Ellis is the perfect example of how task refusal/avoidance can indicate lacking skills & insecurities.
She knows what a circle is. She identified them all before I provided the crayons. But she colored the earrings first because she LOVES earrings, and it all went downhill from there.
1.) She knew she was supposed to only color the circles, so the paper was now incorrect.
2.) She said her coloring was ugly scribbles. To be fair, her grip and motor skills need work. She will probably qualify for fine motor OT next year. I know it’s a challenge for her.
Yes, my three year old gets distressed by things like that. Yes, she says these things out loud. If you watch the video, you can see her face change when she realizes the circle isn’t completely filled in. She masks with a quick “ooops” and goes back, but it’s heartbreaking to watch her obsess over something so insignificant.
She wanted me to color all of the circles for her. We took turns and I built her up each time she colored.
Ellis was pretty proud of herself when it was all said and done. But this is why behavior matters.
