No matter what autistic child we are talking about, they will most likely have problems with organization. This is not to say that they are stupid, because they are not, it's just a simple problem that children with autism (and Autistic Adults) have, no matter if they are super intelligent.
So with such problems people would think that they have to crowd the autistic child, telling them to do something, being almost on their back about what not to forget. But this unfortunately is not the best way to get the most from your autistic child. Just remember that your autistic child is just like you, they are human! Do you like your boss or your spouse always being on your back?
The answers are obviously no, but just imagine what your autistic child feels. Where you or I could say, stop annoying my, or go away, your autistic child most likely can't even articulate what they want to say to you, which would most likely be... "Get Off My Back".
This is going to be the same for even the most gifted of autistic children. They will be able to remember a 26 digit number no problem, but when it comes to finishing homework or even as simple as bringing their copybook into school, they can fall well behind.
But fear not, there are some non-forceful strategies that will have your child begin to remember the small things they need.
One thing to remember is that autistic children react immensely well to pictures. So, being that we know this, we will be able to formulate a plan around pictures to jog their memory.
One little secret idea that is a great way of ensuring that your child goes to School with everything and also comes back with everything is to make a small picture book, with pictures of everything they need to have in their bag. It could contain pictures of:
1. Their pencil
2. Their pencil case
3. Their copybook
4. Their textbook
5. Their lunchbox
I think you get the gist of what I am going on about. What you do then is attach it to the bag on the outside by a piece of string, or something else. Then, they will always have this in their view and will be able to look at to see what they need to take home.
This is a great way of building up their confidence and helping them feel independent.
I think the main thing to take into consideration is that there will be sometimes that your child will forget things, but so will any child, so the best course of action is not to make them feel stupid. This will kill your child's self esteem and they may even start to forget more things by it. A downward spiral can happen very fast in an autistic child so you have got to be very careful how you talk and interact with your child.
Above all else, seeing your autistic child's memory and confidence improve can be very heart warming. Remember that it takes that little bit of work from you that will create amazing results in your child.
Thomas Stewart is a full time author who specializes in Childhood Autism. Along with his unconventional and often controversial ideas on autism recovery, his work will bring you to a new place of enlightenment when it comes to starting on a path to helping your child recover from autism. You can pick up his FREE e-Course & Find out more about Thomas at http://www.Autism-LaidBare.com
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