Transitions Strategies for kids on the spectrum.

-

 One of the hardest things for our kids on the spectrum is transitions. This can be transitioning from a preferred activity to a non-preferred one. This can also include transitioning from one setting to another.  Children with autism thrive on a routine so any change in routine can be hard for our kids.

There are several supports we can put in place to make transitions easier for our kids. kids on the spectrum are visual learners. Visual processing is their strength. They may struggle in comprehension or following multi-step directions.

Use of visual schedules.

Visual schedules are very important to support our kids on the spectrum. Visual schedules can show our kids the events which will occur in their day so they know what to expect without any surprises.

 This can help in transitions as it decreases the anxiety associated with the changes. Visual Schedules can be customized for each child as per their needs. It can be a picture schedule or a written schedule if your child is a reader.

Use of visual Timer.

Understanding the passage of time is a very hard concept for our kids with autism. So using visual timers is a great strategy. This timer shows the kids the passage of time and how much time is left before they have to move on to the next activity.

 Parents can buy visual timers or nowadays there are many free apps that you can download on your phone or tablet. Kids on the spectrum are very motivated by technology so this can be a great tool.

Giving Advance warnings before transitions.

It is a great idea to give our kids advance warning before transitions as it prepares them for the upcoming transitions thereby reducing anxiety.

 A great example will be if they are playing their favourite game on their iPad or tablet say 5 to 10 minutes before you let them know in 10 mins they will be going and doing independent work or Math.

Use of  first Then Board

First Then Board is a simple visual schedule that shows the child first they do the non-preferred activity after which they will get to engage in the preferred activity may be getting a treat, going for a walk, or playing a game on their iPad or tablet.

Allow enough time between transitions.

Our children have a difficult time shifting their attention from one task to another, so make sure you give them enough time to transition between the activities.

Use of simple language during transitions.

Kids on the spectrum find it hard to understand language. They may struggle with following directions or understanding the language. 

So it is best to use simple language which can be easy to follow during transitions. They need extra processing time once a direction is given so using simplified language is helpful to them.

I hope you find these strategies helpful for your own kids. if you have any more do comment and let me know.






Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Picky Eating in children with Autism.

-
This is a very common problem in children with Autism. Most of the children with Autism are fussy or picky eaters and will eat only certain kinds of food.  A big reason for this is sensory issues and the way certain types of foods feel in their mouth. This creates difficulties for parents to feed their kids with a wide variety of foods to grow and thrive. Our son is a picky eater to this day. Right from the beginning he showed a preference for crunchy textured foods. He started disliking foods which were mushy or creamy in texture. This continues till today and he is very reluctant to even try or put those foods in his mouth. Children in general love junk food which has no nutritional value. My son loved eating junk foods. We did try to introduce him to a variety of foods when he was a toddler but we were unsuccessful in our attempts.  The good thing with my son is from the early days he started eating regular home-cooked food and disliked eating fast food. This a ...
Read more

How we started our journey on the spectrum.

-
Image
My son Aarian was born on November 4, 2005. From the beginning he was a very quiet baby, rarely cried. In the beginning, Aarian almost hit all his milestones and there was never a cause to worry. I think the first signs of something is not right started when he turned 1 even though I and my husband did not notice anything unusual at that time. Aarians grandmother is a special needs teacher and it was she who bought it to our attention that he might have autism. Aarian started showing some early signs of autism around 18 months of age like he loved to be alone, there was no eye contact when we called his name, he rarely played with toys walking on his toes. .He babbled a little bit but there were no words its as if he went silent and there was no verbal speech. Around the age of 2, he started regressing. That's the time Aarians grandmother bought it to our attention this looks like autism as he was demonstrating classic signs.  I immediately booked a visit with his pediatri...
Read more

Why i decided to start a blog

-
Image
Autism or Autism spectrum disorders are characterized by difficulties in communication in way of spoken speech, social skills, repetitive behaviours. In today's world, it is one of the fastest-growing epidemics with alarming statistics of 1in 40 children are being diagnosed with autism.  It is very common in boys than in girls. There is presently no known cause for Autism Most of the children on the Autism Spectrum are nonverbal even though they have average or above-average intellectual abilities. I know there are hundreds of autism blogs already out there but as they say, if you have met one individual with autism you have met one individual with autism.    I started to blog is that I want to share the story of my son who got diagnosed with autism eleven years ago and how it changed our family.  I want to share our journey on the spectrum with our share of successes, failures, and ultimately realizing how blessed we are to raise this incredible boy. I know...
Read more

How to help kids with autism to work independently.

-
I am going to start this post with an important question we all parents of kids on the spectrum ask ourselves how can I help my child to work independently.  Independence is a very important life skill and a common goal for all kids on the spectrum be it in terms of self-help skills or working independently for a few minutes without adult intervention at home or in the classroom. We are amid the pandemic and at this time no one knows how the new school year will be. Is it going to be a mix of in-class and distance learning?  So if this is something you want to help your child with now is the best time to start working on this skill with our kids so they can feel successful when they go back to school. This is a work in progress and something you will need to practice daily with consistency for our students to be successful and motivated to do so.  Start small as always when you are working with your child on a new skill for them to feel successful. If that means you can...
Read more