Supporting children with Autism

This article is based on a video (in Hindi) by Jai Vakeel Foundation that shares tips on effectively supporting children with autism at home.

Prioritise Health

1. Before working with your child with autism, it is important to take care of both your child’s and your health.
2. Visit your doctors and make sure that your child is healthy and fit. Underlying conditions may result in physical discomfort to the child.

Communicate with your child

1. Help the child understand things and situations around him. Explain to them in simple terms about what they and others around them are doing. This can be done by verbal or non-verbal modes of communication.
2. Understanding and awareness of their surroundings will help reduce uncertainty and associated anxiety.

Visual Tools

1. Children with autism work well with a set routine and predictability. 
2. Therefore, using visual aids like visual schedules will help them go through the day with greater sense of control, thereby preventing the child being overwhelmed by changes or unknown scenarios.
3. While making a visual schedule, make sure to create the routine while including activities of the child’s interest and preferences. This will motivate and reinforce the child to participate and complete other tasks as well.

Repeat the activities and build the child’s skills

1. Once you introduce a new activity to your child, it is important to keep working with them, till they achieve the skill. 
2. Do not try to introduce a new task till an already introduced skill is achieved.
3. Once a determined goal is achieved, practice and make sure he can carry out  the task unaided.

Engage the child meaningfully

1. Make sure the child is engaged in different activities.
2. There is no need for elaborate table top activities each time.
3. Day to day household chores can be used to keep the child busy while teaching a new skill
4. Carrying out household chores can foster independence, while teaching life skills and doing tasks based on their skill set boosts confidence as well.

Home environment

1. It is important that the entire family works and engages with the child. This will benefit the child as well as prevent the burden of care on a single person.
2. Make sure the home environment is based on the child’s sensory sensitivities, For example the child should work in a place with no loud sounds or bright lights.

Have fun

1. Make sure the child has regular breaks and engages in activities that the child enjoys.
2. Soft music, dance and games can keep the child engaged as well happy
3. Make sure the child gets enough physical exercise during the day, this will keep the child fit and active

Tips to calm the child down

1. Soft music may help soothe the child
2. Teach the child to take deep breaths to calm themselves
3. Create a space at home, where the child can work or unwind
4. If the child is sensitive to loud sounds, try using headphones to cancel out the external sounds

Screentime for children

Make sure the child uses laptops or tablets only for a fixed amount of time everyday. The given time can be used to play educational games on observed apps

Self soothing techniques

Techniques to calm an overwhelmed child include:

1. Taking deep breaths,
2. Counting
3. Take sips of water
4. Make sure the child gets a daily dose of physical activity 

Communication

Many children with autism communicate differently.

1. It is therefore important to teach the child to use the different modes of communication – verbal or non-verbal
2. If a child is not interested in doing an activity, teach them to either say ‘no’ or use a picture card to communicate ‘no’. This will help develop an understanding and prevent the child being frustrated
3. Similarly, the child can be taught to communicate his wants or needs. This can be either through speech where the child can use their words to ask what they want.
4. They can also be taught to use gestures or sign language to convey what they want.
5. Communication boards with relevant pictures are also effective tools that the child can use to communicate what he wants

Supporting an overwhelmed child

1. Try to reduce situations that may result in the child being frustrated or overwhelmed
2. Try to remain calm and use a soft voice if the child is anxious and upset
3. Remove anything that may be harmful to the child
4. Have a safe space for the child to calm down by practicing self calming techniques
5. Do not try to correct the child when they are upset.
6. Certain mannerisms may be an attempt to draw the parents’ attention. In such situations, ignore the behaviour and not the child. Continue doing whatever activity you were doing with the child.
7. Acknowledge and appreciate positive behaviour.

Self stimulating behaviours

1. Self stimulating behaviour or stimming is a coping mechanism for many children with autism, where they indulge in certain activities to help calm themselves in situations that may be overwhelming or in cases of sensory overload
2. Never try to stop the child 
3. Do not scold or shout at the child
4. If you feel that the stimming behaviour may result in any harm to the child or others, first remove anything that may hurt the child or people around him
5. Help calm the child down using alternate calming techniques

The above mentioned tips can help you support your child with autism.

Please remember, scolding or using harsh words, using punishment to attempt to ‘correct’  a child should not be done. This will only create a sense of fear and anxiety in the child and will not be helpful to the child in any way.

Following a routine consistently, using different ways -verbal and non verbal- to communicate, calming behaviours and above all a loving and caring environment will help your child thrive.

If you have questions about Autism, Down Syndrome, ADHD, or other intellectual disabilities, or have concerns about developmental delays in a child, the Nayi Disha team is here to help. For any questions or queries, please contact our FREE Helpline at 844-844-8996. You can call or what’s app us. Our counselors speak different languages including English, Hindi, Malayalam, Gujarati, Marathi, Telugu, and Bengali.

Disclaimer

This article is for informational and educational purposes only. It is not a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Always seek the guidance of a qualified healthcare professional with any questions you may have regarding your child’s development or medical condition.