Distract And Redirect Problematic Behavior Instead Of Saying Stop Or No
For example, if the child is running in the store, remind him or show him how to walk nicely. If necessary, find something interesting to show him and call his attention to it, rather than focusing on the problematic behavior. If he is running in the hall at school, redirect him back to the line, with a short directive such as, Come back to your spot in line or remind him to walk in the hallway. For children with trouble understanding language, try demonstrating what is expected or use a gesture, rather than just giving the verbal direction.
Tips For Talking To Kids With Autism
Since one of the classic symptoms of autism is a marked deficit in verbal communication abilities, a common problem for applied behavior analysts and others who work with children and even adults with Autism Spectrum Disorder is simply being able to carry on a basic conversation. Something as simple as finding out what they want for lunch or whether or not they are happy or sad or indifferent about their current school assignment can be nearly impossible to find out if you rely on normal conversational methods.
But dont let that stop you!
There are ways to have conversations with autistic kids and you can make them easier by keeping the following tips in mind.
We Are Incredibly Lonely
For all of the reasons already listed, its easy to see why being the parent of a child on the Autism Spectrum is a lonely experience. Parents are with their children all the time. Many will be with them for the rest of their life. That makes joining a community of friends incredibly difficult. Divorce rates amongst parents of children on the Autism Spectrum is especially high. If youre a friend of a parent of an autistic child, ask that parent if theyre okay. Ask if they need something, or if you can help with anything. Showing them theyre not as alone as they may feel will go a long way in brightening their day.
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Does Autism Come From The Mother Or Father
Clues to the first two questions come from studies that have shown that at least 30% of individuals with autism have spontaneous de novo mutations that occurred in the fathers sperm or mothers egg and disrupt genes important for brain development, these spontaneous mutations likely cause autism in families where
Get To Know Your Child
These guidelines vary depending on the child and the family. In addition to the general rules, families should create some of their own, in order to fit the needs of their child.
There are many factors that can determine a childs behaviour, including age, temper, other disabilities, etc. You should:
- Watch your child carefully: this will help you to understand their behaviour and figure out the best course of action, as well as helping you to get to know them.
- Come up with new guidelines based on these conclusions: Create your own rules to see if you get the results you expected.
- Try out new guidelines: the only way to test your rules is to try them out. If they do not work, you must reevaluate.
- Be logical: make sure that what you are doing makes sense for you, your child and the rest of the family.
- Be constant: the most difficult thing is to continue with your rules and routine. It is important that you make an effort to do so.
- Seek help from specialists: specialists in education or mental health could be of great help in this area. It is often beneficial to seek help whenever necessary.
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Diagnosis Or Gut Feeling
No parent ever wants to think theres something wrong with their child. However, as a parent, you should trust your gut. If you notice any of the symptoms listed above, its important to discuss it with your childs physician. Its very important to get an official diagnosis and a treatment plan. On the other hand, its also important that you dont worry over every little thing. Some children just take a bit longer to hit the developmental milestones.
What To Do If Your Child Hits You
Neutral redirection is effective in how to stop an autistic child from hitting. This is an Applied Behavior Analysis technique consisting of replacing a childs aggressive, potentially dangerous behaviors with functional, appropriate behaviors.
With some guidance and gentleness, neutral redirection allows parents to effectively teach their children socially appropriate and safe behaviors, skills that will help them interact with peers, share experiences, and enjoy a higher quality of life. This process begins at treatment centers like Therapeutic Pathways, but can be followed at home.
As a parent or caregiver, heres how you can remediate your childs aggressiveness through neutral redirection:
- Remain calm. Remember that your childs behavior may be kindled if you give in to their aggression.
- Prevent your child from making contact with you by moving out of the way.
- If this is not possible, you may need to protect vulnerable parts of your body.
- During the process, refrain from speaking to your child , making eye contact with them, or reacting physically .
- Calmly redirect your child to a different method of communication. For example, if your child usually hits you to get your attention, you can instead instruct them to tap you on the arm and say excuse me.
- Only give your child direct acknowledgment when they engage in the appropriate behavior. Failing to do so could lead your child to associate aggressiveness with attention and getting what they want.
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Reducing Risk Of Autism During Pregnancy And Birth
Based on the research, there are several steps a birth parent can take to reduce the risk that their child will have autism. They include:
- Having children after the age of 21 and before the age of 35 and choosing a male genetic parent in the same age range
- Working with a doctor to choose safer medications for specific issues, such as epilepsy
- Avoiding activities such as smoking or being around known toxins
- Making regular prenatal visits to the doctor and following up on any potential physical issues, such as emerging gestational diabetes
- Closely following any medical advice regarding bed rest and stress avoidance
According to studies, your baby may also benefit from consistent and appropriate use of specific supplements. Taking supplements such as folate , omega-3s, and vitamin D3, correcting vitamin deficiencies, boosting your immune system, and prolonging breastfeeding are all mentioned in research findings as possible ways to reduce the risk of autism .
Increase: The Baby Comes Too Early
It is hard to know for sure what will happen in utero and that can be really scary. It is believed that women who have birth complications that result in extreme prematurity and/or low birth weight can be putting their baby at risk for autism. It is also believed that multiple pregnancies can be a risk factor for autism as well. There are certain risk factors that affect the maternal fetal environment that may place that fetus at increased risk of ASD. There are some things that are just out of our control, and unfortunately you can be the healthiest person and still have a baby with a low birth weight or be pregnant with twins
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Signs And Symptoms Of Autism In Babies And Toddlers
If autism is caught in infancy, treatment can take full advantage of the young brains remarkable plasticity. Although autism is hard to diagnose before 24 months, symptoms often surface between 12 and 18 months. If signs are detected by 18 months of age, intensive treatment may help to rewire the brain and reverse the symptoms.
The earliest signs of autism involve the absence of typical behaviorsnot the presence of atypical onesso they can be tough to spot. In some cases, the earliest symptoms of autism are even misinterpreted as signs of a good baby, since the infant may seem quiet, independent, and undemanding. However, you can catch warning signs early if you know what to look for.
Some autistic infants dont respond to cuddling, reach out to be picked up, or look at their mothers when being fed.
How To Prevent Your Child With Autism From Biting
Parenting a special needs child is more rewarding than we can explain, but it also comes with its challenges. If your child with Autism is biting, youre experiencing one of these difficulties right now. Biting can be scary, as it is harmful to your child and those around him or her. At the same time, though, biting is a fairly normal behavior. The American Disabilities Association even considers biting a possible sign of Autism.
Even though its common for children with Autism to bite, its something that needs to be addressed. Of course, you cannot let your child bite themselves or others. With that said, what can you do to help stop your child with special needs from biting?
First, its important to understand the reason behind the action. Once weve got a full understanding of why children with Autism bite, well discuss how to stop it.
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Increase: Starting Too Young
Getting pregnant at a young age can be a risk factor for an autistic child as well. Scientists believe that teen moms may not have access or the desire to get proper prenatal care and make the appropriate decisions when it comes to their pregnancy. Certain decisions can be detrimental and can increase the risk of ASD in unborn kiddos. Teen moms have an 18% higher chance of their baby being born with Autism while those moms in their 20s have less of a risk. There are moms who have babies in their teen years who do not have kiddos with autism, but the risk is there. Some teenage pregnancies are an accident while others are planned. The best way to avoid this issue is to wait until your 20s to conceive, but if that is not a possibility the best bet is to try to have the healthiest pregnancy possible.
Adulthood And Old Age
The main prevention target in this last period is the achievement of a good quality of life . Even after a successful transition to adulthood, pressing needs remain, as recently stated in relevant laws both in the USA and in the UK . Based on these laws, the community is urged to take supportive measures for adults with ASD without intellectual impairment, so as to expand and retain their autonomy and participation and, also, to prevent mental and physical health deterioration .
2.4.1. Prevention for Adult Ages Consists of
The continuation of the practical measures described for the transition period through relative initiatives by the local community and support by the welfare system. Meaningful employment can be key in improving the quality of life, offering structure, social inclusion and participation, financial stability and independence, upgraded housing and leisure activities, better subjective well-being and the protection of their psychological and physical health .
The enhancement of the social skills attained in the previous stages and their adaptation to the new age context. Social skills group interventions seem to be effective at increasing social skills knowledge, as well as social participation .
2.4.2. Data for Autism in Old Age is Scarce
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What Should You Not Say To A Child With Autism
5 things to NEVER say to someone with Autism:Dont worry, everyones a little Autistic. No. You must be like Rainman or something. Here we go again not everyone on the spectrum is a genius. Do you take medication for that? This breaks my heart every time I hear it. I have social issues too. You seem so normal!Dec 13, 2017
Decrease: Stay Away From The Mommy Juice
There are several different environmental factors associated with autism. There is an association between cigarette smoking during pregnancy and autism. Even if you smoke heavily while pregnant, there’s nothing saying that your baby will definitely be born with autism. There is a link between high functioning autism and cigarette smoking, although smoking is not proved to alone cause autism. There is also evidence that prenatal exposure to alcohol may be a factor in autism. Of course, not all autism is caused by alcohol, but some cases of autism are related to alcohol exposure. This is a topic that is still being considered. There are many reasons why mama should avoid cigarette smoking as well as alcohol consumption and if they are avoided there is a chance that the risk of having an autistic child can be dropped.
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Helping Your Child With Autism Thrive Tip : Provide Structure And Safety
Learning all you can about autism and getting involved in treatment will go a long way toward helping your child. Additionally, the following tips will make daily home life easier for both you and your child with ASD:
Be consistent. Children with ASD have a hard time applying what theyve learned in one setting to others, including the home. For example, your child may use sign language at school to communicate, but never think to do so at home. Creating consistency in your childs environment is the best way to reinforce learning. Find out what your childs therapists are doing and continue their techniques at home. Explore the possibility of having therapy take place in more than one place in order to encourage your child to transfer what he or she has learned from one environment to another. Its also important to be consistent in the way you interact with your child and deal with challenging behaviors.
Stick to a schedule. Children with ASD tend to do best when they have a highly-structured schedule or routine. Again, this goes back to the consistency they both need and crave. Set up a schedule for your child, with regular times for meals, therapy, school, and bedtime. Try to keep disruptions to this routine to a minimum. If there is an unavoidable schedule change, prepare your child for it in advance.
Clear Rules About Behaviour
Rules are positive statements that let children know how theyre expected to behave and what your family limits are.
The rule might be that your child cant play in the morning until theyre ready for school for example, First get ready, then have playtime. You could use a visual support like a timer to show your child how long there is until you need to leave for school. When your child has finished getting ready, they can play for the time left on the timer. If the timer has finished, theres no time to play.
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Celebrate All Of Your Childs Achievements
I wish I had known that unlike other parents we cant take even the smallest achievement or milestone for granted. When our son started wearing his coat without a fight and expressed that he was cold, when he was able to participate in circle time during music class and when he got up on stage with the other kids at his school show we celebrated.
Steven Grossman, Los Angeles
Increase: The Body Isn’t At A Healthy Number
Most women do not like discussing their weight, and while pregnant most women gain at least twelve pounds. Researchers claim that going into pregnancy at an unhealthy weight as well as gaining too much weight during pregnancy can both be linked to autism. In fact, for every five pounds of extra baby weight a mama gains she increases her kiddos chance of autism by one percent. This is a very easily avoidable issue. Before trying to conceive it is always a promising idea to meet with the doc to see if your body is healthy enough for pregnancy. Starting a good eating and exercise regimen can set yourself up for an excellent lifestyle during pregnancy. Losing as much weight as recommended before pregnancy is a sure-fire way to avoid your baby becoming autistic. While pregnant, gaining weight slowly and at the recommended amount is also a good idea.
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Can Folic Acid Lower Autism Risk
A 2011 Epidemiology study found that taking prenatal vitamins three months before conception and during at least the first month of pregnancy halves a child’s autism risk. Women with a strong genetic link to the disorder who didn’t take vitamins were up to seven times more likely to have a child with autism. Additional studies suggest high levels of folic acid, a B vitamin important for brain development, are key.
All women of childbearing age should get between 400 to 800 micrograms of folic acid every day. Most women get about 150 mcg of daily folic acid from fortified foods such as breads and cereal.
A 2012 American Journal of Clinical Nutrition study suggests that women need at least four times that amount — 600 mcg — to lower autism risk. Check your vitamin’s nutrient label, and if necessary, discuss upping your folic acid intake with your doctor, and add more foods rich in folate to your diet.
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It Won’t Always Be Like This
“During the hardest times, when my son wasnt sleeping or eating or when he melted down over lights and sounds, I wish I knew it wouldnt always be like this. I wish someone would have told me that the child I have now will grow and change and regress and thrive. You will feel frozen in time at different points. Know that it will get better. And harder. It will change.”
Kate Swenson, Cottage Grove, Minnesota
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