15 Autism Strategies For Managing Autistic Children

Managing an autistic child can be difficult at times, which is why having autism strategies in place can make the difference between coping and feeling overwhelmed. The strategies don't have to be difficult or complex, it's really simply a matter of ensuring that your child feels secure, comfortable, and calm, so that they can grow and develop in a positive environment.

It's important to remember that a number of the behaviors autistics display are those that they have developed in order to provide security and certainty to the world that surrounds them. Some of the behaviors that an autistic child naturally develops are designed to shut out situations they find too difficult to cope with. Thus applying the right approach can help a parent reach their autistic child instead of being shut out.

The following is a list of 15 different autism strategy suggestions parents can utilize to help them manage their children with autism spectrum disorders:

1. Provide a predictable environment and daily routine

2. Prepare your child in advance for any changes that need to occur to the routine, don't spring surprises on them. Keep in mind changes should only be made when absolutely necessary.

3. Activities should have structure.

4. Distractions should be kept to a minimum, especially when communicating, so don't try competing with the TV or lots of background noise when giving instructions.

5. Ensure you have your child's full attention when trying to communicate with them.

6. When giving instructions they should be simple and direct so there is no room for misunderstandings.

7. When instructions are given, you need to allow enough time for your child to process them. Autism strategies require patience - don't rush your child.

8. Try using visual aids like flash cards or picture books when communicating as these can help get your message across and cement understanding.

9. Try to be as consistent as possible with everything you do involving your autistic child. This includes punishments.

10. If an autistic individual is not coping, he/she requires a "safe" place where they can retreat in order to calm down and de-stress.

11. If your child is not coping with a situation, consider if underlying causes (I.E. confusion, stress, fear, pain or over-stimulation) could be a factor and try to remove that cause.

12. When the stress levels of an autistic have reduced, encourage them to return to group activities or situations.

13. Speak to the school to see if a buddy system could be introduced to help provide academic and social support. This involves pairing autistic kids with non-autistic peers.

14. Before attempting to alter or discourage a behavior that you think is inappropriate, carefully consider if this is necessary, as the behavior you are trying to diminish may be replaced by something worse.

15. Don't take autism behaviors personally, find ways to de-stress yourself and remember that laughter is often the best medicine when you're at your wits end.

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In addition, parents need to keep in mind that education is one of the best autism strategies they can apply in their efforts to manage their child's autism. The more information one knows about autism, the easier it will be to cope, understand the needs of autistics, and help provide them with the best environment to grow up in.

By Rachel Evans. Sign up for a free newsletter for more information on autism. In the newsletter you'll find out more about the signs and symptoms of autism.

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Dealing with Autism in Public

Autism is a developmental disorder that affects roughly one out of 100 children. It is characterized by a lack of ability to function socially and in more severe cases, the process of communication.

Discovering that your child has autism can be a traumatic experience. Oftentimes, parents may believe there is something developmentally wrong with their child, but accepting that autism is the culprit can be difficult to say the least. Accepting that your child is autistic and getting him the help he needs is just the beginning. There are many other factors that go into parenting an autistic child.

At first, having an autistic child can be embarrassing for some parents. Autistic children do not have the same social skills as most of their peers. They are often prone to fits of anger and violence due to their inability to properly communicate. Oftentimes, these 'tantrums' occur in public.

There are many people that do not understand the first thing about autism. This means that they are more likely to make rude or insensitive comments about autistic people. People, on the whole, are an understanding bunch, although there are plenty of people who will make insensitive comments, ask inappropriate questions, and even stare at autistic children.

The first instinct for many parents may be to meet this insensitivity with anger. This is not the best approach. Consider that the person who makes an insensitive comment is ignorant to what autism is. They just don't know any better!

What you should do as a parent, is try to ignore the comments if possible. This may be easier said than done, but it falls upon you to be the voice of reason. In addition, you should always focus on providing a good example for your child. Remember, the well-being and safety of your child is paramount. Everything else is secondary.

If ignoring rudeness is impossible, you should approach confrontation with the aim to educate. If someone understands that your child is autistic they will be less likely to make any further comments.

In addition, it is a good idea to have a plan when you go out in public. Understand the types of situations that can upset your child and do your best to avoid these circumstances whenever possible. It is also a good idea to keep a journal of your child's behaviors and cross-reference them with locations. This will allow you to understand the triggers for bouts of violent or aggressive behavior.

To minimize disruptive behavior, think about the particular outing you have planned and what the worst case scenario would be and then plan for it. Take along a favorite toy or snack for placating your child, if they do 'act out' or make unusual movements/noises have some stock answers at the ready i.e 'Sam has autism and lots of people/noises/new environments upset him. His movements/noises helps him cope with stressful situations'. Try going out in small groups of friends or family who know your child and can help you cope with any public outbursts or comments from strangers.

Dealing with autism in public is not an easy task. There are many people out there who will make judgments, comments, and other rude gestures at your child. Parents of other 'normal' children may also make insensitive comments. This is a negative part of human nature - but it is impossible for you to change it. What you can do is to provide information about the disorder and offer insight that will help others understand. If this does not work do not initiate a confrontation, as that will probably only upset your child and probably attract further attention.

Rachel Evans writes a Free Autism Newsletter. You can join for free here please visit Free Autism Newsletter. For more information on the latest autism research and for information on autism pdd

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Autism Recovery - Video Games, TV, Movies and Stimulatory Behavior

An autism Intervention specialist physician explains:

While doing one of my live weekly video chats recently on my biomedical education website, the topic of self stimulatory behaviors and vocalizations came up. Vocalizations can include repeating words or phrases from TV shows, movies, or video games, echolalia, etc. and can be an indicator of an underlying sensory issue.

I know therapeutically, after starting Methyl B-12 therapy, children often become more aware of their surroundings and also of social cues. Often times they begin to pick up on the facial and vocal cues and other aspects of nonverbal communication that they previously missed. What comes along with that is also using language more frequently and appropriately and the natural inquisitiveness that children generally have. This is all very common with Methyl B-12 usage.

On the live chat, this parent was expressing that she did see improvement with Methyl B-12 therapy but was also seeing an increase in self talk and dialog from watching TV and playing video games. I realized that we were witnessing a child with better awareness and language that was now able to express things he was experiencing better than before. The Methyl B-12 was having a positive effect on the language area of the brain and we were seeing an overall improvement in awareness.

The child was recognizing things from watching various media and was now able to verbalize it. Often times children with Autism can become very rigid about what they watch on television and can want to watch the same thing all the time. When they gain awareness, especially if you are doing any sort of biomedical treatment, you want that awareness to be of appropriate social interactions, not the media.

Monitoring how much TV or video games your child engages in is a prudent thing to do. Occasional use is fine but what you really want is a child interacting with peers, siblings, family in the normal ways. Trips to the park, stores, etc. are all apart of our daily life and open up opportunity for interaction with others, which is even more important for your child with Autism.

Children with Autism can become hyper focused on what they watch, so you want to limit the amount of exposure to television or games in favor of real life interaction with others.

Don't let ANYONE tell you there is nothing you can do to help your child. Autism really is treatable! Start your child down the road to recovery from autism. Biomedical Autism treatments and therapies have resulted in many, many children improving, or even even losing their autism-spectrum disorder diagnosis.

For lots more free biomedical autism intervention information and videos from Dr. Woeller go to http://www.AutismRecoveryTreatment.com.

Dr. Kurt Woeller is an biomedical autism Intervention specialist, with a private practice in Southern California for over 10 years. He has helped children recover from autism, ADD, ADHD, and other disorders, and has the information you need to help your child. Get the information you need at his free blog above, interact with him directly at his membership website at http://www.AutismActionPlan.org.

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The Autistic Runner - Techniques to Help Him Slow Down

Working with an autistic runner is difficult, but not impossible. Building a trusting relationship and an attachment helps the child to stop running. I will demonstrate how to work with the runner through an actual example with a boy I call Aaron.

Aaron was four years old when I first met him. He was nonverbal and a runner. He was participating in a program for autistic children and I was a volunteer. It is hard to describe why I connected with Aaron, but it was a connection of a lifetime. It is over twenty years later and I still have contact with his family.

I was warned he was a runner, but I thought I could manage this. I did not know what I was in for. I knew that I needed to gain an attachment with him. To help gain this attachment, I would show him lots of attention and would at his request tickle him. He loved the tickling. Sometimes, I noticed he was very anxious and he would climb on the ledge of a window. I would hold his hand and say something like this, "Aaron, I am holding your hand because I am nervous you will fall and hurt yourself. You do not have to get down until you are comfortable." He immediately would get down. A lesson I learned was to not demand his compliance, but instead to talk to him about his fear with the hope he would respond, which is exactly what he did. Having developed the beginnings of an attachment we explored what it would be like outside the room we played in.

Now I saw what it meant to be an autistic 'runner.' He would run fast for a four year old, but I managed to keep up with him. My fear of losing him gave me extra energy to run fast. He would run to a video arcade. He loved the blinking lights with all sorts of noises. Each week this running to the arcade became a ritual for us. I was getting great exercise, but thought maybe we could do this differently. This is where my creativity came into play.

I would stand in front of him as he was running and catch him and thus made his running into a game we could play together. He would soon learn that this game was fun and also he was learning how to interact with me. The attachment was solidified. After sometime, he actually stopped running and began to walk with me. At times I would stop and he would continue to walk. I would call, "Aaron, I am back here." He would stop and run back to me. I would continue to do this so he would become more conscious of me. Over the years, we took many long walks (over an hour) together.

Runners can be difficult to work with, but not impossible. Developing the attachment is critical, but once the trust is solidified and the child realizes you are a permanent fixture you have accomplished an important first step. You need to believe that through the relationship with you that he will want to walk with you. By making it fun, the child will want to join in. I believe that Aaron not only wanted to have fun, but he also wanted to stop running, but did not have a reason and the knowledge to do so. Together we made it happen.

Karen Savlov is a psychoanalyst and Marriage and Family Therapist with a private practice in West Los Angeles, California. My specialty is Autism Spectrum Disorders, anger, dissociation, depression, anxiety and relationships. For new and creative ways to think about autism read and follow my blog at http://www.wonderingaboutautism.blogspot.com. I can also be followed on Twitter at Autism Thoughts.

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Alternative Treatments For Autism, Asperger's Syndrome, ADD, and ADHD

Childhood neurological disorders are so on the rise that in 2007 the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention have called them a "major health threat". These disorders are being described as behavioral, social, and academic dysfunctions. Ten years ago, Autism was a rare disorder, found in approximately 1 out of 10,000 children. Today, Autism is now affecting 1 out of 150 children!!! Affecting twice as many boys as it does girls.

This year, 1.5 million children entering school will be diagnosed with some type of neurological disorder that affect the ability to learn and socially interact. That is 1 out of 6 five or six year olds! This is staggering!!!

Why are these conditions becoming so prevalent? Well, there are numerous causes for this: maternal health, difficult delivery, genetics, environmental toxins, vaccines, injury, etc. The list can go on and on...what we do know is how these children are affected.

So, lets pinpoint what is affected. Your brain is formed by two cerebral hemispheres, a left and right side. The left side is going to be coined as the gas pedal. The right side will be known as the brake. Within the first 2 years of life, emphasis on development of the right cortex (hemisphere) is given, a natural process for every person. After the first 2 years, the emphasis is switched to the left cortex (the right cortex is still under development, but the emphasis switches).

In order to understand why these children are suffering from their behavioral, social, and academic dysfunctions, you must understand what the regions of the brain do and what they are responsible:

Right Cortex
Big picture
Nonverbal communication
Large muscle control
Comprehension
Math reasoning
Interpreting information
Understanding abstract concepts

Left Cortex
Small picture
Verbal communication
Small muscle control
Word reading
Math calculations
Processing information
Linear and logical thinking

If the right cortex of the brain is affected during the first 2 years of its developmental growth, then the above functions will be affected. For instance, nonverbal communication is the foundation of verbal communication. Nonverbal communication is the ability to understand body language and interpret this. When nonverbal communication doesn't develop properly, it makes learning verbal skills difficult or even impossible.

These same children with right brain deficiencies may be good at reading words but will not be good at interpreting what they are reading. They may also be good with numbers but be bad at higher-level math skills.

Children with the right brain weaknesses will have a poor attention span. They tend to be impulsive and anxious, along with being compulsive. Remember, think right = brake and left = gas!!!

Since the right cortex controls the large muscles of our body, these children tend to have delayed and poor gross motor skills; for example: balance, coordination, and rhythm.

Right brain deficiencies are often diagnosed as: ADD, ADHD, Asperger's Syndrome, Autism, and OCD.

Left brain deficiencies tend to affect children in just the opposite way. For reading sake, lets just say that the most diagnosed conditions caused by left brain deficiencies are: dyslexia, processing disorders, central auditory processing disorder, learning disabilities, reading disorders and selective mutism.

Now that we know and understand what the two regions do, we know how to fix it. FIX IT??? Yes, if there is a right brain weakness (majority of the children with neurological disorders suffer from a right brain weakness...remember, right cortex forms during the first 2 years) we know how to fix it and vice versa.

How do we do this? Through Brain Based Therapy...brain stimulation. Anytime you stimulate different regions of the brain, those regions of the brain light up = neurons are activated (neurons are what make up our brain). Think of it like this...if you lift a 1 pound weight long enough, what is going to happen to your muscle? It will strengthen! If you activate/stimulate a certain region of your brain, it will strengthen! Through specific neurological exercises you can strengthen the brain...specifically certain sides of the brain.

So, if you have a right brain weakness...then we must perform certain neurological exercises to strengthen that region = Autism, ADD, ADHD, and Asperger's Syndrome improved!!!

This is all performed through non-invasive exercises...no medication or surgeries!

This is half the battle...the other half of the battle is working with the children metabolically...

Dr. Corey King, owner of Tustin Chronic Condition Center focuses on treating those patients who are still searching for answers to their health conditions. We specialize in the following: Autism/ADD/ADHD, dizziness/vertigo, fibromyalgia, thyroid disorders, and chronic pain. http://www.askdrking.com

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Important Facts Involving the History of Autism

Although the history of autism likely began well over a century ago, autism wasn't previously recognized as its own condition, it was originally confused with another mental disorder, schizophrenia.

For many years, it was also believed that autism was the result of one, basic cause. Today, it is known that autism does not only have one cause, and nothing about the disorder is basic.

For instance, although all autistics have issues with social development, some may be highly gifted and learn to live independently, while others are mentally unable to grasp concepts and are completely dependent.

However, you may be wondering, how did the history of autism develop and where did it all begin?

The following are the main facts that outline the major breakthroughs in autism history.

o 1912 - Eugene Bleuler - a Swiss psychiatrist was the first to recognize a pattern in schizophrenic individuals who seemed to be self-absorbed. Bleuler referred to this self-absorption as "autism"; he was the first to create and use this term. However, he was not the first in the history of autism to recognize autism as being a separate mental disorder from schizophrenia.

o 1943 - Leo Kanner - an Austrian-American child psychologist was the first to recognize autism as an independent mental disorder. Kanner described a group of 11 children having the following common characteristics:

o Displaying anguish with changes

o Problems with social interaction

o Delayed echolalia (vocally repeating the sounds or words of another)

o Good memory

o Overly sensitive to specific stimulants, particularly sound

o Problems with food

o Difficulty being spontaneous

o Notable intellectual potential

Kanner labeled the behaviors of these 11 children as having early infantile autism.

o 1944 - Hans Asperger - an Austrian scientist and pediatrician, wrote about his experiences with a group of children he came to call autistic psychopaths. Asperger noted many of the same traits in the children that Kanner studied. However, the one trait he did not mention was the delayed echolalia. Instead, he noted that his group of children spoke like "little grown-ups". Asperger also mentioned their clumsy motor skills that were different from the average child. If the name Asperger looks familiar, this is because he plays a major role in the history of autism in regards to Asperger Syndrome, now recognized as a specific type of high functioning autism.

o 1967 - Bruno Bettelheim - An Austrian-American child psychologist and writer wrote The Empty Fortress: Infantile autism and the birth of the self. Within his work, Bettelheim discussed three therapy session he had with children whom he called autistic. Bettelheim claimed that the autistic disorder was the result of their mother's coldness. It was his belief that parents should not be involved in the children's therapy. This lack of understanding of the condition left many parents wrongly feeling they were somehow to blame.

o 1970's - Autism knowledge and research spread to Sweden. The Erica Foundation in Sweden began education and therapy for autistic children. During their research, it was discovered that autism was more complex than initially realized. This led researchers down a new path, making them realize, for one of the first time in the history of autism that there was more than one, general cause of autism.

o 1980's - Autism research really took off and more researchers were becoming convinced that the typical reasons were related to neurological disturbances, which may be on occasion combined with other genetic factors such as chromosomal aberrations, metabolic disturbances, or illness.

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The history of autism still continues to this day, as researchers are still on a quest to determine the cause and the most effective treatment.

By Rachel Evans. Sign up for a free newsletter for more information on autism. In the newsletter you'll find out more about the signs and symptoms of autism.

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Autism Activities For Children

Having your own world. This would probably describe what autism is all about. It is a very common neural disorder affecting millions of people all over the world. Social interaction is impaired as well as communication. Studies show that parents usually detect this disorder in the first two years of life. It is important to understand how to deal with autistic children for them to have normalcy in their daily routine. Autism activities for children truly help parents and caregivers to address this concern. Here are some suggestions:

1. Mimicking. Autistic children are great mimickers! This is because they enjoy repetition. Try to write down different animals with their corresponding sounds then let the child say it with you. Also try different transportation sounds such as those in trains and ships. You can also go into teaching them actions like brushing the teeth, fixing the hair, etc! Simple everyday routine you can inject within your fun game.

2. Singing. Because autistic children are apt at making just about any sound, might as well teach them simple songs. This will enable them to make sensible sounds than just shouting. Fun common tones are ideal because it is relaxing. Singing would be a good way to release anxiety to your child.

3. Art and Board games. Try to educate your child with doing simple art work. This will help in lengthening their attention span and help in the calming process. Easy board games are also suggested to facilitate mental development. These also give the child a sense of fulfillment if he is able to finish and win it! It is important though not to give them the difficult games as it might irritate them. Try giving them first those simply puzzles or those basic building blocks.

4. Sports. This is one of the autism activities for children that can certainly boost his social interaction and confidence. Choose sports that are organized and do not necessarily need too much sensory arousal. You will see that some autistic children can very well exceed in sports. It is important to guide and supervise them at first because autistic children have difficulty adapting to change and developing social interaction.

5. Safety. This is probably the most important thing among all the autism activities for children. Children suffering from the disorder require more attention from their parents when it comes to safety and protection. Include in his daily routine the dos and don'ts of going around the house. Make simple policies that would prevent common accidents. Constant acting out and reinforcement will inculcate in the child how to be safe.

Although not all autistic children grow about living a normal life, some actually do. At least in learning normal routines that can help them interact and be independent. Helping them in their early childhood will reduce or eliminate the negative effects of autism. The key is to teach them in their early years. Autism activities for children are coping instruments both the parents and the child can benefit from.

Autism should not be a reason to burden your family. Although there is still no cure for autism, early detection can really make a big difference. Visit Autism Activities for Children and learn more about the causes, symptoms, and how to handle autism.

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