FAQautism | In Depth Discussions

In Depth Discussions

The In-Depth Forum is a collection of topical discussions responding to questions about effective strategies that address the challenges of autism. The In-Depth discussions provide a wealth of practical strategies as well as helpful hints for effectively implementing strategies at home, at work, and in the community. The spectrum of autism is broad and the scope of challenges encountered by caregivers is vast, so there is no single strategy that works in all situations. The purpose of the In Depth discussions is to explore a variety of options when dealing with behavior issues, communication, social interaction, leisure time, or other timely topics.

Don’t “DON’T!”

The topic of this In-Depth discussion is the use of the word “don’t” in behavior management. The word “don’t” is spoken repeatedly by parents, teachers, and other caregivers every day. All of us, especially those of us who hang around with folks diagnosed with autism and related disabilities, will most likely increase smiles and contentment in our daily lives if we tell a person what we want them to “DO” more times each day than we say “DON’T.”
Audio (mp3)
Script (txt)

Taming Morning Chaos

In this In-Depth discussion we will brainstorm about ways to turn chaotic, stress-filled mornings into more calm, tolerable events. Just like you and me, some people with autism are “morning people” and others are grumpy until the clock strikes 8 a.m. Some individuals with autism can just pop out of bed with a smile and get ready for work or school or other events without much supervision. But others need help getting ready for the day.
Audio (mp3)
Script (txt)

Realistic Resources

It might be a good idea to keep in mind that many of our friends with autism interpret most of what they see and hear literally. We must not assume they can discern the difference between fact and fiction. And we can purposefully help them find reading material that is, indeed, based on actual facts so they have a frame of reference based on reality. The following is a partial list of links for websites that focus on actual places, people, things, facts, and events.

Howstuffworks.com is a great site that explains and illustrates how things work – not only gadgets and machines, but also bugs and trees and bodies and the solar system and any topic you can think of.
Three respected magazines, Smithsonian, National Geographic, and Time, They are interesting resources about history, current events, cultures, science, exploration, and the arts.
Some of my friends with autism love maps. Mapquest.com is a fun site that maps the entire world.
Bartleby.com is an interesting site that has many classical books, stories, and poems on line as well as comprehensive, encyclopedias, dictionaries, quotations, thesaurus, and other resources.
Stardate.org is posted by McDonald’s Observatory, and contains a wealth of information about astronomy and what we see in the sky.
Weather.com not only contains forecast information, but also has maps that allow us to see actual satellite pictures of our community or our neighborhood or even our house!
Foxsports.com has up-to-date information about every imaginable sport.
Wikipedia is an online encyclopedia that contains over 2 million articles about the arts, history, society, biography, mathematics, technology, geography, and science

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If you have any comments or questions about this In-Depth discussion, or if you have any ideas or helpful hints related to this topic, or if you have ideas about new topics for our In-Depth Forum, please feel free to contact me, Cathy Knoll, at this e-mail address: talk@FAQautism.com