Do Not Allow An Autistic Child To Ruin The Learning Experience For Others

Autistic children are often visual thinkers. Thus teaching by speaking will not be entirely effective. Teachers should combine pictures with words for the autistic child to fully comprehend the lesson. 

For instance, if you are teaching about the animals of the world, you should have a flash card with the word "mouse," say the word aloud slowly and clearly, and show the child a picture of a mouse. 

Perhaps even bring a live mouse in for show and tell. Nouns may be easier to teach autistic children since verbs require action and can be more difficult in illustrating. 

If you are teaching autistic children words such as "sit" or "stand," you should complete these actions when you teach the word. Also, because of the tendency to be visual, autistic children are often unable to follow long sentences. 

They cannot decipher the sequence and become confused. Thus, writing instructions can be very helpful when proctoring tests or quizzes.

As visual thinkers, autistic children can often fixate on a particular object or picture. If this is the case, try incorporating that object or picture into lesson plans. 

If the child likes planes, try using planes for visuals wherever you can in the lesson. For example, when teaching math, create word problems about planes to interest the child. 

Autistic children also tend to be artistic or musical, producing highly original drawings and showing above average abilities with instruments or voice. Set aside time in the day for the arts and encourage activities that the children enjoy.

Autistic children may also have trouble writing because of the control over their hands and movement. 

This is frustrating for both the child and the teacher. To reduce frustration, allow the child to use a computer. If you can do this, make sure that the keyboard and monitor are close together as the child may have difficulty remembering what he or she has typed recently.

By being open to teaching an autistic child to the best of your ability, you are not only giving him or her the best opportunities in life, but you are also being a good role model to the other children in the class. 

Do not allow an autistic child to ruin the learning experience for others, but rather incorporate his or her oddities into your lessons as much as possible. Creating a more prejudice-free classroom is the best gift you can give this child.

Understanding how autistic children learn is key to teaching them with the same intensity as you teach other children. 

This may seem like a straightforward idea, but autistic children learn so differently that understanding autism itself is a must when you teach autistic children. 

By becoming educated in the disorder, teachers can effectively learn to deal with autistic children and adults both in and out of the classroom, creating a more understanding world for everyone

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My Child is Autistic ?

Discovering your child has autism may be a distressing ordeal, and unfortunately, time is of the essence. As a parent, you do not have the time to consider why or how this happened, only what to do next. 

The most important thing to remember is that you are not alone in your struggle. By researching the disorder and finding others going through similar situations, you can help you child while still dealing with your own emotional response.

Join a support group for parents with autism. You can find these by contacting the national Autism Society of America. From there you can find local branches, many of which offer support groups for parents and families with an autistic child. 

Being in contact with other parents in a similar situation can not only help you feel less alone, but it can provide you with a myriad of resources. A parent support group will also help point you in the direction of the best doctors, intervention programs, and workshops for both your child and your family. 

Find a support group for any other children you have as well. Many parents forget that they are not the only ones who must learn to live and communicate with an autistic child. 

By locating a support group for your other children, you can help them from acting out or acting against the autistic child by teaching them about the illness. As a parent, you must create a supportive environment for the entire family in order to properly manage your child's illness.

Consider marriage counseling if you are married. An autistic child can put serious strain on a marriage, leading to escalating arguments, neglect of each other, and even perhaps blaming each other for the situation. 

Marriage counseling from the very beginning can help a couple through this discovery and rough transition, and help build a better supportive environment for your children. Your marriage should not end as a result of having an autistic child, but the sad fact is that many of them do. 

Prevent this by using one another for support and by understanding that you may need help to deal with one another now and in the future.

Most importantly, start on the path to becoming an expert. Many times pediatricians or psychiatrists are not experts on autism, which can lead to improper diagnoses or incorrect treatment options. 

As your child's best advocate, you must know everything you can about autism. Parents of Autistic Children can be a great resource; this organization offers training and workshops. 

The ASA has a newsletter and also offers a variety of information, from diagnosing to treating. As always, remember that a support group of parents with autistic children can always provide you with books and research that focus on the reality of the situation. 

Educate yourself and those around you to provide the most beneficial things for your child-love and guidance.

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Steps To A Successful Child Party

By following the steps I've outlined here, your kid party planning experience will be lots of fun, you'll take the stress out of planning, make things easier and you'll have a successful party your child will love. 

Give Yourself Plenty Of Time 

If at all possible, start putting together your child party several months in advance. 

This will give you plenty of time to put everything together without having to run all over the place at the last minute until you're worn out, stressed out and find yourself saying "I'll be glad when this is over with." 

Your Party Date And Time 

Since it may not be practical to hold your child's birthday party celebration on their actual birth date, you need to consider a few things before deciding on the date of their party. 

Make sure your party date won't conflict with any holidays or other events. 

Also consider the best time of the day for your party. After lunch will mean you won't have to serve food other than snacks, cake and ice cream. 

Your Birthday Party Theme 

One of the most popular ways to celebrate a child's birthday is with a theme related to something your child enjoys. A movie, a TV show, a sport, hobby, general interest, or a favorite character like a Disney character. 

If your child likes Barbie, choose a Barbie theme, if your child liked the movie Shrek, you can base an entire birthday on the Shrek theme. 

This is the perfect time to let your child become involved in planning their party.

We encourage you to spend some quality time with your child discussing which theme they are most interested in. But be sure you agree with their choice before proceeding. 

Your child will only be thinking about which theme will be the most fun, while you need to also consider what may or may not be practical. And once you and your child have decided on a kid birthday party theme, everything else will fall into place... 

Your Kid Birthday Party Guest List 

When considering your kid party planning, experts advise you should invite one guest for every year of your child's age. This keeps your party manageable. Other considerations include your kid birthday party budget and the location of your party. 

But the question of how many guests you should invite to your birthday party can only be answered by you and your child... I suggest you mainly consider your budget and your party location... If you're comfortable with a house full of 20 kids for your child's 8th birthday, then go for it! 

Your Kid Birthday Party Location 

You may want to control your child's birthday party by holding the celebration in your home and/or backyard. Or you may want to consider having your party at another location like a local restaurant (where they do most of the clean-up) or a local park, amusement part, zoo or some other fun location. 

To keep your child party planning manageable, call any locations your considering in advance... You don't want to hear "we're all booked up on that date." 

Kid Birthday Party Invitations 

Once you and your child have decided on a theme, your party date, time, location and guest list, you can create or purchase invitations involving your theme. 

If you'd like to create your own party invitations, this is the  perfect opportunity to spend some quality time with your child... Talk with them about putting together a creative invitation that will tell all their invited guests how much fun their birthday party is going to be. 

Kid Birthday Party Food And Drinks 

The first thing that comes to mind when you say "birthday Party" is a birthday cake. 

For other snacks and treats, keep your kid birthday party theme in mind. 

Kid Birthday Party Games And Activities 

Put together some games and activities to keep your party guests busy and having lots of fun. You'll also want to have some quiet games, puzzles and other activities designed to wind your party down so your guests will go home a little less excited. 

Thank You Notes 

A day or so after your kid birthday party, sit down with your child and send out thank you notes to each of your guests. This will help to teach your child responsibility and how to thank their friends for being kind enough to bring them a gift or birthday card. 

By following the 8 steps I've outlined here, your kid party planning experience will be lots of fun, you'll take the stress out of planning, make things easier on your pocket book and you'll have a successful party your child will love. 

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The following are the ten ways that will help you to become one of your teenager’s best friends

Best friends! It may seem impossible to believe, but today’s teens do want to consider their parents as friends, even though they think we could never understand the realities of their world. They are also interested in what it was like being a teenager during the Stone Age. Life without cell phones or the Internet must have been unimaginable! 

So even with this interest, can parents and teens really become best friends when competing with busy schedules, and raging hormones? The answer is a resounding YES…and it is worth the effort! 

What is important to understand is that both of you have to want the new relationship on a long-term basis. You cannot appear to be going through the motions, or acting like you are fitting this new relationship into your busy schedules. 

As a father, I knew I was a good provider. I put food on the table, a roof over my teen’s head, and helped fund those great sales that saved me so much money. 

As important as the father role is, it was improving the “Dad” role that allowed me to develop a lasting relationship with my daughter. This also helped me with my two stepsons. Essentially, I modified the communication and problem-solving skills that I successfully used at work to improve my relationship with my teens. 

The following are the ten ways that will help you to become one of your teenager’s best friends: 

• Define what trust meant to each of you. Agree that there will be no games or hidden agendas—just honesty—to build the trust. 

• Agree that mutual trust is earned by exhibiting consistent behavior. The amount of trust that you develop will be proportionate to the amount of freedom that they will enjoy. 

• Anything that is discussed with you must be kept in the strictest of confidence. This will help reinforce the trust. 

• Talk to them as adults while remembering that they are still kids. This allows for flexibility during those trying adolescent years. 

• Become an attentive listener. Multitasking may be necessary at work, however it will make you appear distracted when discussing something important with your teenager. Learn to focus. 

• Ask the right questions without appearing to interrogate them. It is important that they not fear coming to you to discuss what is important to them. It is equally important that they feel that you will take the time to understand what they are trying to communicate. 

• Do not judge them for their actions or ever say, “I told you so! This helps in having them continue to come to you to discuss topics, and encourages them to do things better the next time. 

• When helping them with problem solving, discuss the desired outcomes first, and what they need to do to resolve their problem. Then allow them to proactively make their own decisions based upon the facts rather than reacting to their emotions. 

• Set guidelines instead of making rules for them to follow. They should have input into the guidelines, and then be expected to follow them. They will perceive this as fair and in their best interests. 

• “Hang out” together as oppose to just spending time together. Remember that there is a difference between motion and productivity, so make your time together interactive. For example, if you go to a movie, then go for an ice cream and discuss the movie. Or play some “one on one” games or sports. Do what best friends do! 

If you want to be a better parent, don’t forget the child within you. All too often, we get so wrapped up in being an adult that we forget how to have fun and enjoy life. I found that by using my imagination, I rekindled my creativity, and this made me an “okay guy” for my teenagers to hang out with.

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How Brothers and Sisters can Cope with Autistic Family Members

When a family member is diagnosed with autism, there is a vast amount of information teaching parents how to cope with an autistic child, and there is also information for parents about dealing with an autistic child's different behaviors. However, there are fewer learning tools for those who have an autistic sibling, even though this is a very stressful situation for brothers and sisters of an autistic child. The following tips can help children cope with an autistic sibling.

Sometimes parents are so involved in preparing themselves and their autistic child for the transition ahead that they forget that their other children must also deal with the new situation. Often, siblings of an autistic child may feel the new situation acutely. They may feel neglected by parents or jealous of the autistic child who is now receiving more attention. Also, they may find their peers constantly teasing them about having an autistic sibling, which can lead to more stress. This may lead to behavioral issues, with the sibling acting out and becoming a "problem child" to receive attention. In some cases, the sibling may even try to hurt the autistic brother or sister in an attempt to remove him from the family environment.

However, this is not always the case. Sometimes, having an autistic sibling forces one to "grow up" and become responsible. There can be a strong emotional attachment to the autistic sibling and a keen desire to keep him or her safe in all situations. Furthermore, living with an autistic sibling can teach one to be more open about another person's differences. In this way, having an autistic sibling is a life-enriching experience that pushes individuals to be emotionally and mentally stronger and to be more tolerant towards others in life

One tip for siblings to cope with their autistic brother or sister is to find a support group. There should be resources available at the local chapter of the Autism Society of America. This is especially important in helping siblings feel that they are not alone and isolated in this unfolding situation-others are dealing with the same sorts of problems. Also, try to increase family interaction. Schedule a regular family day or family night each week, where all children can spend time with parents or other family members and share their day or week experiences and any problems. The best thing to remember is to be open about how you are feeling. If children feel that their parents are neglecting some aspect of their life, simply asking them for a moment of their time is often the best solution. It is important for parents to be understanding towards their children's needs for attention, whether they are autistic or not. Communication is the key to helping the entire family run smoothly.

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Dealing with Autistic Teenagers

For most parents, one of the most trying times in their lives is during their child's teenage years. When puberty hits, young adults go through serious changes in their bodies and minds, and parents have little or no control over many situations. In an autistic child, puberty is no different. Although your autistic child is not experiencing puberty in quite the same ways as others his or her age, major hormonal changes still occur in the body. This can lead to extreme results, and this can be either good or bad depending on how your child reacts to the new hormone levels.

One of the scariest side effects of changes in an autistic person's body is the onset of seizures. Many autistic individuals experience seizures from birth to adulthood, but even if your child does not suffer from these episodes, he or she may begin to experience seizures during puberty and afterwards, due to the new levels of hormones in the body. Strange as it may sound, violent shaking seizures are not necessarily a bad thing. Almost a quarter of autistic children experience seizures, but many go undetected because they are not textbook versions of seizures. If you recognize that your child is experiencing a seizure, you can do something about it, and doctors will be able to better treat your child. However, if the seizures are subconsciously happening, you and your child may not realize it. The result of these small hidden seizures can be a loss in function, which can be devastating, especially if you child was improving before puberty. Regular check-ups during puberty, therefore, are extremely important.

The changes might not necessarily be a bad thing. New hormone levels in the body and the other changes associated with puberty might help your autistic child grow and succeed in areas in which he or she normally had no skill or interest. Many parents report that their child's behavior improved, and that learning in social settings was easier.

The important thing about puberty is to learn to monitor the changes in your child very carefully and to ask your doctor lots of questions. Remember that puberty is a difficult experience for any young adult, and so it will be even more difficult for someone with autism. Try to practice patience and understanding with your teen, and be careful to regulate his or her autism so that the transition from child to adult will go more smoothly.

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