NEEDS OF A CHILD WITH AUTISM

 

Dealing with an autistic child could be stressful for parents, careers, and educators. In my previous post, I talked about dealing with an autistic child in the classroom,In this article, I will be writing about the basic needs of a child with autism.

providing the needs of a child with autism is all you need to do to  make your life a bit less stressful and help the child flourish in their world

• • • Support 

Children diagnosed with autism tend to receive early intervention services at the age of 3. children are eligible for additional support called individual educational plan ((IEP)

IEP may include speech and language therapy, behaviour or sensory concern

As parents, it’s best to work with your child’s educator to discuss these needs, frequently update them on what the therapy is doing, and advising

As an educator, ensure you are getting updates concerning the IEP plan, share what you are doing with the child, how you are supporting them in every way, and share their growth|setback these will, help you to know if the child is meeting the set goal and help strategies way forward

• • • social time

an autistic child needs to socialise with peers and make friends,but it could be challenging taking them to a place they are not familiar with, so it’s best to pre-plan their activities

whether you are taking them to the park, playground, bounce, and the like, ensure its a place with less noise, as noises are usually overwhelming for them 

Things to plan for during a social time

Visual pictures

If you are taking an autistic child to a place, for example, Parks they haven’t been to before, consider using visual pictures of the park, show them beforehand, and tell them how much fun they will enjoy.

RELATED; 7 effective strategies of dealing with challenging behaviour

•        Plan play date 

Play date and other social activities are great chances to practice social skills and make new friends, so when choosing a play date for your child, best to hook them up with children who share the same interest so they can have as much fun

 

 

• • Technology

Technology is one of the needs that can help improve autistic child verbal, social, and behavioural skills.

Providing children with educational Applications and computer games could help increase their focus, help them learn new skills, and have as much fun.

 Games can also help reinforce skills that they need to do well. Watch out for my upcoming article on this.

Consider getting the ASSISTIVE DEVICE as this can even help vocalise their thoughts, especially those who have trouble speaking,

As a parent, it is best to discuss this with your therapist as to what kind of App can help your child do better in their learning journey 

RELATED; 10 Strategies to improve children attention span

• • Physical activity

Engaging autistic children in physical activities is a great way to improve their fitness, coordination, strength, and body awareness.

regular exercise also helps to prevent repetitive, self-stimulating behaviours and improves attention

Therapeutic horseback riding, karate, and aquatic therapy are great ways to get the start. Engaging children in sports programs can also help them to be physically active, build their social skills as they get to meet new friends

 

• • Consider extra care

Caring for an autistic child could be stressful and overwhelming, consider a caregiver who specialises in caring for an autistic child to support you for some time so you can also breathe and restore your health.

 

• • Connect with support network

 Connecting with a strong support network is one of the best ways to help you with caring for an autistic child.

Connecting with other parents who understand your situation is one of the basic needs you can give to an autistic child and yourself as it will reduce some unnecessary stresses

and help you navigate your daily dealing with your child 

Depending on your environment, consider joining a local group which will make it easier for you to plan a play date, you can also join online network support.