Five More Steps to Sanity
We are continuing our discussion about steps parents and other caregivers can take to keep their lives on track while dealing with the complex maze of issues involved in raising a child with autism. These strategies have also proven helpful to parents whose children with autism do not require such intense “forever parenting.”
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Step 6. Forgive yourself and others. It is certainly counterproductive to beat yourself up for mistakes. And you can waste a lot of energy holding a grudge against a person or an agency or society in general for injustices to your child with autism. Sometimes it is best to just forgive and forget and move on.
Step 7. Relinquish some control to encourage self-sufficiency. Your child will never learn to help himself if you constantly jump in to do everything for them. Just step back and let them do some things for themselves. Remember, perfection isn’t the goal.
Step 8. Manage behavior positively and consistently. Don’t wait until you lose your patience before addressing behavior issues. Pinpoint the cause of inappropriate behavior, then help your friend with autism learn to decrease the frequency of that behavior and help them learn a new, more appropriate behavior.
Step 9. Recognize and count your blessings. During challenging and trying times, it can be difficult to find the silver lining in a dark and gloomy cloud. But, if you look carefully, you will see the blessings in your life – no matter how insignificant they may appear on the surface.
Step 10. Laugh – that’s the only way you will accomplish steps 1 through 9!!!
We welcome your ideas for coping with the complexities of autism. Just send us an e-mail at talk@FAQautism.com
Note to FAQautism.com listeners and readers: I am Cathy Knoll, a board certified music therapist and long-time friend of many folks with autism. At FAQautism.com we are committed to providing free, practical, everyday tips for making life better for people with autism. You can click on a button to send me an email with your thoughts or challenging situations or innovative solutions. Check out our website for a wealth of ideas and a glimpse into the world of autism. www.FAQautism.com
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