Positive Pairing

If the person who is leading the intervention is not the child’s parent or other person whom the child knows well and likes, the intervener must first positively pair themselves with the child. In other words, a teacher, therapist, support worker, or respite provider, must be liked by the child. This means that before intervention begins, the instructor needs to get to know the child, build rapport, and be viewed positively by the child with autism. Several "sessions" of play should take place and during this time no demands should be placed on the child. He should be free to play with the toys and activities he enjoys and the instructor should play passively alongside him. The time invested in this exercise will be well spent. When instructors choose to "dive" right into instruction without this step in pairing, the results can be detrimental to the learning process.