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Help for the Emotionally Fragile Student on the Autism Spectrum

“My high functioning autistic child struggles emotionally while at school. His self-esteem is low, and he is often very self-critical and unable to tolerate making mistakes. Also, he is easily overwhelmed when things are not as his rather rigid views dictate they should be. Any suggestion for his teachers in this regard?”

Kids with High-Functioning Autism (HFA) and Asperger’s have the intelligence to participate in regular education, but they often do not have the emotional resources to cope with the demands of the classroom. Many are easily stressed due to their inflexibility. Temper outbursts are common in response to anxiety and frustration. Also, interacting with classmates and coping with the ordinary demands of schoolwork can produce a significant amount of self-doubt (e.g., the child starts to believe that he or she is “dumb”).

These “special needs” students are so easily overwhelmed by environmental stressors, and have such profound impairment in the ability to form interpersonal relationships, that it is no wonder they give the impression of emotional instability. Most children on the autism spectrum are aware of how different they are and the enormous effort they have to make to participate in a world where few concessions are made and where they are expected to conform to the “typical” way of doing things.

With these traits in mind, here are a few suggestions for your son’s teachers:


1.  Teachers must be alert to changes in behavior that may indicate frustration and discouragement (e.g., greater levels of disorganization, inattentiveness, isolation, anxiety, etc.). Do not accept the HFA youngster's assessment in these cases that he or she is "OK." Also, do not expect the youngster to acknowledge that he or she is sad, confused, angry, etc. In the same way, the child has difficulty perceiving the feelings of others.

2.  Teach the student how to cope when stress overwhelms him or her. Help the youngster write a list of very concrete steps that can be followed when he or she becomes upset, for example:
  • Ask to see the special education teacher
  • Breathe deeply three times
  • Count the fingers on your right hand slowly three times

Include a ritualized behavior that the youngster finds comforting on the list. Write these steps on a card that is placed in his or her pocket so that they are always readily available.

3.  Prevent outbursts by offering a high level of consistency. Prepare the HFA child for changes in daily routine in order to lower stress. Children on the autism spectrum frequently become fearful, angry and upset in the face of forced or unexpected changes.

4.  Teachers can play a vital role in helping students on the autism spectrum learn to negotiate the world around them. Because they are frequently unable to express their fears and anxieties, it is up to significant adults to make it worthwhile for them to leave their safe inner fantasy lives for the uncertainties of the external world.

5.  Students who are very fragile emotionally may need placement in a highly structured special education classroom that can offer individualized academic program. These “special needs” kids require a learning environment in which they see themselves as competent and productive. Therefore, keeping them in the mainstream, where they can’t grasp concepts or complete assignments, serves only to lower their self-esteem, increase their withdrawal, and set the stage for tantrums and meltdowns.

6.  Adults who work with these youngsters in schools must provide the external structure, organization, and stability that they lack. Using creative teaching strategies is critical – not only to facilitate academic success, but also to help them feel less alienated from their peer-group and less overwhelmed by the ordinary demands of schoolwork.

7.  In some situations, a personal aide can be assigned to the youngster rather than special education placement. The aide can offer affective support, structure and consistent feedback.

8.  Kids on the spectrum should receive academic assistance as soon as difficulties in a particular area are noted. They are quickly overwhelmed and react much more severely to failure than do “typical” kids.

9.  For the student who fears making mistakes, be sure to articulate that mistakes are a necessary part of the learning process and should be expected - and accepted. Praise the child for small, independent steps regardless of outcome. Gently brush aside his or her anxiety about not getting the answer by refocusing attention on the problem at hand. Ask the child to build on what he or she already knows about the problem, and ask for one possible approach to the problem.

10.  Affect as reflected in the teacher's voice should be kept to a minimum. Be calm, predictable, and matter-of-fact in interactions with the HFA student, while clearly indicating compassion and patience. These students need very concrete instructions. Teachers who don’t understand that it is necessary to teach students on the spectrum seemingly obvious things may come to feel impatient and irritated. 


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==> How To Prevent Meltdowns and Tantrums In Children With High-Functioning Autism and Asperger's

==> Parenting System that Significantly Reduces Defiant Behavior in Teens with Aspergers and High-Functioning Autism

==> Launching Adult Children with Asperger's and High-Functioning Autism: Guide for Parents Who Want to Promote Self-Reliance

==> Teaching Social Skills and Emotion Management to Children and Teens with Asperger's and High-Functioning Autism

==> Parenting Children and Teens with High-Functioning Autism: Comprehensive Handbook

==> Unraveling The Mystery Behind Asperger's and High-Functioning Autism: Audio Book

==> Highly Effective Research-Based Parenting Strategies for Children with Asperger's and High-Functioning Autism

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Do you need the advice of a professional who specializes in parenting children and teens with Autism Spectrum Disorders?  Sign-up for Online Parent Coaching today.

Help for Children on the Autism Spectrum with Poor Motor Coordination

“What tips might you have for an HFA child who is a bit clumsy and has sloppy handwriting?”

Children with High-Functioning Autism (HFA) and Asperger’s (AS) are often physically awkward. Many have stiff, uncoordinated gaits - and struggle in games involving motor skills. Also, they often experience fine-motor deficits that can cause penmanship problems, slow clerical speed, and affect their ability to draw.

Other coordination problems that children on the spectrum may experience include:
  • difficulty moderating the amount of sensory information that their body is constantly sending them, and as a result, they are prone to sensory overload and anxiety
  • fatigue due to so much extra energy being expended while trying to execute physical movements correctly
  • low muscle tone
  • moderate to extreme difficulty performing physical tasks 
  • poor sense of direction 
  • problems with balance 
  • struggling to distinguish left from right

Here are some tips for parents and teachers:

1.  Children on the autism spectrum usually benefit from guidelines drawn on paper that help them control the size and uniformity of the letters they write. This also forces them to take the time to write carefully.

2.  When assigning timed units of work, make sure the youngster's slower writing speed is taken into account.

3.  Refer the youngster for adaptive physical education program if gross motor problems are severe.

4.  Children with HFA and AS may require a highly individualized writing program that entails tracing and copying on paper, coupled with motor-patterning on the blackboard. The teacher guides the youngster's hand repeatedly through the formation of letters and letter connections - and also uses a verbal script. Once the youngster commits the script to memory, he or she can talk himself or herself through letter formations independently.

5.  Involve the youngster in a health & fitness curriculum in physical education, rather than in a competitive sports program.

6.  These “special needs” kids often need more time than their peers to complete exams. Taking exams in the resource room not only offers more time, but would also provide the added structure and teacher redirection these kids need to focus on the task at hand.

7.  Do not push the youngster to participate in competitive sports, because his or her poor motor coordination may only invite frustration and the teasing from peers. Also, the HFA or AS child usually lacks the social understanding of coordinating one's own actions with those of others on a team.

Treatment—


Physical or occupational therapists can work with HFA and AS children to develop and improve their physical skills and strengthen their muscles. Targeted multi-sensory interventions include:
  • Perceptual Motor Training: This involves retraining the child’s body to recognize and prioritize various sources of stimuli and respond accordingly (e.g., he or she may learn how to use certain muscle groups rather than others while walking or grasping things).
  • Sensory Integrative Therapy: This teaches the child how to properly absorb and sort information about sensory experiences (e.g., touch, body position, sound, etc.).

For some HFA and AS kids, poor motor coordination lessens over time. For others, the lack of coordination continues through adolescence and into young adulthood. Though early intervention is better than later intervention, treatment received as an adult can still help lessen the severity of symptoms.


Highly Acclaimed Parenting Programs Offered by Online Parent Support, LLC:

==> How To Prevent Meltdowns and Tantrums In Children With High-Functioning Autism and Asperger's

==> Parenting System that Significantly Reduces Defiant Behavior in Teens with Aspergers and High-Functioning Autism

==> Launching Adult Children with Asperger's and High-Functioning Autism: Guide for Parents Who Want to Promote Self-Reliance

==> Teaching Social Skills and Emotion Management to Children and Teens with Asperger's and High-Functioning Autism

==> Parenting Children and Teens with High-Functioning Autism: Comprehensive Handbook

==> Unraveling The Mystery Behind Asperger's and High-Functioning Autism: Audio Book

==> Highly Effective Research-Based Parenting Strategies for Children with Asperger's and High-Functioning Autism

____________________

Do you need the advice of a professional who specializes in parenting children and teens with Autism Spectrum Disorders?  Sign-up for Online Parent Coaching today.

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.

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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."

Click here to read the full article…

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...