Today I want to talk a little about the incredible Ronda Rousey…
Incase you have no idea who I’m talking about, Ronda Rousey is a martial arts expert and athlete…
She helped bring female mixed martial arts to a mainstream audience en route to becoming the first ever UFC women’s champion.
Ronda is an amazing woman.
She is fierce…
She’s bold…
She’s strong, in every sense of the word…
And she is determined.
I recently watched a short video about Ronda where she shared that her mantra in life is “Nobody has the right to beat you.”
I mean what a kick ass thing to live by, right?!
She made me realise that confidence really is key to achieving big things.
But so many of the ASD children I’ve worked with over the years have such low confidence.
Low self esteem.
And generally low emotional well being.
And so I believe it’s up to us as their parents and carers to help them learn how to be confident.
Don’t you think?
Personally, I love helping to build a child’s self esteem and watching them grow!
Positive reinforcement is an easy way to do this. It’s so simple but can have huge benefits.
When I talk about positive reinforcement I don’t just mean saying the odd “well done” or “good job”…
I mean rewarding for “trying” to do a difficult task, eat a new food or say a new word.
Praising for beginning something new.
High five’ing for leaving the park appropriately.
Giving hugs for a saying a sentence clearly.
Or celebrating when they respond appropriately to a question.
You’ll notice loads of opportunities once you’ve got your eyes open and you’re looking out for them.
And who knows, if you keep giving positive reinforcement to your child, they may grow up to be champion too one day!
Speak with you soon until then,
Live every moment, Love beyond words and make a difference today
Emma Ottaway
The Ambitious Autism Ambassador
