Master-Apprentice Relationship

According to the American Heritage Desk Dictionary, the word apprentice is defined as “one who learns a trade from a skilled master; or a beginner.” I find both definitions relevant to the work I do every day, as well as the way I think about learning in relation to remediation of autism spectrum disorders or related neurological disorders.

Apprenticeship on the job training has been around for hundreds of years, since the Middle Ages. The idea of ​​learning itself has been around for much longer than that, since the dawn of history. Humans have been learning from the “masters” forever, and it is what allows the human race to survive. Parents learn their children who learn their children, and so on. This transmission of basic survival skills is not what we might traditionally think of as a master/mentee relationship; but in reality it is learning in its most basic and necessary form.

We tend to think of apprentices in relation to job training, or within education, or the workforce. While this form of training is the backbone of most occupations, apprenticeship is used in many places and for many purposes. If you go back to the definition at the beginning of this article, it states that an apprentice is someone who is learning a trade from a master. When I think about this, I take the meaning of the word “trade” lightly. Commerce could mean skill, task, or concept. When thought of this way, learning applies to almost everything we learn throughout our lives.

When was the last time you were an apprentice or teacher? I often find myself in both positions. Sometimes I even get caught as master and apprentice of the same task. As I continue to learn, I begin to pass on my knowledge and discoveries to someone else. I’m sure all of you have had this experience too. Let’s face it, there are some things we’ll never fully master, but we know enough to take a learner and start guiding them to a new level of understanding.

In my profession, I am in the unique position of being both a teacher and a learner. I spend most of my days guiding parents through the remedial process with their child with an autism spectrum disorder or related neurological disorder. But I also often find myself making new discoveries and expanding my skills even though I am in the role of teacher. This guidance and learning is based on the teacher/learner relationship that is not unique to parents of children with disabilities, but is inherent in parenting. Therefore, I guide parents who are also in the position of being teachers and learners.

When parents are in the lead, they spend their time guiding their child to new discoveries within the safety of their trusting relationship. Parents support their children in learning new things, teaching step by step until the child feels competent and ready to assume greater independence. So what is this teacher/learner relationship like between a parent and a child? The following is an example of how a parent would guide his child in learning to make a peanut butter and jelly sandwich, steps he would use to encourage competence and independence.

• The parent has all the necessary materials ready and begins by making the child responsible for helping to get the bread out of the bag and onto the plate. The father encourages the discovery that he needs the bread first by talking to the boy about what the first step would be. The parent can then have the child choose the next item and help open the peanut butter or jelly. At this stage, the parent can have the child watch as he spreads each ingredient.
• As the child becomes proficient with the steps above, the parent adds the step of spreading the ingredients. The parent can start by using hand over hand to assist the child and gradually withdraw the hand as the child feels competent.
• The parent then allows the child to make his own sandwich, but stands by to offer any help or reminders.
• The final stage sees the child able to make their own sandwich independently, without the support or supervision of a parent.

Each of the above stages can be broken down into even smaller steps, depending on the child’s ability; but the idea is that the child develops skills, makes discoveries and develops independence under the guidance of a trusted parent. It should also be noted that each stage must be practiced several times before moving on to the next step. Guides want to develop competencies in their trainees before expanding the level of independence.

Many parents do this type of counseling on a daily basis, without even realizing what they are doing. Each of these teacher/learner experiences is what fosters our children’s independence and quality of life. This same type of teacher/learner relationship is what we use in remediation of autism spectrum disorders through the RDI® program. The only difference may be the amount of support and/or the time it takes to master a task.