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Medical Video: Autism: Teaching Yes and No
Knowing your child has autism is an experience that can turn your life around as a parent and individual, as well as an active member of society.
Autism is an invisible disease - a condition that can paralyze the sufferer, but can not provide any physical guidance other than the difficulty of engaging in social interaction and communication, which is often misinterpreted as a behavior problem. Parents or caregivers of someone who has autism may have to deal with strange sneers and gazes from people who do not understand how autistic children act and behave. This kind of reaction can make sufferers and their families reluctant to leave home.
However, reported from WebMD, research shows that parents of children who have autism can still get emotional and mental peace, and at the same time also have strong ties with their children. The study concluded that mothers with children with autism were five times more likely to have a close relationship with their children compared to groups of mothers with children who had other types of developmental disorders.
There is hope and help behind every difficulty. Consider the following strategies for arming you when overcoming special challenges, and feeling the excitement and pride of raising a child who has autism.
First and foremost, we must stop trying to improve the "disability" of children and begin to create conditions that can help a child's brain do a better job.
1. Lots of learning
Learn as much as you can about autism and be actively involved in treatment will be a long-term benefit for your child's development.
Because the signs and symptoms of this chronic disease often change, treatment strategies will be designed according to the needs of children and human resources in the family. With so many variations and types of autism treatment available, it should be understood that there is no one treatment that works effectively for everyone.
Everyone who has autism is unique, with different strengths and weaknesses. However, in general, autistic children respond best to specific and structured treatments. A therapy program that involves a combination of assistance for parents and increased aspects of communication, social skills, adaptation, and learning from a child will provide the best results for the child.
Talk to your doctor about what treatment programs are best for your child's condition and goals for educational services so that you and your child can take advantage of all available resources.
Enrich your knowledge and other family members around autism so that you understand the symptoms and behavior, as well as the different treatments or alternative therapies that are possible. The main goal of treatment and therapy is to improve the quality of children's general skills to develop and function to meet their maximum capacity.
Always communicate your plans and ideas with a team of professionals and other parents who have been stuck in the same situation as you. In addition, find out and understand public policy so that you can be the guardian of your child in obtaining the best opportunities for education and health services.
2. Give structure and stability
Autistic children need uniformity and familiarity. He or she will have difficulty adapting what information they have learned in one situation (for example from a therapist's office or school) to another different situation, including home. For example, in school he might be used to using sign language to communicate, but never did it at home.
Creating a consistent environment is the best way to encourage children's learning. Find out what your child's therapist is doing to help her condition and do the same at home. Explore the possibility of having a therapeutic system that is carried out in various places in order to hone the child's ability to divert and store information he can from one place to another. Also important, is consistent in the way you interact with your child and control bad behavior.
3. Design a detailed daily schedule
Autistic children tend to put out their best when they have a daily schedule that is designed in detail from time to time, and the consistency of the type of routine that it does. Once again, this is related to the consistency and familiarity aspects needed by these children with special needs.
Design a daily schedule of children with regular meal, bath, therapy, school and sleep times. Try to keep the unexpected disturbances or changes as little as possible. If there are sudden changes that cannot be contested, prepare the child as early as possible.
4. Appreciate good behavior
Praise and appreciation for a success he achieves will be very beneficial for an autistic child, so make sure you give praise every time he does something good (for example, completing a difficult therapy session or learning something new) and obeying your rules. Show how good behavior leads to positive results, while doing as little as possible to give a negative reaction to the child's innocence.
In addition, look for other alternative rewards that you can show for him, such as giving a star sticker every time you finish therapy or letting him play with his favorite toy.
5. Look for nonverbal ways to communicate
Communicating with an autistic child is a challenge in itself, but there are many other communication methods that do not require you to talk to your child to understand it. How you look at it, touch it, and how your tone and gestures when you are with it indicate your communication process with him. Your child also communicates with you in the same way, even if he never says a single word. You only need to understand the language.
If you are aware and observant, you can learn to catch nonverbal cues used by children to communicate. Pay attention to the type of sound they make, and the body movements they use when tired, hungry, or need something.
Like children in general, children with autism will also feel angry when they feel their intentions are misinterpreted or ignored. When an autistic child starts acting up, often this is caused by your lack of understanding of the nonverbal instructions they show. Tantrum is their way of telling you they feel frustrated and want to get your attention.
6. Creative in designing personal therapy
Regardless of the therapeutic needs, autistic children also need to relieve fatigue and have fun as children. Schedule playing time when your child is at his best. Find out various effective ways to have fun together by paying attention to things that can make your child smile, laugh, and relax. Your child will be more likely to enjoy these activities if they do not seem like obligations or therapeutic.
Many children with autism also have hypersensitivity to light, sound, touch, taste, and smell - while others can be far less sensitive to sensory stimuli. Find out what sights or images, sounds, smells, movements, other sensory sensations that can trigger it show bad or destructive behavior and anything that can cause a positive reaction on him. Also pay attention to what makes your child stressed, calm, uncomfortable, and happy.
If you understand what can affect your child, you will be better at solving problems, preventing situations that can trigger problems, and creating a home environment that is in harmony with children's development.
Finally, caring for a child with autism can be very tiring, both physically and mentally. You don't need to go through this alone. You have many support groups and consultancy bodies that you can make your shoulders lean on in difficult times. Also, it's important to take care of yourself - running away from a tiring routine. It doesn't hurt to pamper yourself once a week in the midst of caring for your child.
