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When a child has autism parents are presented with a vast array of treatment options and information overload as they begin searching for the ‘right path’ for their child; the treatment or therapy that will be the key to unlock their child’s development and hopefully result in a much better quality of life than they are experiencing right now. I’ve spoken in the past about the concept of dividing therapies into categories as a way for parents to develop a more user-friendly frame of reference to guide their decision-making. In the past 2 years I’ve begun to integrate the various therapeutic modalities I use in my work, which individually are producing significant positive improvements for children and families affected by autism; integrated with one another in a neuro-relational framework I tend to see more dramatic, rapid changes. It is with this in mind I’ll be posting my thoughts at this point in developing a process for families to hopefully speed up their ability to implement helpful strategies as soon as possible, as they navigate the autism treatment maze.
The first step in this process is to Create a container or structure for your child and family that supports implementation of the therapies you have chosen. This container consists of the following things:
• Parent education
• Time Management
• Systems, Processes & Tools
• Parent stress management
• Child Stress Management
• Assess Family Values
• Setting Priorities
• Assess & Transform Beliefs
This container is not a “set and forget” item to check off your to-do list. It is structure that requires care and upkeep, and periodic re-assessment of priorities, family schedules and routines. Life goes on and things creep back into the schedule. Years go by and your child will go through different educational environments, depending on your values and priorities as a parent. Your child will experience different teachers, specialists and peers throughout his life as a result of having autism. Knowing this ahead of time and preparing for it, you can minimize or eliminate high-stress or traumatic experiences for your child. (Yes, children with autism can be traumatized inadvertently by professionals’ approaches to ‘fixing’ them – have a conversation with an adult with Autism or Asperger’s to hear their perspective on what it can be like growing up with autism).
Autism can be traumatic for parents too, as you may well know. There is no manual for what do to with any child, much less a child who does not respond the same way as his peers to caregivers or environmental demands. A lifetime of worrying, fretting, feeling guilty you don’t know what to do, etc. is not good for you or your child. Let it go. There are wonderful programs available that can support your entire family while maximizing your child’s potential. Know right now that there is a way.
Parent education is key. It takes decades before the latest research filters down into educational programs that train therapists, or are implemented in school systems. (This is why the most frequently recommended educational treatment for autism is 40 years old). In order for parents to make well-informed decisions about their child’s treatment, they need to be clear on the differences between treating the root causes of behaviors and working around them; between neurophysiologically modulated stress responses and deliberate ‘behaviors’ (i.e. what some call manipulation); between teaching styles that support their child’s problem-solving, and teaching styles that may make their child passive, prompt-dependent or even avoidant of people. Parents are often not presented with any of this information until they have passed through the early stages of treatment and start to dig deeper for approaches that will get to the root of the issues. The first-level therapies that they have accessed may have made a big difference for their child in some areas, but often have not addressed core areas of development that are challenged in autism.
Once a supportive structure is in place, you can move into exactly what kind of approach or therapies is a good fit for your child and family at this point in time. In Part 2, I’ll share the next step, which is all about comparing therapy options to make sure they fit your family’s needs. I’ll also share what I think are the characteristics of the most effective/helpful approaches.
Parents, what have YOU found to be the most helpful strategy or technique for moving your child’s development forward? What advice would you give to a parent of a newly diagnosed child with autism?
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When the brain/body is in a state of stress and self-protection, safety and security will win every time. It doesn’t matter what mom or dad, or the teacher, or the therapist wants a child to do when the priority is survival. Many children I work with, who have been given labels such as “Autism”, “Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder” (ADHD), or “Oppositional Defiant Disorder” (ODD) are functioning from a place of chronic stress and self-protection. This can be quite a challenge for those of us who want to facilitate healthy development, competence and cognitive discovery for kids with neurodevelopmental differences. After all, how can one think about learning or socializing if you can’t block out the itchy tags and socks, the noxious odors, the piercing sounds in the environment? If the lower brain signals *ALARM*, the higher brain is less available for problem-solving, reflecting and communicating.
If you have received a HANDLE program for your child, then it is likely you’ve been explained the ins and outs of his perplexing behaviors, and you may have been told that some of these behaviors are really his way of taking care of himself. Some children have such a need to protect themselves, it may mean you have to be a little creative to provide the organized, non-stressful movement activities given as part of your HANDLE program. So how exactly do you do that?
1. Incorporate activities into your normal routine and don’t make a big fuss about it. There’s nothing worse than announcing to a suspicious child “Okay, come over here, it’s time to do your HANDLE activities now!” This is sure to result in a game of chase for the child who is uncertain of your motives or who does not yet know what to expect (particularly if the activities are new). Instead, you can build some activities into the routine – for example, give everyone a Crazy Straw at mealtimes (not just your child). This also makes the activity inclusive of the whole family (but remember to take any precautions that your Practitioner shared with you).
2. Use Mental Rehearsal. If your child absolutely refuses to participate in certain activities, try doing them on yourself as he watches you. The process of observing actions triggers the same neurological pathways as actually performing the action. This is why elite athletes use video modeling to enhance their performance, and studies have shown that when a monkey watches another monkey eat a banana, the brain of the observing monkey lights up in the same areas that are activated when actually eating a banana. If your child likes to watch video, you might experiment with filming the activities and see if he takes interest.
3. When all else fails, try some activities while your child is asleep. Because many HANDLE activities organize from the cranial nerves (going from the body to the brain), they do not require conscious participation. See if you can get away with doing a few activities for your child as he falls asleep!
Do you have any other ideas? Please share!
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Thanks for stopping by! I am glad you are here. I am a newbie with the blogging thing, so I think this is where I share a little about me and the purpose of this blog. So here goes…
 My name is April Choulat and I am an autism specialist. I offer consultation to families who want to develop home-based programs for their child with autism or related developmental differences . I tend to gravitate toward approaches that are respectful of the child, recognize the critical role of parents, and work on goals in a developmentally appropriate manner. I appreciate research and I also know that innovative approaches that really work take time to study. If I see real-world results in my clients I am quick to investigate new approaches and learn as much as I can. I believe this is necessary to stay on the cutting edge of autism treatment.
Enough about me, let’s talk about you.
This blog is for you if you are a parent of a child with autism and you want to learn to live life more fully, less stressfully and more completely – while raising a child on the autism spectrum.
This blog is intended as a resource for parents of children with autism and the professionals who support them. I hope it will provide lots of useful information, tips, and strategies to families and professionals who may be feeling stuck, uncertain, frustrated or overwhelmed at the prospect of finding the ‘best’ approach for any particular individual on the spectrum. I am here to tell you that there is always hope and there are many options for optimizing quality of life – not just for the person on the spectrum, but for the whole family.
If you are a parent, I intend for this blog to give you information and tools to help you support your child’s development while maintaining a normal family life, and give your child the best opportunity to become the person he or she was meant to be.
If you are a professional, I hope you will enjoy my posts relating to insights from various therapeutic and educational approaches, research and any continuing education I pursue.
TOPICS:
Here, you’ll find information, resources and tips related to the practical side of living with autism, including:
- How to develop better communication with your child
- Ways to simplify and organize your life to reduce stress
- Latest developments and information regarding therapies
- Ways to balance therapy approaches and integrate complementary therapies
- How to get the most value from your child’s therapies
Thank you for taking the time to read my blog. If you have an idea for a topic you would like me to blog about, please email it to newsletter@pathwaysdlc.com with “Blog” in the subject line.
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