Autism is a developmental disorder that starts prior to age 3 and has symptoms through life from mild rocking or not establishing eye contact to nonverbal, low-functioning behavior in individuals who must be kept from harming themselves. The disorder was popularized by the movie “Rain Man” in 1988. According to the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development it is a “spectrum disorder,” because it has different degrees of disabling aspects.
Treatment varies according to the child, with some behavior modification, a controlled environment, specialized educational tools, speech therapy and occupational therapy all parts of the mix. In her book, “Playing, Laughing and Learning With Children on the Autism Spectrum,” Julia Moor says the direct approach doesn’t work with autistic children. You must tailor learning activities meaningful to that child using nonverbal means as much as verbal cues.
Step 1
Get an official diagnosis from a qualified professional such as your physician or educational psychologist. Bring the diagnosis of autism to your local school and request a meeting of all staff who will be involved in educating your child with early intervention.
Step 2
Learn from your child what will be positive motivators by noticing things that get her attention. Whether it is music, spinning wheels, flashing lights or certain body movements, make a list of what will be possible rewards and motivators for your child.
Step 3
Put together a unified, team approach with an Individualized Education Plan (IEP) with educational strategies the team has agreed upon. Those strategies should be implemented at least 25 hours per week, year-round, according to the Commission on Behavioral and Social Sciences and Education.
Step 4
Keep your child on track at home with similar nonverbal strategies, game playing (from “peek-a-boo” as a toddler to putting together a 1,000-piece puzzle of a favorite object at an older elementary school age), flash cards with simple pictures and her name and even dancing with your child to help her socially engage.
Step 5
Make sure the teaching environment for your autistic child is as free from distraction as possible to keep your child on task, both at home and at school. Ensure that both your home and the school program includes stimulating toys, audio-visual materials and activities to keep your child engaged in learning. If your autistic child has a bent toward music, for example, musical instruments can help with the process.
Step 6
Intervene early with music, movement, storytelling and using all the senses to communicate. Steven Shore of the Autism Research Institute is a teacher who was diagnosed as autistic as a child. By imitating the child’s behavior, instead of expecting the autistic child to imitate you, Shore contends the child feels validated and will more likely eventually show progress in learning activities.
Step 7
Advocate for your child to have all the specialized educational therapy approaches that are most likely to help her at school while thinking outside the typical play/learn parameters for other children when at home. A fascination with light can be used with a prism to show a child the rainbow and color spectrum. A talent for music can involve a keyboard and songs for the child to connect titles with the song itself.
Step 8
Reinforce programs like speech therapy at home with flash cards, simple computer word games and connecting spoken labels to activities your child finds interesting.
Things You'll Need
- Individualized Education Plan (IEP)
- Team of like-minded caregivers
- Play/learn materials like flash cards and a music keyboard
- Quiet teaching environment
References
- National Adademies Press: Educating Children With Autism
- Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development: Autism Spectrum Disorders
- Playing, Laughing and Learning With Children on the Autism Spectrum; Julia Moor; 2008
