Any time someone is learning something new, they go through certain phases.

The first phase is 'unconscious incompetence'. This is where we don't know what we don't know. In this phase, we may not even realize how much the things we don't know are holding us back.

The second phase is 'conscious incompetence'. This is where we become aware of what we don't know. In this phase, we start to realize how what we don't know is keeping us from what we want.

This phase is HARD. It requires us to acknowledge what we don't know, and in order to move forward we have to seek help.

This is where a lot of kids have a hard time when it comes to social skills. They have become aware of what they don't know (they don't know how to make friends, they don't know how to talk to other kids, they don't know how to regulate their emotions, etc) but they don't know what to do differently.

Accepting help means changing and growing. It means letting go of some things and being willing to try new things. It means not always getting it right and being willing to try again.

In this week's podcast/YouTube episode, I'm sharing everything that went on during our second week of summer camp.

There were challenges, there were frustrations, there were big emotions and frustrations and disappointments.

And there were huge wins! And the wins only come as a result of all the challenges.

Here's a clip from the episode:

There are definitely times, especially for new students, where when they first come to Starfish, it is a lot because this is the kind of stuff we do. As I say, this is why we're here. So some kids go home having had a rough day or a rough week when they first start, because this is what we're doing. We're working on being more flexible, being more adaptable, being with a group, hanging out with other people, we've got personality conflicts. It's a group of almost exclusively autistic and ADHD kids. So if you think about your kiddo times 10, right, that's what it is. So sometimes when kids first come, it's hard. It is hard for them. Sometimes they're getting a lot of feedback from other kids and that's hard for them. Sometimes they're missing out on things and that's hard for them. Sometimes they're bothering people and the other kids don't want to play with them. But as long as we keep coming and keep working, it always, always, always gets better. Always gets better.