In the fall, Cooper started riding a bicycle (with training wheels). This was super exciting and now that the weather is nice again we are back outside and he is getting braver. He and Ben love to go to the top of our street and “Wheeeee!” down the hill. I have been trying like crazy to get him to ride his bike along the side of the road, instead of down the center of the street. (We have no sidewalks) I stand in the driveway and call out “Go along the side of the road!” Or I ride with him, talking the whole way about staying on the side. My husband and I are getting quite concerned about his not riding along the side of the road. Yesterday, as I was shouting “Move to the side! Cooper – MOVE-TO-THE-SIDE!” A very small lightbulb went off in my head, as it sometimes does.
As he came back past the house, I asked him to get off the bike. I walked him to the middle of the street and asked a question… “Cooper, is this the side of the road?” He replied, “Yes. Side.”
Then I took him to the side of the rroad and asked, “Is THIS the side of the road?” He replied, “Yes. Side.”
Then I took him onto the grass and asked, “Is THIS the side of the road?” Once again he replied, “Yes. Side.”
I had a sad realization. He doesn’t know what the word “side” means. *sigh*
So today, I began the process of compiling a social story about safe riding on the street; I’ll get together a diagram of some kind, maybe a model street scene to practice and asked his Speech Therapist and Classroom Assistant to join me in giving Cooper a crash course is learning some basic positioning words that maybe I assumed he knew, but didn’t realize he didn’t. Of course we’ll keep modeling the correct place to ride when we go out with him too. Any other ideas?
