Autistic Disorder Behavior Treatment
When it comes to autism treatment, there is no one size fits all solution. The closest thing to an overall solution for autistic treatment is that schedules and routines need to be kept. Each child will have their own schedules and routines, largely set by their home life at a very young age. Change is difficult for these children. Making drastic changes will almost always cause behavior issues and a feeling of fear and instability as the child tries to cope in a world that no longer holds the same meaning he remembers.
Routines
Teachers who are working with autistic children need to understand the importance of ROUTINE in autism treatment. Autistic children learn best in an environment that they feel safe in. Keeping their routine as close to the same as possible on a daily basis will increase their feeling of safety. Autistic treatment cannot be done effectively if the child is trying to make sense of his surroundings each day. Behaviors caused by anxiety can throw the rest of the class into a tail spin and cause stress for all of the students.
When there are changes needed in a routine, it is important to make these as minimal as possible. If the routine was a total lack of autism treatment, then setting a schedule and sticking to it is of utmost importance. Learning from the child what is going to work out best really doesn’t take a long time. You should be able to watch and see the reactions to different situations within the first week of autism treatment and then set up a routine for their autistic treatment from there. By working in conjunction with a licensed child psychologist Orange County specialist, a solid routine can be arranged in a short amount of time.
Language/Echolalia
Language is a huge barrier in autism. Treatment to teach language skills is often as important for the caregiver as it is for the child. At times it can get frustrating to try to figure out what it is the autistic child is trying to tell you. Echolalia can be a huge part of speech for an autistic child. Repetition of phrases that do not make sense to you can be frustrating. These nonsensical phrases often hold meaning to the student. Many times, for the autistic child, the words he is repeating are being used as you would use a picture on a picture board to portray meaning. They may represent a feeling or something that was going on when this phrase was said.
Autism treatment isn’t making the child conform to society, instead autism treatment works best if society allows the autistic child to find their meaning in a safe environment as they grow to learn about the world around them. This means it is up to us to find out what the child is saying at times. Repeated phrases can be frustrating to us, they are even more frustrating to the child who is trying to share something with you and you just aren’t getting it. Meaning attached to repeated phrases, called echolalia, is often from the feelings experienced when words were spoken on a television show or when something was overheard.
PECS and Visual Aids
The use of flash cards or picture boards is a common form of autism treatment. These pictures are used to represent words that aren’t part of the vocabulary at this point, or words that haven’t had meaning attached to them in the vocabulary of the autistic child. Visual aides can be very helpful in autistic treatment. The language we understand and speak to one another is a luxury that autism takes from these children. The building and growing of language and social skills is the main focus of autism treatment.
Since there are barriers within the mind keeping these children from processing language and giving meaning to words, the use of pictures takes the place of words. Thinking in concrete forms, the word toilet may not mean much but the feeling of relief that is experienced when a toilet is used has meaning. Paired with the visual image of a toilet in the mind of an autistic student is the reminder of the relief that they feel when using one. Asking if the student needs to use the toilet may not make sense nor will it get a response. Showing a picture of a toilet to the child can give you a confirmation that this is what is needed. Having a picture board around for the child to point out what is needed when language is failing to help them convey a message to you is also important.
Sign language
While working toward speech skills, teaching any form of language is helpful. Often times language begins with sign language. This is an easy way to put meaning into actions. Words may not want to form quickly but once language is used it becomes easier to use other forms of language. Starting autistic treatment for language skills with sign language at a very young age increases the likelihood that language skills will be acquired in the future. Some kids are more stubborn than others. Praise and stability are important factors in autism treatment.
When teaching and using sign language in the classroom, it is important to pair the signed word with the spoken word. This helps to attach meaning to the sign as well as attach meaning to the word. As the child learns to master the signed word, the spoken word is reinforced in the child’s mind.
Patterns in Behavior
There are patterns in autistic behavior. Most behaviors are patterns in themselves. Counselors who have been trained to spot these patterns are often great sources of information. In Southern California, an Orange County therapist who specializes in working with children with autism are able to give specific guidance on the proper steps to take once a pattern has been observed. Watching for the patterns your student displays will help you to bring their autism treatment to a more personalized level. The patterns the child goes through are routines. If something happens, the first time they remember it happening was the time they put meaning to it. If the child was upset the first time oatmeal was served to them, the oatmeal will now be a visual reminder of that upset feeling, like a cue card would.
Creating a new pattern, one of safety and good feelings is important, lest oatmeal is always used to represent bad feelings. The only way you are going to know that the child needs to learn a new pattern of behavior is if you study the patterns that are already available. Autism treatment is fascinating as you watch the child learn and grow.
Emotional Attachments
It is difficult for parents and relatives of autistic children to not have the strong emotional attachments that they had hoped for. Autistic treatment needs to be based on love and respect of these children. Emotional attachments can be difficult to form for autistic children. Strong social ties aren’t usually formed, at least not easily.
Autistic children are free spirits. They may need a bit of encouragement to join in on group activities and they can be very nervous if put into large crowds. Making emotional attachments is difficult for these children but that doesn’t mean they do not need the love and respect of those who care for them.
Moving Forward
For that growth to occur, you must put your all into the autistic treatment plan. A set plan for each scenario that you identify as being emotionally volatile or difficult is important to have and for you to implement when needed. Your response to situations needs to be very structured and expected. The only time you will want to waver is if you are trying to discourage a child from doing something as they really don’t have the ability to change easily.
Awarding accomplishments is important. One of the best rewards that can be given is structure and the ability to fit in. Autistic children will have difficulty fitting in and feeling safe in social groups. This is something that can be helped by keeping the safe feeling in classrooms as the child learns and grows.
Autistic treatment in the classroom
Once you know your student, you can put together a schedule that is individualized. It is important to the student to have a set schedule and to keep within their own patterns. This can be achieved by making the class routine a part of your autism treatment.
Instead of making the child stand out and be different, you want the child to blend in with other students. This won’t take away their individuality, it gives them freedom to be a part of the class while learning on their own terms. The safety of knowing what to expect and not having to deal with surprises is an important part of autistic treatment.
