The Service Family essay

Greenspan considers that the best way to treat behavioral or emotional disorders of a child is to investigate relations between parents and children and create an environment in which parents get involved into different activities with children. The main activity is art-therapy which includes such method as “floor time”. It usually takes 2-4 hours per day, during which a parent sits on the floor together with a child and tries to imitate the moves of the child without getting control over the situation. The main part of art-therapy is “projective drawing”, during which a child is given an opportunity to develop its creativity without any pressure from the side of parents. It is an effective treatment of autism and should help Li adapt to new environment, teach her cooperate with parents and Hong and become more active. At the same time art-therapy will help Li’s parents understand her personal needs and learn to communicate with her verbally and non-verbally.

On the other hand Thomas and Chess’s Temperament Theory suggests that parents are not guilty for negative reactions of a child, his poor adaptability and emotional retardation. He suggests that the adaptation to new environment depends on the temperament of a child. Thus, Li is a slow-to-warm-up child who shouldn’t be pressed by her parents to become more active at once. A child should be given an opportunity to develop according to his own temperament, gradually moving into new environment. That is why Li’s parents should not demand that she adapt quickly. They should not compare her to Hong, but wait until she is ready to become a part of a family. What seems normal to Hong might feel abnormal to Li. And if to create favorable conditions for Li’s development she will become more sensitive to her family in a short period of time.