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TIPS TO HELP A CHILD WITH AUTISM


It is possible to have seen kids acting differently when it comes to social interaction and communication, this is because they are kids with autism. Autism, also known as Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) is known as a disability that impairs the social interactions and communication skills of a person.
People who are autistic tend to think and act differently than others.
There are several controversies surrounding the diagnoses and causes of autism. It’s now believed that there’s no single cause of autism. And according to research, autism is normally the result of both genetic and environmental influences.
Just like any other special needs in kids, autistic kids can be helped with these following tips.
Use simple languages to communicate. Autistic children thrive well when simple languages are used. Teachers need to take note of this in the classroom while giving out instructions. The use of simple yet concrete language helps to drive home a point and hereby gives a corresponding feedback. This also means that sarcasm, idioms should be avoided in relating to autistic kids.
Another way to help them communicate is to repeat or reword instructions or questions. Autism in children could make them give you a blank stare when asked a question or giving an instruction. One of the ways teachers and parents can help is to ask if what is being said is understood and if not, a rewording of the command and repetition goes a long way to helping the autistic child.
Teachers need to connect with their students individually as this includes the autistic child. Autistic children may not realize that an instruction is given to the whole class also involves him. Therefore, the teacher needs to constantly call his name to get his attention.
Do not overload nor overburden them with choices. It is normal to make some instructions complicated to test a child’s level of concentration. Well, for an autistic child, it is not ideal to show prowess in making a simple instruction complex. Since children assimilate differently, it is advisable that when giving out an instruction, for example, pick a blue pen, give fewer choices of wrong colored pens because the more coloured pens, the more confused the child would be.
Do not hide them in the closet for shame. It is important to get your child out in the community. Getting your child out opens him up to a leisure of activities which is crucial to his happiness. There are several programmes involving autism in Nigeria which parents and the autistic kid can be a part of. It is so powerful to meet different people, parents of kids suffering from autism. This gives the notion and the strength that you are not alone.

Protect the child from being bullied or teased. A lot of this activities-bullying, teasing etc, children see as normally happens in school, but this can be curtailed if teachers make the provision to make other pupils be aware of the nature of the child’s disability.
Seek the service of a therapist. The world is constructed in such a way that we need others to survive and in the case of autism, there are specialized and trained personnel who can make the attending and upbringing a child with autism easier where parents and teacher can barely do less.
Understand the autistic child in the case of rude and aggressive behaviour. Parents, teachers need to understand the autistic child when they display rude or aggressive behaviour. This means that parents, teachers should not be aggrieved with that behaviour for in most cases, the target for the pupil’s or child’s anger may be unrelated to the source of the anger.

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