A Parents Story About Helping Their Child With Autism

Having a child diagnosed with autism can be at once a blessing and a curse. Finally, you have a place to begin to find some help for your son or daughter, but you may find your hopes dashed that things will go back to the way things used to be. Some experts say that autism has no cure. The idea that your child will never be "normal" is heartbreaking, but make no mistakes. With early diagnosis and Autism Services, children with autism can and do develop and thrive.

Our son was 21 months when his doctor first mentioned autism. We thought she was crazy. He was acting just like his brother and sister did at his age. His sister didn't talk until she was three, at which point she'd started and never stopped. Besides, he was always interacting with us... or was he?

One of the assurances I clung to during the quiet months while we waited was the fact he would take our hands and lead us to do things he wanted. He wouldn't point at the milk. He would take my hands and put them on the fridge door, and once opened, he'd put them on the carton. To us, that was communication in lieu of speech. To the educational autism team, it was the sign he was using us as tools instead of interacting with us socially.

We have always homeschooled our children and the idea of using a set of autism strategies on our son - to trick him into doing things his teachers wanted - seemed alien. If it wasn't coming from him, how was it helping him? They told us that he would see the benefits of the skills, and be motivated to develop them on his own. We wanted him to talk, to see a reason to communicate and build relationships. We weren't sure the team's ideas would work, but regardless, we tried them.

ABA stands for Applied Behavioral Analysis. It's one of the oldest, most effective methods for treating autism, and relies on actions being rewarded. Bribes, in other words. For autism teacher training often focuses on compliance, and the easiest way to get compliance from a young child is offering them something in return.

At a base level, I didn't feel it was the right things to do because I couldn't see it's long-term success. I do not bribe my other children to do chores with gold stars, and I didn't think using M&Ms to convince my youngest to use words would keep him talking at age 8 or 12. The thing I realized over a few months is that at very young ages, these autism strategies work to build skills that will continue later without those motivations. Once the child picks them up, they see the benefits and continue to develop.

After a certain point, ABA stopped motivating our son and we moved on to other autism strategies - like picture sequencing. To teach him how to use the restroom, we illustrated the steps, laminated them and taped them to the bathroom door. To keep him focused during the day, we had a flipbook we used for helping move him from one task to the other. We added sign language and speech therapy to help with communication. Three years after our journey began, our son phased out of the services the system could offer.

I know the story we share is different from many families. There are children with severe autism who always need assistance, and do struggle all of their lives. We know we're lucky to say our son is happy, well-adjusted and relatively self-sufficient. He may be a few years behind in maturity, but he isn't thought of as "different". Early diagnosis and follow-up with Autism Services helped our son to the point where he would not be diagnosed as autistic today.

Maximum Potential specializes in online learning environments for ABA Therapy

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How to Manage Autism Symptoms in Children - A Parent's Guide

Children, in one way or another, have to some extent deficiencies in their social skills and may even exhibit odd behaviors different from their playmates. While these tendencies are quite normal circumstances for some children, repetitive actions may be more likely linked to a developmental disorder. This is what medical science calls autism. Children with autism suffer from lagging development in their behavior, social skills, and communication. Almost all symptoms of autism revolve around communication difficulties. Autistic children may display developmental delays most especially in language and learning. They oftentimes show out-of-order learning sequences like being able to understand complex ideas first before understanding the simple ones. An autistic child may also have poor, social interaction. The child may become withdrawn from people, even from his own parents and siblings. The child may act as if he is in his own world, like preferring to play all by himself. His verbal and nonverbal communication is also affected. One hallmark symptom of a child with autism is doing repetitive movements like spinning, hand flapping, and rocking. He may even exhibit aggressive behavior once frustrated. Understanding these symptoms can help the parents and caregivers to find ways on how to intervene and handle a child with autism.

An autistic child lacks social interaction skills; thus, frequently establishing a conversation may help. At the start, initiating a conversation with an autistic child may seem not easy. An autistic child will either give short replies or no response at all. Make frequent conversations with the child even though the child won't answer back. Show the child that you are patient enough to wait for him. Patience is highly needed when working with children with autism. Set a physical distance if the child seemed agitated by your presence. Give him some space before slowly approaching. When talking to the child, do not tower over him. Sit down and talk because sometimes the adult's height may intimidate an autistic child. Children with autism may develop a lack of trust with other people. Minimize the chances of the child isolating himself. Take him somewhere where he can play with others like the park or playground. Sometimes ungranted wishes may lead to temper tantrums and even aggression. Be consistent with the child. Provide positive reinforcement or rewards like toys when the child shows desired behaviors. Medications like Risperidone are also helpful in managing irritability and aggressiveness. In instances when the child displays bizarre and repetitive actions like head banging, provide safety like letting him wear a helmet to protect himself from undue injury.

Consequently, an autistic child may display odd behaviors and temper tantrums most of the time. It is important that the parents have a lot of knowledge about their child's condition including its symptoms and severity. It is also advisable that the parents seek medical advice regarding their child's health status and be actively involved in giving care to the child. Show him the unconditional love a child deserves to have from his parents. Reward him with hugs and kisses to show he is loved and secure. Foremost, treat the child with autism as a whole being. Do not let the child's condition hinder you from realizing he is a young child with a unique personality.

For more information on Different Types of Diseases, Symptoms and Diagnoses, Please visit: Autism Diagnosis and Symptoms of Autism.

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