8 Tips for supporting children with autism
With the growing number of children who have been diagnosed with autism, supporting a child with autism in the classroom is no small undertaking but in the long run, can be valuable and incredibly fulfilling, I know how difficult it can be for parents, educators, and caregivers as they support children with autism in completing everyday tasks, I thought of sharing some ideas which might help you in assisting them in every possible way to make their educational experience positive and beneficial which will eventually pave the way for them to reach their full potential.
Who is an autistic child?
An autistic child is a child who has been diagnosed with a spectrum disorder that leads to lifelong developmental disability that typically appears during early childhood which tends to impact a person social, mental, emotional, and communication skills, symptoms ranges from avoiding eye contact, not responding to their name, delayed language development, resistance to minor changes to routine, delayed cognitive skills, not smiling when you smiled at them, unusual eating and sleeping habit, inattentive behaviour, persistent repetition of words, uncommon mood or emotional reactions and so on
Autism challenges
Autism challenges range from mild to severe and can vary in each child. Some children with autism may speak well but continuously throw tantrums while other children with autism might not talk at all but be obsessed over particular objects these variations can make supporting children with autism difficult, and also since there is no universal treatment but be rest assured with time, trials and error you will discover what best works for the child.
Tips and strategies for dealing with Autistic children in the classroom
Having an autistic child in the classroom can be challenging but rewarding and fulfilling If you follow the proper support, either in supporting their daily routine, emotional support, handling sensory overloads, and the likes, you will eventually be fulfilled as you watch your effort gradually benefiting them significantly.
Below are tips that work
Establish a routine with them
Establishing a routine with an autistic child is the first step to help them settle and learn in the classroom as the world is often confusing for them, They find great comfort in a familiar and stable routine.
The structured setting of a school could get them too confused has it has many compartments which, might include a classroom, gym, art room, music, room, playground, toilet, and so on that is why their daily routine must be clear and consistent,
Creating a visual daily routine or images is an effective way to get them to start. For instance, during transitions or activities,
This method is super effective if it is consistent. For example, during transitions, if you are in the classroom and you plan on taking the child to the play area, show him an image of the play area and tell him you are taking him to have fun, this will give the child a sense of security and makes him more comfortable.
Consider the Learning Environments
Through experience, It has come to my understanding that autistic children tend to experience sensory Sensitivities. They tend to have intense positive or Negative reactions to sensory stimulations. Every autistic child is different, as well as their sensitivities,
It might help to watch out for what might stimulate them and support them in feeling better.
For example, if he tends to close his ears and start to cry during the music session, or when a song is playing, or due to loud noises, it is best to remove or reduce the stimuli as loud noises are usually overwhelming for them
Clear communication
Communicating and interpreting could be difficult for some autistic children, so it is better to choose simple words and structure your sentences, avoid complicating your sentence and questions, be direct and keep your phrases simple.
For example, if you want him to put on his shoe’ say, ‘put your shoes on please, you could also point to the shoes, or place them in front of him and tell him to put them on
Use the child interest
One of the unique things about autistic children is how they tend to focus more on what interests them,
Their interests might be puzzles, cars, trains, or dinosaurs. You can use their interest to aid their learning.
For instance, if they like cars, you can get them to count how many cars they have got, or let them put the car in paint and make tracks, or use it to form shapes, letters, and a lot more. Using their interest to engage them help to make a difference in their learning
Engage their Parent ⁄ Caregiver
To fully support an autistic child, you must carry their parent or caregivers along, which might make things easier as you both get to share knowledge, discuss routine and suggest intervention or discuss what strategies best work for a particular situation.
Engaging parents/caregivers will not only benefit the child, but it will also make the parent feel at ease and build their confidence in your ability to support their child’s learning.
Reinforce positive behavior
incorporate the use of positive reinforcement strategies, not negative reinforcement set up a reward for their positive behaviour, focusing on their negative behaviour often make the situation worsens so it best to focus on the positive behaviour and reward the positive actions this will help to boost their morale and encourage them to do better
Give time to process
dealing with autistic children require lots of patience, For instance, if you ask them to do something give them time to process it, do not just expect them to start doing whatever it is you require of them as they have slowed down in their normal pruning process that occurs during their brain development which is one of their challenges so its best to be patient and give them time to process
Be persistent
Bonding with autistic children is not something that happens overnight. It takes time, consistency, dedication, and patience to figure out what works. Most times, your effort might not produce the result you wish but always remember, every trial and error helps figure out what works. Since the parents are counting on you, it is best to learn how to bounce back in difficult times.
Since children are always children, there could be days when an autistic child is disrupting the class, You might feel overwhelmed by the tantrums, at this point, remember that they are not acting out on purpose they are doing their best in their worldview with the supports they have, so it is best to figure out the reason for their action and support them in the possible way which will make things easier.
For instance,
If during a story time, an autistic child becomes restless or suddenly stands up from the carpet and reach out to play with the train, let him, do not force him to sit with the other children as he does not want to listen to the story
If you will have him listen to the story, read a train story, and let him touch the pictures in the train, Your persistence and resilience will eventually yield rewards.
This is inspiring