Dealing With Autism

One of your children has just been diagnosed with autism. The feelings you may be experiencing might be very confusing and possibly even conflicting. You may not even know much about autism, except that it explains why your child has been throwing tantrums without cause and refuses to hug you. You thought maybe those were just their little quirks and that they would grow out of it, but these "quirks" never went away. When a child in your life is diagnosed with autism, the world can suddenly become a very scary place, especially if you know very little about the disorder.

The good news is that more and more information about autism and the autistic spectrum is being released every day, and understanding the disorder that eludes you becomes easier with time and much research. The bad news is that a person can never really be rid of their autistic tendencies. However, the disorder can be managed through therapy and diet.

You should first be aware of the fact that there are many different types of autism. Asperger's syndrome is generally known as a high-functioning autism disorder. Unfortunately, no one knows for sure what causes children to become autistic, but the disorder usually appears during the first three years of their lives. There are some babies who show symptoms when they are born, and others who seem to be developing normally at first but start showing symptoms somewhere between 18 and 36 months. Another unfortunate fact is that autism is more likely to develop in boys than girls - about four times more common.

Signs of an autistic disorder may be subtle at first, but they do eventually become more pronounced and difficult to handle. You should take your child to be evaluated immediately if the following symptoms occur:

Your child does not babble or make baby noises by their first year.
He or she does not point, grasp, or make other gestures by their first year.
Your child does not speak single words by the time they are 16 months old.
They cannot say a two-word phrase on their own (not including if they are repeating what someone says to them) by their second year.
Your child loses any language or social skill at any age.

Of course, these are not the only things you should be looking out for. If you do encounter any of these problems, please take your child to a doctor for autism evaluation immediately, because it is highly likely that your child has developed an autistic disorder of some kind. Do not be fearful, though. There are a few things you can do in order to help your child work through their disorder. First, you should start a gluten-free and casein-free (or dairy-free) diet, as this may be helpful in managing their behavior. You should also choose a good therapist who understands your child's syndrome, and meet as often as possible. If you need medical insurance in order to pay for therapy, make sure you look at health insurance quotes in order to get the best rate.

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Dealing With Embarrassing Situations As a Parent of a Child With Autism

Every once in a while parents are embarrassed by their child's behavior or the factual remarks they make, such as pointing to a person next to you in line and claiming, "she's fat!" Moments like this can be very uncomfortable but fortunately do not occur often, but the risk may be higher if you are a parent of a child with Autism.

All children eventually learn how to regulate their behavior and speech but children on the Autism spectrum tend to be slower at acquiring this skill. Children with autism experience the same world we live in but in a dramatically different way and they are limited in their ability to read social situations.

Most children with autism don't even realize that their behaviors are socially unacceptable. Some of these behaviors may include:

1. inappropriate touching or invading another's space,

2. handflapping, spinning or stimming

3. fascinations with particular objects,

4. extreme displays of affection or the exact opposite.

Some children respond aggressively when least expected and many have sensory issues that produce bizarre reactions to food textures, tastes, light, sound and smells.

Therefore, as a parent of a child on the Autism spectrum the possibility of having your child commit a social 'faux pas' in public is high. Unfortunately, until we are able create more awareness about Autism and minimize the judgmental reactions of others, parents will have to continue to deal with some embarrassing situations deemed 'socially inappropriate' by onlookers.

Eventually, you may develop a protective armor from the piercing looks of disgruntled strangers that just don't understand but what can you do in the meantime?

Finding ways to minimize or prevent the number of embarrassing incidents you might have to endure is one option. Here are some strategies to consider that might help.

• Remember, you are your child's best teacher. Your child may be receiving therapies that work on building appropriate social skills but you are with your child 24/7. Don't overlook potentially embarrassing actions and address them as they occur by telling and showing your child what to do instead, how to do it and when.

• Appeal to the way your child's brain works best. Most children on the Autism spectrum are very visual so use pictures, photos, lists or video modeling to communicate with your child. Some may respond better to auditory input, so make a recording for your child with step-by-step instructions for them to listen to. Others may need to be physically manipulated by taking their hand and demonstrating just how much pressure to apply to petting an animal or touching people.

• Be persistent. Constant repetition and reinforcement will eventually work to instill more suitable behaviors in your child. It typically takes twenty-one repetitions of an action before a new behavior becomes a habit but a brain that is wired differently may take more time - so start early, practice often, practice some more and have patience.

• Use distraction. Plan ahead when going out in public and bring a bag of tricks with you to divert your child's attention when your gut begins sending you a warning that something potentially unacceptable might occur. Fill a backpack with stress relievers and favorite items that will quickly catch your child's interest.

• Give people information. If all else fails, be prepared with a short statement to say to others that will enlighten them. Some parents carry around cards that explain their child's behavior and may even provide suggestions for being helpful or information about websites that educate people about Autism.

• Ignore onlookers. It takes time to build up the confidence, courage and a secure sense-of-self necessary to disregard the gawkers and disapproving stares that you may encounter. Begin building your protective armor by forcing yourself to focus on your child who really needs you to respond appropriately in that moment. Try creating a mantra to recite in circumstances such as these that would reassure you and help you concentrate on what is most important - your child.

Most importantly, be kind to yourself. Remember that every child has the potential to call attention to themselves or fall apart and every parent has the capacity to handle it inappropriately at times so don't be hard on yourself after an episode such as this. Tell yourself you did the best you could and use it as a learning experience to gain insight about what you might do differently the next time.

Connie Hammer, MSW, parent educator, consultant and coach, guides parents of young children recently diagnosed with an autism spectrum disorder to uncover abilities and change possibilities. Visit her website http://www.parentcoachingforautism.com/ to get your FREE resources - a parenting e-course, Parenting a Child with Autism - 3 Secrets to Thrive and a weekly parenting tip newsletter, The Spectrum.

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The Day Autism Won - My Most Difficult Day Dealing With Autism

Top Tip: Just when you are about to give up. Don't; It's not your fault.

Charlie has Autism Spectrum Disorder. This was one of the hardest days of my life, and I am sure many more parents of children with Autism Spectrum Disorder will be able to relate to this story. Charlie was three years old, his ability to communicate was limited and he was always on the go. Two things I need to explain before this story begins. Firstly: it took Jane and I two years to fully accept that Charlie would always be different. For that period of time our marriage was tumultuous and the pressure was extreme. Secondly: I hated driving in the car when it was just Charlie and me. Charlie always took his aggression out on me. The car can be a volatile and dangerous place when you have a child with Autism Spectrum Disorder.

From the onset of the Autism diagnosis, Jane had become very emotional and, in my opinion, unreasonable and argumentative. On this particular day I had a row with Jane, she was doing my head in. It was my first Sunday off in ages and some minute issue had erupted into a major deal between Jane and I. Jane wanted to be left alone so I put Charlie in the car and decided to drive 70 miles to my mother's house. This break would give Jane and I, the space we needed. Within five minutes of driving, the traffic came to a standstill; cars were gridlocked, taking 20 minutes to move one mile, Charlie was beginning to get very cross and agitated. I was doing all I could to reason with Charlie, I could only liken the car to a pressure cooker. An hour later we started moving, just in time to save me from blowing a fuse. Then Charlie threw a metal Thomas the Tank Engine at my head (it just missed me and hit the windscreen). I tried to ignore it but couldn't I was getting really annoyed. I drove a little further down the motorway then I felt the back of my seat starting to go down. Charlie was pushing the mechanism with his foot. I asked him nicely to stop but he kept it up, he knew I was stressed to bits and was acting up. I was on a motorway, travelling at a speed of 70 miles an hour with the backrest of my seat going horizontal and a whingeing, ungrateful, unresponsive, Autistic child in the back seat. I finally cracked.

I pulled the car to the side of the motorway, straightened up the seat, and asked Charlie to stop annoying me; all the while I was using as many profanities as were in my vocabulary. I turned the car around and drove home nearly in tears. Twenty minutes later I walked into the house. Jane hadn't known what had happened and was still in a bad mood with me, I started to talk but she was still annoyed. I didn't want to stay in the house because of the atmosphere so I decided to bring Charlie for a walk up to the mountains, we did this fairly regularly (I felt I needed to clear the air with Charlie first before I tackled Jane). Charlie was wearing a nice pair of trousers and he had a new pair of trainers on, so I decided we would walk on the pathway. When I got to our usual walking haunt Charlie jumped out of the car and headed up the track. I asked him not to go near the muddy puddles because he would need his trainers in the morning to go to the play group. Charlie looked at me with that evil look then ran straight into a huge puddle; he then picked up a piece of rope and wrapped it around his legs. I was distraught; he purposely did it to upset me even more. I had to give up again for the second time that day. We walked straight back to the car; he stood in dogs dirt on the way back and unintentionally wiped it all over the back seat. This was the nearest I have ever been to self destruction. Why me God? What did I do to deserve this? Will it ever end? I went home, Jane and I talked, Charlie and I made up and from that day on I had a new healthy respect for the monster they call Autism.

My Name is Peter Devlin, my website is Autisminireland, Here is the URL http://www.autisminireland.com/ I have an 11 year son Charlie, he has Autism. I am now an expert on Autism. The journey has been tough, extremely tough. I have decided to write a series of short stories about how I managed to beat Autism and sometimes how Autism managed to beat me. Have a look at Charlie's pictures they are amazing. Send me your stories, and lets educate together.My website has a multitude of stories and helpful hints about Characteristics of autism and traits pertaining to Autism Spectrum Disorder.

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Dealing With Autism in the Home

When a child is diagnosed with autism if can affect the child everywhere from school to home. Whether there are other children in the home or not it is important to learn effective ways to deal with autism in the home. Here are a few ways that you can deal with autism in the home.

Learning

Learning starts at home. When a child has autism they may need to reinforce what they learned at school. Because the environment changes from school to home it is not always possible to store the information learned during the day. A child with autism needs consistency and reinforcement. When a child goes to school the lessons learned there needs to be reviewed at home daily. You can use fun activities to enhance the lessons that were learned each day. Your child needs a combination of education tools from books, verbal, and hands on tolls to encourage the learning even further.

A Schedule

When a child is at school, they will follow a strict schedule. Home life tends to be a bit more relaxed however when a child has autism it is vital to keep a schedule while at home too. This schedule should be followed even when a child is off for the summer. Your child's schedule should include meal time, play time, and bath time. A schedule can build security and allow your child to feel somewhat in control of their time and this can make autism easier to manage.

You also need to make sure that the schedule you create for your child is both educational and recreational. The schedule needs to be realistic so you know you can stick to it and your child can feel comfortable knowing that there is a routine. This will reduce the number of tantrums your child may throw as well due to the consistency in his or her life.

Know your child

Just like any other child, an autistic child can yawn when they are tired or they may use facial expressions to help them express what they are feeling. It is very important that as a parent you learn your child's expressions so you know what your child is feeling. You can still connect with a child who has autism but in a different way. When things upset your child, the first think an autistic child may do is to throw tantrums or may use irrational behavior. You can control these bouts by determining what triggers this behavior. When you know your child and connect with them you may realize that certain smells, colors, or noises can start it.

When a child has autism you need to make sure that there is a safe environment for them and that means to be prepared for these tantrums that may begin and last for a long period of time or at least until the triggering factor has been removed. You may want to also use locks for cabinet doors and replace all glass table with wood. Creating a safe environment is essential.

For the latest videos and training information on child development as well as books and curricula please visit http://www.childdevelopmentmedia.com/.

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