Facing the challenges of Autism in children

Knowing how to help a child with Autism is one of a parent's greatest challenges. Autism is an incurable condition, and a child cannot just "grow out of" it. The challenges of autism spectrum disorder are different in different children. But, there are plenty of ways you can help your child to thrive and acquire new skills.

Here are some common challenges faced by children with ASD and ideas for how to help. ‍

• Your child may be a visual thinker. He thinks in terms of pictures. So, it is easier for him to learn nouns by imagining a picture in his head. You can help by using visuals for tasks and for learning. There are lots of visuals out there to help but also just always remind yourself about "how can I show this idea in a picture form". ‍

• Children with autism have problems with remembering the sequence of verbal instructions. It is best to write it down on a piece of paper for the child to understand better. ‍

• Many autistic children like art and drawing. Apart from signs, board games, and cards, they communicate via these means and use the same to learn skills. These talents should be encouraged. ‍ ‍

• Some children can learn to read with phonics only. You can use flashcards for this purpose. For example, when teaching nouns, speak the word aloud while showing the picture with the printed word. For a verb, hold a card that says - hop, and you would hop while saying "hop". ‍

• If your child avoids eye contact. You can get him to practice using a timer and building up from a few seconds eye contact to more. ‍

• Most autistic children find sudden noises and loud sounds of alarms, buzzers, or telephone rings offensive. When children cover their ears, it indicates that certain sounds hurt them. They learn to tolerate the sound of a bell or buzzer if it is muted. Play these sounds to the children, allowing them to control the pre-recorded sound will help them get desensitized and accustomed to it. ‍

• Some nonverbal children cannot look and listen at the same time. They are unable to perform both visual and auditory tasks simultaneously. They should be given only one task at a time. ‍

• Some autistic children struggle with speech and just use grunts and noises to get what they want. Resist the urge to give in and try to encourage the use of words.
  

‍ Understanding your child, explaining autism to your child, knowing what makes him happy, and what causes him to be aggressive is very important. Be consistent and maintain activity schedules for children with autism. They follow a highly structured routine. Any changes can lead to distress and discomfort. Rewarding their good behavior besides your unconditional love and affection can help them thrive better.

You have to take care of yourself, have time to yourself and enlist the help of professionals . Catch them while they are young, the younger they are, the ore they can learn. Never give up since it is impossible to predict what will happen next in your autistic child's life. Apart from therapy, how you deal with the daily challenges in your child's life will make all the difference.

If you need professional help with your child or on working out how to deal with your own triggers, or thoughts around having an Autistic child please feel free to get in touch for a discussion.

kmrcounselling - counsellor Roselands. ‍ ‍

Knowing how to help a child with Autism is one of a parent's greatest challenges