Autism spectrum disorders (ASD) make up a set of neurodevelopmental disorders that have been one of the great scientific unknowns of recent decades, since it is not known exactly what causes the pathology. However, beyond the challenge that autism poses for researchers, we must not lose sight of the fact that what is important is the well-being of people who have developed ASD and their families.
Therefore, in this article we will talk about the particular needs of boys and girls with autism taking into account that they experience everyday life in a different way than most people.
These are the main general ideas that you should take into account to meet the needs of a minor who has developed ASD.
1. Understand the particularities of your type of autism
As its name indicates, Autism Spectrum Disorders cover a wide variety of disorders, and although autism as a general concept has certain general characteristics in common, the differences in the way these people experience life should not be underestimated. .
That’s why, Care for an autistic boy or girl always begins with an initial medical and psychological evaluation process. In this, observations are made of, for example, the intellectual development of the minor, as well as their rate of language acquisition.
While some people with autism have an IQ that is statistically normal or even significantly higher than the population average, there are many cases in which it is very low, to a point where they are never able to speak or understand. the language. And it can also happen that even though the level of intelligence is not low, there are language problems. In cases of non-verbal autism, the needs are very different from those of other people with ASD. Therefore, the recommendations given by the team of health professionals who have examined the boy or girl should prevail over the general recommendations that you will find here.
2. Let him socialize at his own pace
The role of fathers and mothers should be to offer the child an environment that offers all the elements and stimuli necessary for the child with autism to develop in the best possible way; This involves making it easy for them to make friends, but not by trying to “force” friendships.
This is especially important considering that People with autism have greater difficulty connecting with others, both to understand and to be understood, and these interactions tend to be exhausting or even meaningless if they cannot identify a specific reason for establishing these dialogues. Therefore, her need consists of being able to have access to boys and girls who are most similar to him or her, but not to be forced to necessarily talk to them or to simply prolong conversations.
3. Avoid places with a lot of noise
In most cases in which a person has developed autism, there is a high sensitivity to noises, especially if they are varied and with a certain degree of unpredictability (monotonous noises do not affect them as much). Therefore, the best is try to avoid very noisy places and make sure that the house is not exposed to that kind of stimuli.
4. Teach them techniques to calm themselves through stimuli
As many people with autism often suffer from stress problems when they feel overwhelmed by what is happening around them, it is recommended teach them ways to calm down that rely on focusing their attention on something specific. For example, pinching a ball or a small doll that they can carry in their pocket, or repeating a series of words.
5. Use keywords so that they understand what you say
For children with autism with at least a certain ability to understand language, it is advisable to use key words, that is, words in common use and with a clear meaning, to express themselves in a very direct way and without detours or very abstract metaphors.
6. Express what you feel clearly
Don’t assume that with the subtleties of your facial expressions he will understand how you feel. If he feels like he doesn’t connect with you on an emotional level, he will get frustrated, but you can make things easier for him by expressing your most relevant internal psychological states in clear words and gestures.
7. Offer what you need to learn on your own
Many autistic children have a voracious curiosity that leads them to always be investigating to learn in their own way, yes, about the specific topics that they choose. Therefore, pay attention to their interests and offer them all the learning material they need that is related to those topics.
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