Making an austistic personal behave precisely how you want them to isn’t easy. After all, they’re born introverts and, therefore, won’t open up to anyone at first. But, if you’re attentive and kind to them, they’ll slowly start talking to you and express how they feel.
But, here’s the catch.
As your child, they’ll try their best to discuss everything with you. Nonetheless, you cannot expect them to do the same in front of everyone else. Even regular people suffer from severe levels of anxiety and depression, and often for autistic individuals these issues are made even worse.
So, how do you stimulate that feature in them? Do you have to ask them to go through some rigorous therapy, take doctor subscribed medications, or focus on their diet and nutrition to ensure they are getting the optimal nutrition for their brains? Or, can you do it at home?
Let’s find out.
How To Recognize The Signs Of Overload?
Before you move on with the project of stimulating your kid’s communication skill set, you’ll need to understand them better first. For that, you’ll need to recognize the signs of overload and work in accordance with the same.
This way, it’ll be easier for you to know when you should stimulate their senses and when you have to avoid it. If your child’s not feeling okay, they’ll do a specific action to let you or know about their current status. Here are a few of them.
- Running or bolting away from a place.
- Sensory avoidance (closing eyes, hands on ears, retreating somewhere, etc.)
- Not engaging with you or anyone else.
- A sudden increase in their repetitive behavior, like touching the same object.
- Increased echolalia.
- Sensory seeking behavior (like bumping into someone or furniture).
In severe cases, they might also perform self-injurious behaviors, such as skin picking, head banging, or pinching. Their stimming attributes, like intense rocking, self-talking, pacing, or hair-twirling, can increase in this regard as well.
How Do You Boost Their Confidence?
When it comes to boosting your autistic kid’s confidence, you can do some certain things on a regular basis. The following are a few of them.
Must-Do – 1: Listen To Them Closely
Someone suffering from autism hardly talks, even with their parents. So, when they’re trying to say something to you, keenly listen to them without stopping them even once. It’ll help you get to know them better while they’ll start relying upon you even more.
Must-Do – 2: Celebrate Their Success
Even if your child does something as simple as talking to someone, don’t forget to tell them that they’ve done well. Even a less-vocal congratulatory wish can make them feel happy and confident enough to try it again. Maybe, it’ll also prompt them to talk more, who knows?
Must-Do – 3: Validate Their Emotions
No matter what they’re feeling, always take their emotions into consideration. For example, if they’ve found a spider in their room, instead of saying –
“It’s nothing, it’ll run away and you’ll get over it.”
… Try telling something like –
“I know you don’t like spiders. But, there’s no need to worry. I’ll take care of it and we’ll stay together tonight. And, if something worries you again, I’ll be there for you.”
It’ll involve a lot of talking – we know. But, you have to do it anyway to provide the sense of support to your child. They’ll surely appreciate it.
Must-Do – 4: Proffer Clear Expectation
Let your child know what you expect from them. If you want them to talk clearly to you, let them know about it in clear words. You can also tell them how they should talk to an elderly individual by showing it yourself. This will make it easier for them to understand properly.
Must-Do – 5: Bind Them In A Routine
Finally, you should also ask them to follow a routine properly. It’ll help them follow the right path to improve themselves and work as you want them to. Also, an autistic person tends to function much better when they’re following a routine. So, that’s pretty helpful too.
The Bottom Line
Like a normal child, you’ll need to handle an autistic kid with proper care and comfort too. Or else, it’ll make them stubborn, increase their stimming behavior, and affect their overall health even more. So, be careful, and take the help of a professional if needed. Hopefully, it’ll help you and your child out in the best possible manner.
Related Articles
What Companies Are In The Consumer Services field?
Is Finance Consumer Services A Good Career Path?
Best Paying Jobs In Finance Consumer Services