cause and effect,

before and after.

Each concept is first explained visually and in a playful way, then the child creates a model of the concept out of play dough. For example, for the concept of change, a flat balloon might be made, which then turns into an inflated one.

 

4: Integrating Concepts into Life Experiences

 

The best way to reinforce learning is to engage the child in a variety of interesting and meaningful activities.

After modeling concepts in play plasticine, the child should learn to notice the concepts in real life, with adult support at first. This will help the child integrate the new knowledge into their identity and create an internal system of concepts that influences their thinking and behaviour.

Physical interaction with these concepts in everyday life helps the child better understand the world around him.

After successfully mastering these concepts, the child begins to show interest in the concept of time - asking questions:
"How long...?", "What will happen next...?", "When will...?".

This means that the child is ready for the second part of the program, which includes learning the following concepts:

time,

sequence (5 types),

order and disorder.

When the child reaches this stage, the parent or teacher can contact the Davis facilitator to discuss the next step.

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After completing Stepping Steps 1 and 2, it is highly recommended to complete the full Davis Approach to Autism program.

 

What changes are observed after completing the Stepping Steps program?

 

Clients who have completed the program report many positive changes. Here are just a few:

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• Improved self-perception (e.g., the child responds appropriately to pain from an injury).

• Better self-regulation (can calm down on their own).

• Fewer emotional outbursts (less tantrums).

• Decreased resistance to change.

• Willingness to try new things.

• Child begins to talk about themselves more often in the first person (“I”, “Me”).

• Development of imaginary play.

• Expanded vocabulary and speech development.

• Improved understanding of cause and effect relationships.

• Ability to follow instructions that include the concepts of “before” and “after”.

 

What program options are available?

 

Every child is unique, so there are several program options. You can choose the format that best suits your family’s needs.

Contact a Davis facilitator if you need more information or help choosing a program format,

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