Tips for parents for helping your kids on the spectrum.

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Parents spend the maximum time with their kids on the spectrum. Parents need to know some strategies they can use to help their kids with autism to work on their goals and help with skill generalization.

Use simple language

Many kids with autism are non-verbal and struggle with receptive language. We must use simple language with our kids as they struggle with auditory processing. It is also very important we give our kids some processing time or wait time before we jump in to help them.    .Always try to pair your language with visual supports as it will help them remember and process what was said to them.

Always follow-through
This is very important. When we give our children any instruction and they refuse to obey we must teach them to comply with the instruction. This is a very important life skill. We might have to use some prompts to help them.

Use Reinforcement with your child to teach them any skill.

Reinforcement is something that will increase future behaviours. In life, we all work for some kind of reinforcement. We go to work and we get paid. That is reinforcing for us and we are motivated to show up at work every day. The same concept applies to our kids with autism if we want them to work hard to learn new skills we need to reward them. Every child with autism likes different things for which they are ready to work. This can be getting access to food, get a new toy or play with an iPad or engage in a favourite activity. These are all reinforcers. It is also important the kids don’t get free access to their reinforcers so they are motivated to work hard for it. Reinforcers are individualized.

Use age-appropriate activities with our kids.

Many kids on the spectrum are in various stages of development which might not align to their chronological age. Most of our kids might still be working on foundational skills. We must use age-appropriate materials to teach those skills to our kids.

Use visual supports when working with your kids with autism.

The kids with autism struggle with either receptive or expressive language. Visuals play an important role in helping our kids understand language and process the world around them. They are portable and can be used in different situations.it allows them to feel in control and reduce anxiety .kids with autism have strength in visual processing.

Set up some kind of a communication system for your child.

Every person should have a way to communicate. This is no different for kids with autism. Most kids on the spectrum are non-verbal and have no spoken speech. Some can say a few words or can speak well.  We must set a system for our kids to communicate. It can be low tech like PECS or using a high-tech system like AAC devices. This will help our kids to communicate with the world around them feel in control and decrease anxiety. 

Always offer choices to your kids with autism.

Making choices is an important life skill. It helps the kids with autism to feel in control even though you might select the choices you offer. It helps to keep them motivated and decrease problem behaviour.

I hope these strategies are helping for you to help your child . 











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