Showing love

Showing love

One of the most pervasive myths that surround autism
is that a child who has it will never show affection
and can’t accept getting affection from anyone.

There have been literally piles of stories of parents
taking their child to a psychologist and the doctor
telling the parents that your child can’t possibly
be autistic because he gives you a hug now and then.

While this opinion is just flat wrong, studies have
shown that autistic children do process sensory
touch differently than a non-autistic child and
that this is where the myth that autistic children
don’t like to be touched comes from.

Autism and the way it affects kids really runs the
gamut from light to severe.

An excellent point to remember when dealing with an
autistic child is that every single autistic child
is different and will react to almost everything
differently.

Here are some tips for showing your autistic child
affection, and remember, your experience may vary.

• Trial and error.

For some kids with more severe autism, a simple,
random hug can be sensory overload.

They can become agitated, upset and even violent if they
are touched without prior warning.

You will probably need to have a trial and error
approach when it comes to hugging and touching your
autistic child.

Some methods may be responded to in a positive way,
other ways won’t be.

You just have to try and see.

• Let the child come to you.

If you think your autistic child needs a hug, instead
of rushing into his personal space and just taking one,
speak to the child, bend down to his/her level and
open your arms.

Smile and let the child know that they are loved and
see what the response is.

If they don’t come running in for a hug, don’t be
offended, it may just not have been the right time
for the child.

• Try hand signals.

If your child is too sensitive to hugs or touches to
show affection, you can try positive reinforcement
in addition to hand singles.

Things like a simple thumbs up accompanied by a smile
and some positive comments can let the child know
they are loved and what they did was good.

You can also offer the child a chance to hug during
these situations and they might just take you up on it.

• Make sure everyone is on the same page.

If you, the parents, are starting to make progress
on getting your autistic child to be more affectionate,
you don’t need a sibling, teacher or grandparent who
doesn’t know or understand your child’s boundaries
messing up all of your hard work.

If you’ve begun to implement an affection program with
your autistic child, make sure everyone who would
possibly try to hug or touch him/her knows the rules.

Consistency and repetition are crucial to autistic
kids, and this applies to a situation like this, as
well.

Trying to figure out a puzzling condition like autism
can be a lifelong challenge.

For many parents, the affection issue may be the
biggest.

But with patience and learning to go by the child’s
cues and not your own, you will be able to connect
with your child in a deep and meaningful way.

This article was written by Rachel Evans and there
are many more resources and information about
diagnosing, controlling and treating Autism in her
great new ebook called The Essential Guide To Autism.

To learn more about this ebook Click Here

The Parenting Autism Resource Guide: A Complete Resource Guide For Parents Who Have Children Diagnosed With Autism.