Microscopic Progress is STILL Progress...

"Do not fear growing slowly, so long as you are not standing still."

I am so excited about one of my students with autism and her progress with piano lessons. Now a regular teacher who is used to "normal" students may look at the months of lessons with this student and would probably say to me one of two things: "Wow, you're a bad teacher." or "This doesn't seem to be going anywhere, why bother?"

Thank goodness I'm not such a teacher and having experience with students with autism, I can recognize small small changes in their behavior or ability that signal amazing progress to me and to the parents.

The achievement I am bragging on her behalf about is that, although she hasn't learned "notes" yet (only letters) nor really learned her first song well in a couple of months, this amazing (and very positive and intelligent) girl has made a big transition on a couple of songs. I can now ask her to look at the paper herself and press the letters she sees without me pointing at each individual letter. And she gets it 95% right most of the time! (Sometimes her finger lands on the wrong key or she skips a letter.) But to me this is a FANTASTIC step in the right direction. It shows me that she can focus long enough visually and coordinate her hands with her eyes correctly to get through a song like Mary Had a Little Lamb. This creates independence and will allow her to practice on her own, not relying on an adult to point the way.

So I just wanted to share this wonderful experience with anyone who may think of teaching piano to children with autism. It's a reminder that you have to take them as individuals who show progress in their own unique way and the best teachers are super-attuned to it when it does happen. The worst is when such a student is trying their hardest (and making microscopic progress) but the teacher gives up and moves on to students that are more teachable.