Parents of children with autism...?
Answer:
I have a child w/Asperger's so I'll start.
Encourage the parent. That's number one; encourage them because many of them are just broken inside.
Read up on Sensory Integration-very, very important. Sometimes a child will act up because their socks are bothering or the flourescent lights are flickering.
Be careful about your voice. Some kids cannot handle a loud voice; force yourself to use quiet tones, if necessary.
Read up on how to do a social story; work with the social worker and speech therapist closely.
And that's probably the second most important--work as a team and don't fight w/your co-workers. It's not about you, it's about the child.
You're going to do a great job-best wishes!
my son is autistic and he receives PT/OT and speech. I think the best thing between parents and therapists is communication. A short report on the child's progress.goals.tips to work at home (this would be greatly appreciated IMO). A lot of autistic kids have behavioral problems that get in the way of their therapy. be patient.
sometimes parents are frustrated and need to vent. it may be helpful for you to learn about other services for children with special needs that you can refer the parents to (out side of theapy) when they are frustrated. for example, respite centers, mother's day out programs.. etc. i always appreciate it when the professionals we deal with can refer us to some program that we dont know of yet.
good luck with your new job!
Well, she is not my daughter, but I raised her so far. She is about six years old, an absolute angel. Support. Support. More support.
Her hurdles seem to lie in personality and communication. Each child will be different, and require to be treated as such. Work 1 on 1 as much as you can, communicate with parents too. Her teacher used to leave a note nearly every day in her backpack. She didn't always get too specific, but she always told us what they worked on that particular day.
Look into having activities too. They tend to work better when stimulated by activity, rather than sitting down.
It is hard for us to maintain a standard for all the children. You must not allow one to do what another is not allowed to do. They have to understand that none of them recieves more attention or favor than the other. Do your best to treat them as equals. Many times, she would listen better if spoken to as an adult.
Most important, be confident. Obviously, it is your desire to work specifically with these children, so you must be special from other teachers. More than likely, you have a gift for it. Know that you are making a difference, and take pride in it. Thank you for being a teacher.
First of all, congratulations on starting your new line of work, and thank you so much for considering working with autistic children. Services are hard to find anywhere in the country, and every additional therapist helps!
The most important thing any therapist has done for ME is to listen. Just to hear my story, without interruptions or trying to fix things, and LISTEN.
Then, the best therapist will realize that EVERY child with autism is different. There is no one thing that will characterize a child. It's ironic, there are these gross generalizations "difficulty communicating"...but every child has different abilities. My daughter with autism could not talk at all. My son with autism could not stop talking about the most inappropriate things with complete strangers. My daughter has severe sensory seeking behaviors, that lead her into danger frequently, whereas my son's sensory issues are all related to defensiveness and being afraid of the world. My daughter is extremely agile (we once watched her walk across the back of a line of folding chairs, while holding our breaths and praying that they didn't snap on her, knowing if we yelled she would fall) while my son can honestly fall over sideways just trying to stand still.
You cannot expect the same thing out of two different children, you have to meet them where they are, and puzzle out the best way to help them. Most of all, what helps is just more experience. Hit as much training as you can.
But save yourself too, we lose so many therapists because they *want* to save the world, but you cannot do it all by yourself. Be sure to take breaks. Don't take things personally if a child doesn't seem to like you, or if they try to hurt you. Don't let them know that it DOES hurt. Our psychologist takes off two months every summer. She didn't always, but she realized as she got older that she did no one a favor if she killed herself trying to help us. Some people get frustrated, but the rest of us know that she's reliable, and the best around, and we understand. We have a hard enough time with one or two kids, having a hundred on your plate has GOT to wear you down.
Again, congratulations, thanks and good luck
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