How systematic desensitization helped this young child conquered her fears of things, slowly, and of course, reinforcement during this process, is absolutely, vital too, translated…
My young granddaughter who became too clingy to me, Yen-Yen, entered into the second year of kindergarten, and it’d been, a year since she’d started attending kindergarten now, but, before school, she’d always throw her temper tantrums, from being waken up out of bed, angrily, until to when we dropped her off at preschool, she’d started wailing; everybody from the director of the kindergarten to the classroom instructors, with an assortment of experiences in teaching, none of them could manage her, and, almost the entire school had come to know my granddaughter’s crying in school reputations!
Seeing how she’s, about to enter into her final year of kindergarten, there’s still not any sign of change in her behaviors, the whole family still worked, very hard, to help her conquer her anxieties about going to school. Her older sister even took it to herself, she’d bought a watch with Yen’s favorite character, Hello Kitty on it, and told her, that so long as she doesn’t cry when she goes to school for an entire week, then, it is hers. And yet, that watch still, lay very still, inside of her older sister’s, desk drawers.
illustration from the papers online…
One evening, as I was exercising alongside Yen in Yuanling Elementary School, she saw someone rollerblading, she recalled that her older sister started rollerblading when she was in her second year of kindergarten, plus, it’s a, once a week session, these sorts of outside curricular courses, with the coaches, and the group of children all skated together, made all of the children learn faster; last year, we’d wanted to allow Yen to try the classes, but the skates were, too big for her, it’d fitted, quite loosely on her feet, and so, we’d, dropped the thought.
When we got home, we’d found that pair of rollerblades, and, the size fitted her just right now! In a few short class sessions, she was already able to, slide in a straight lines. Seeing how the two of them, sisters skated happily alongside one another, Yen looked, more confident than she had before. She said, she was the very first student in her class who’d started rollerblading. I’d had her mother tell her teacher in private, and asked the teacher, to show her up in class, tell the class how brave she was, hoping, to use this, to alter Yen’s “crying nose syndrome” when it comes to school.
Following, I’d, taken advantage, took out the snake board, told her, that this, was a lot EASIER to do than the rollerblades, that it’s only going to take her a week’s time. She’d excitedly nodded and told me she wanted to try it, and surely enough, in no more than just a week, she’d not needed us to steady her anymore. It’s just, that as she skated on the snakeboard, she’d, bumped into a dog, even that cute school mascot, she’d, feared him so, and I’d, wondered, if this, was genetic? Because she’s not the only one who’s afraid of the dogs, her mother, and her older sister too! As young Yen saw the dog, she’d always gotten too nervous, and lose her balance, and fallen overboard. In order to change this situation, I’d, walked over to the school dog who’s resting far off when she’d gone on the swings, patted its head, then, called Yen over, to try the same too. As she saw that I’d made friends with the school pet, she became, envious, walked toward us, and in my encouragement, she’d, carefully, extended her hand, and, touched the school dog lightly with her fingertips, and, the dog wagged its tail mildly to reply to being petted by her, she’d started, smiling happily then.
Our young Yen who’s cute, but too timid, recently, made a ton of runs, to the second, and the third bases, I hope, that with these practices, before the school year’s over, she can get the Hello Kitty watch her older sister bought for her!
And so, this, is how the behavioral approach worked on this young child, because, some incentive is absolutely, necessary, for young children, and, the best way to teach a kid to not get afraid, is by introducing the stimuli that the child is afraid of, little, by little, into the child’s life, until s/he is, able to, cope with it completely, like this young girl is slowly, learning to like school, and stop fearing the dogs…
Life, the Obstacle Course 