Being a parent is somewhat of an emotional rollercoaster. We all celebrate our children’s little victories; we marvel at how they grow and learn. We laugh with them, we feel their pain. As parents, we do everything in our power to help our children reach their fullest potential. We want them to become loving, caring, responsible adults. At least, that’s what I like to believe.
But what if your child is on the Autism Spectrum?
Children with an ASD think differently; they learn differently. As parents, it is sometimes difficult for us to teach them how to cope with their condition, how to function to their fullest potential. With some, especially those on the higher end of the spectrum, this is difficult, but possible in many cases.
With parents of children on the lower end of the spectrum, this can be frustrating and heart-breaking. Parents of these children want to do everything in their power to help their child. But in many of the low-functioning autistic children, the ability to communicate is minimal. How do you make them understand that their behavior is inappropriate? How do you get them to communicate their needs?
In my years researching Autism on the internet, I have found very few resources for parents of children on the spectrum. I’d like to devote this site to creating an environment and real community for parents who need help.
With this post, I want to begin with ideas on how to curb undesirable behaviors. How do you, my readers, prevent your children from doing things like playing with their feces? How did you potty train them? Do you have problems with your low-functioning teenagers doing things in public that are very inappropriate (like touching themselves or others in inappropriate ways)? How do you curb those behaviors?
Please, all of you, feel free to discuss your ideas, what you’ve done that has helped, etc. I think this is an important issue with our children, and I think it is important for parents who are experiencing this, or for those parents who are new to the Autism diagnosis, to have varying ideas on things that may or may not have worked.
Autistic Alms 