A parent of a young adult with autism wrote about a habit that might requre a “Cold Turkey” approach. She said, “When my son entered high school, we started letting him go shopping for a video each week if he was able to control his tantrums and explosive behavior at school. That seemed to work [...]
“I often catch myself just nagging my son,” said a parent of an elementary student diagnosed with autism. “I really want to help him and to use all the strategies we’ve worked on with teachers and therapists, but sometimes I simply run out of time and patience to follow through. So I end up just [...]
Teachers, residential staff, and parents often ask for strategies to help decrease the need for constantly monitoring individuals who get into drawers, cabinets, closets, and desks, often breaking or tearing up items. Sometimes we feel as if all we ever say to a person is, “Don’t touch” or “Leave that alone.” Today’s podcast introduces a [...]
“I am a regular FAQautism listener via podcast and have written in the past,” wrote a mother. “So now that I have something that really WORKS I wanted to share it with other parents and caregivers.” This mom shares a strategy that she used to help her daughter deal with anger more productively. Listen Now: [...]
Parents, teachers, and therapists have sent in more questions about helping individuals with autism learn to follow directions. Compliance is a life skill that is critical for functioning in society. We celebrate the fact that our friends with autism are clever and creative, but we also recognize that they must learn to follow directions so [...]
“It is a relief to see that other people are experiencing the same problems we are,” said a mom. “My child is 11 yrs. old and was diagnosed with autism 4 years ago. Sometimes I feel like we are regressing in his behavior. We have a hard time getting him to follow directions. I feel [...]
“Our son seems to always do the opposite of what we ask him to do,” said parents of an 11-year-old diagnosed with autism. “This is becoming quite a problem at home and at school. Last week, both of us told him very clearly not to go out the door, and out he went, right into [...]
An experienced first-grade teacher commented on difficulties encountered by some children with autism in the classroom setting. “Because young students with autism interpret instructions so literally,” said the teacher, “they sometimes struggle with instructions and common classroom routines.” In addition to challenges related to communication, children with autism may not have good mirroring skills, so [...]
Some compulsive or repetitive behaviors displayed by individuals with autism are annoying or socially inappropriate. But some behaviors are dangerous. Some individuals escape from seatbelts or from cars. Others swallow items that pose serious health risks. Sometimes individuals with autism might obsessively pull fire alarms or touch strangers inappropriately or run into the street. Behaviors [...]
“Sometimes I just feel like I am going in circles with my son,” commented a dad of an elementary-aged boy diagnosed with autism. “We finally get one problem ironed out, and here comes another one barreling around the corner!” Teachers and job coaches of individuals with autism express similar frustrations. But, when you think about [...]
Individuals who have limited skills are often viewed as RECEIVERS of care and seldom regarded as GIVERS with potential to help others. We can enhance the lives of our friends with autism by taking time every day to give individuals specific “jobs” as part of their daily routine in school, at home, or in community [...]
“My daughter is on-target or ahead of her peers academically, but socially she gets too close to her peers or touches their arm or hair or face,” wrote a parent. “She does not maintain enough personal space when standing or sitting near someone. I feel like we go over this repeatedly but she still stands [...]
When a person diagnosed with autism is having a problem at home, school, or work or in the grocery store, park, or car, it can often be very challenging to discover the source of the problem. Many times, teachers, job coaches, therapists, family members, and friends must be “super-sleuths” in order to patiently explore all [...]
In the past week, several parents have brought up concerns about inappropriate public behavior. It is the phase that parents of pre-teen boys with autism dread. “I can’t believe he just sticks his hands in his pants even when we are in the store or sitting in church,” said one parent. “We tell him to [...]
I was talking to a parent and an after-school teacher earlier this year about a young lady with autism who functions academically on grade-level with her peers, but struggles with social and behavior issues. Her mom said, “I feel like we are in a constant battle of the wills.” Her after-school teacher commented that she [...]
The father of a young adult with autism who has been involved in music therapy for almost 20 years was telling me a story that illustrated the need for concrete, specific communication, especially with individuals with autism. Dad said, “I really lost my temper last weekend when I asked my son to put his clothes [...]
A teacher and parent of an 8-year-old girl diagnosed with autism were discussing the challenges of caregiving. The mother commented, “It seems like all I say is ‘don’t do this’ or ‘don’t do that.” The teacher concurred, saying, “It is like putting out little brush fires all day long!” The podcast gives examples of directions [...]
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