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Surviving Summer Vacation: Strategies for Parents of Children on the Autism Spectrum

It’s summer vacation time. Almost 3 months with your “special needs” child at home. What are you going to do with him? I know exactly what you’re thinking: it’s not that you don’t love him, or even that you don’t want him home …it’s just that everything changes when he is around “all day.” 
 
Sleep schedules change, there’s more fussing and fighting, more dirty clothes, more dishes, more stuff to pick up off the floor – and of course, there’s more “I’m BORED!”

We’ve compiled a series of articles and videos below that will help parents of children on the autism spectrum to not only survive the summer months – but to make them downright enjoyable. These suggestions take a tiny bit of time to implement initially, but they are so worth it! 

Surviving Summer Vacation: Strategies for Parents of Children on the Autism Spectrum---
  1. Aspergers Children and Summer Vacation: 25 Tips for Parents 
  2. Summer Activities for Aspergers Children  
  3. Surviving the Summer with Kids on the Autism Spectrum: Tips for Parents  
  4. Aspergers Summer Camps  
  5. Aspergers Summer Camps for Teens  
  6. Preparing for Summer School: How to Advise Your Aspergers Child's Teacher  
  7. How To Help Aspergers Children Get The Most Out Of Summer Vacation  
  8. Helping Your Aspie's Teacher To Understand Your Child  
  9. Going on Vacation: 20 Tips for Parents with Aspergers Children  
  10. Helping Your Aspergers Child Get Ready to Return to School  
  11. How to Avoid "Back-to-School" Meltdowns and Tantrums  
  12. Helping Aspergers Children Avoid The "Back To School Jitters"
  13. Dealing with the "Back-to-School" Blues: Tips for Parents of Asperger's Kids 
  
Here’s to a great summer!

My child has been rejected by his peers, ridiculed and bullied !!!

Social rejection has devastating effects in many areas of functioning. Because the ASD child tends to internalize how others treat him, rejection damages self-esteem and often causes anxiety and depression. As the child feels worse about himself and becomes more anxious and depressed – he performs worse, socially and intellectually.

Click here to read the full article…

How to Prevent Meltdowns in Children on the Spectrum

Meltdowns are not a pretty sight. They are somewhat like overblown temper tantrums, but unlike tantrums, meltdowns can last anywhere from ten minutes to over an hour. When it starts, the Asperger's or HFA child is totally out-of-control. When it ends, both you and your child are totally exhausted. But... don’t breathe a sigh of relief yet. At the least provocation, for the remainder of that day -- and sometimes into the next - the meltdown can return in full force.

Click here for the full article...

Parenting Defiant Teens on the Spectrum

Although Aspergers [high-functioning autism] is at the milder end of the autism spectrum, the challenges parents face when disciplining a teenager on the spectrum are more difficult than they would be with an average teen. Complicated by defiant behavior, the teen is at risk for even greater difficulties on multiple levels – unless the parents’ disciplinary techniques are tailored to their child's special needs.

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Older Teens and Young Adult Children with ASD Still Living At Home

Your older teenager or young “adult child” isn’t sure what to do, and he is asking you for money every few days. How do you cut the purse strings and teach him to be independent? Parents of teens with ASD face many problems that other parents do not. Time is running out for teaching their adolescent how to become an independent adult. As one mother put it, "There's so little time, yet so much left to do."

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Parenting Children and Teens with High-Functioning Autism

Two traits often found in kids with High-Functioning Autism are “mind-blindness” (i.e., the inability to predict the beliefs and intentions of others) and “alexithymia” (i.e., the inability to identify and interpret emotional signals in others). These two traits reduce the youngster’s ability to empathize with peers. As a result, he or she may be perceived by adults and other children as selfish, insensitive and uncaring.

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to read the full article...

Highly Effective Research-Based Parenting Strategies for Children with Asperger's and HFA

Become an expert in helping your child cope with his or her “out-of-control” emotions, inability to make and keep friends, stress, anger, thinking errors, and resistance to change.

Click here for the full article...