Daily Tip: Make planning and consistency your to-do list Changing your and your autistics child’s daily routine can cause distress for your child and for you. One hallmark of autism is the need for normalcy. Ensure that your child is scheduled with regular times for meals, therapy, school, and bedtime. Try to keep disruptions to this routine to a minimum. However, this does not mean that every day is like Bill Murray’s “Groundhog Day”; rather, that steps have to be taken in planning ahead to lessen the disruption. “The unfamiliar may be changes to a daily schedule, diet or environment, as well as a lack of accommodations that are necessary to set the child up for success,” Menear explains. Recommendations for parents include: • Provide gradual preparation prior to any change. For many individuals with ASD, this is often best done with visual aids such as pictures, video and written stories. • Decrease negative sensory input and introduce new concepts in planned phases that match the person’s learning style and communication skills. • Provide something or someone familiar to help balance the unfamiliar such as preparing a backpack with familiar items that can easily be retrieved if a child needs a familiar touch of home. “Also, have a talk with your child about the plans for the day,” says Menear.
Posted on: Sun, 14 Jul 2013 13:00:01 +0000
Trending Topics
Recently Viewed Topics
© 2015