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Keys to understanding an autistic child
Annually 1 in 150 people in Europe are diagnosed within the autism spectrum disorder, which is a neurodevelopmental disorder that can vary between themselves in a matter of degrees and some other specific characteristics of each child.
What is autism?
As in many cases in relation to mental disorders, there are many popular doubts and misconceptions about children with autism, such as that they suffer from a contagious disease, that autism can be cured or that vaccines can be one of the causes of this disorder.
In order to better understand autism, we must know that it has its origin in the development of the nervous system, which means that it is not a contagious disease or derived from some environmental contingency.
There is no cure for autism, however, in all cases children with autism learn and improve if they are treated and taught properly.
The brain of children with autism organizes the elements differently than usual, that is, they need their parents to understand what the organization of the world is.
They have great difficulty in understanding how people handle themselves in the social sphere and what actions are expected of them in this regard, which is why they are generally perceived as socially crude or inappropriate.
But this does not mean that they are not able to learn how they should behave, so we leave you some keys that will help you teach your child how to structure their internal world.
Autism spectrum disorder will accompany your child for the rest of his life, as parents we have the power and responsibility to guide his steps and explicitly teach the skills that will help him interact.
Who can treat autism?
The way in which the internal system of children with autism is organized is different from the common ones and because of this they have a different way of understanding, understanding and treating information.
Therefore, it is necessary to be accompanied by therapists and psychopedagogues who follow the case of each child.
Parents are of vital importance for the treatment and improvement of children with autism, and with the help of specialists it is possible to create routines that help the child.
There are also centers specialized in neurodevelopmental disorders that are trained to follow up the cases of children with autism and usually have facilities where children can carry out learning and therapy tasks.
Keys to understanding an autistic child
Organize and anticipate the day's activities
Make use of visual resources to organize activities within the daily routine, these strategies must be adjusted to each child and will depend on both their tastes and their ability to understand these stimuli.
Assign demarcated routines to each space in the home
To make it easier to process the tasks, distribute the spaces of the house depending on which routines are carried out, for example, the kitchen is a place to eat, this delimitation will make your child organize the chaotic world that surrounds him and be more willing to interact with spaces and comply with routines.
Stimulates your ability to communicate
This area is one of the most affected, a good way to develop communication skills in your child is by making him participate in the decisions made in relation to routines.
Encourage scenarios in which he has to tell you what he prefers to do, give him options that are within his communicative reach and reinforce when he is able to express himself.
Create a safe space
For children with autism it is even more difficult to regulate their emotions and deal with frustration, so it is ideal that there is a space at home in which your child is surrounded by stimuli that he likes and makes him feel calm for those moments of tantrums where you need to move him out of space.
You can consult with your child's therapist about relaxation techniques to calm him down and thus be able to identify which one works best for him.
Associate pleasant stimuli with routines
Music is a very good temporary option between one routine and another, so you will know which routine is the next, always remember to use the same song for each routine.
Speak clearly
Try to use clear language in which you let him know what you want from him, many words will confuse him and make him less likely to understand you.
Sometimes children with autism require more time to understand what they are told, do not despair and give them the opportunity to process at their own pace.
Do not forget to set limits and make an effort to understand your child's behaviors without judging him so that you can support him and understand him better.
