Assisting Children with High-Functioning Autism: Parenting Tips & Treatment Techniques

"We have recently learned that our daughter has (or might have) High-Functioning Autism, and we're wondering about what comes next. We were not prepared to hear that she is anything other than happy and healthy, and this diagnosis is particularly worrisome."

You may be unsure about how to best help your youngster or confused by conflicting treatment advice. Also, you may have been told that High-Functioning Autism (HFA) is an incurable, lifelong condition, leaving you concerned that nothing you do will make a difference.

While it is true that HFA is not something a child simply "grows out of," there are many treatments that can help kids learn new skills and overcome a wide variety of developmental challenges. From free government services to in-home behavioral therapy and school-based programs, assistance is available to meet your youngster's special needs. With the right treatment plan, and a lot of love and support, your youngster can learn, grow, and thrive.



Here is a comprehensive list of things to consider:

1. Accept your youngster, quirks and all. Rather than focusing on how your HFA youngster is different from other kids and what he or she is “missing,” practice acceptance. Enjoy your kid’s special quirks, celebrate small successes, and stop comparing your youngster to others. Feeling unconditionally loved and accepted will help your youngster more than anything else.

2. Be consistent. Kids with High-Functioning Autism have a hard time adapting what they’ve learned in one setting (e.g., a therapist’s office or school) to other settings, including the home. Creating consistency in your youngster’s environment is the best way to reinforce learning. Find out what your youngster’s therapists are doing and continue their techniques at home. Explore the possibility of having therapy take place in more than one place in order to encourage your youngster to transfer what he or she has learned from one environment to another. It’s also important to be consistent in the way you interact with your youngster and deal with challenging behaviors.

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

3. Become an expert on your youngster. Figure out what triggers your kid’s “bad” or disruptive behaviors and what elicits a positive response. What does your HFA youngster find stressful? Calming? Uncomfortable? Enjoyable? If you understand what affects your youngster, you’ll be better at troubleshooting problems and preventing situations that cause difficulties.

4. Caring for a youngster with High-Functioning Autism can demand a lot of energy and time. There may be days when you feel overwhelmed, stressed, or discouraged. Parenting isn’t ever easy, and raising a youngster with HFA is even more challenging. It’s essential that you take care of yourself in order to be the best mother or father you can be. Don’t try to do everything on your own. You don’t have to! There are many places that families of HFA children can turn to for advice, a helping hand, advocacy, and support.

5. Create a home safety zone. Carve out a private space in your home where your youngster can relax, feel secure, and be safe. This will involve organizing and setting boundaries in ways he can understand. Visual cues can be helpful (e.g., colored tape marking areas that are off limits, labeling items in the house with pictures). You may also need to safety proof the house, particularly if he is prone to tantrums or other self-injurious behaviors.

6. Don’t give up. It’s impossible to predict the course of High-Functioning Autism. Don’t jump to conclusions about what life is going to be like for your youngster. Like everyone else, people with High-Functioning Autism have an entire lifetime to grow and develop their abilities.

7. Don’t wait for a diagnosis. As the mother or father of a youngster with High-Functioning Autism or Asperger’s Syndrome, the best thing you can do is to start treatment right away. Seek help as soon as you suspect something’s wrong. Don't wait to see if your youngster will catch up later or outgrow the problem. Don't even wait for an official diagnosis. The earlier kids with HFA get help, the greater their chance of treatment success. Early intervention is the most effective way to speed up your youngster's development and reduce the symptoms of HFA.

8. Every mother or father needs a break now and again. And for moms and dads coping with the added stress of High-Functioning Autism, this is especially true. In respite care, another caregiver takes over temporarily, giving you a break for a few hours, days, or even weeks.

9. Figure out the need behind the temper tantrum. It’s only natural to feel upset when you are misunderstood or ignored, and it’s no different for kids with High-Functioning Autism. When kids with High-Functioning Autism act out, it’s often because you’re not picking up on their nonverbal cues. Throwing a tantrum is their way communicating their frustration and getting your attention.

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

10. If stress, anxiety, or depression is getting to you, you may want to see a therapist of your own. Therapy is a safe place where you can talk honestly about everything you’re feeling—the good, the bad, and the ugly. Marriage or family therapy can also help you work out problems that the challenges of life with an HFA youngster are causing in your spousal relationship or with other family members.

11. HFA infants and toddlers through the age of two can receive assistance through the Early Intervention program. In order to qualify, your youngster must first undergo a free evaluation. If the assessment reveals a developmental problem, you will work with early intervention treatment providers to develop an Individualized Family Service Plan (IFSP). An IFSP describes your youngster’s needs and the specific services he or she will receive. For High-Functioning Autism, an IFSP would include a variety of behavior, physical, speech, and play therapies. It would focus on preparing HFA children for the eventual transition to school. Early intervention services are typically conducted in the home or at a childcare center. To locate local early intervention services for your youngster, ask your doctor for a referral.

12. Joining a support group is a great way to meet other families dealing with the same challenges you are. Moms and dads can share information, get advice, and lean on each other for emotional support. Just being around others in the same boat and sharing their experience can go a long way toward reducing the isolation many moms and dads feel after receiving the youngster’s diagnosis.

13. Keep in mind that no matter what treatment plan is chosen, your involvement is vital to success. You can help your youngster get the most out of treatment by working hand-in-hand with the treatment team and following through with the therapy at home.

14. HFA kids over the age of three may receive assistance through school-based programs. As with early intervention, special education services are tailored to your youngster’s individual needs. Kids with HFA are often placed with other developmentally-delayed children in small groups where they can receive more individual attention and specialized instruction. However, depending on their abilities, they may also spend at least part of the school day in a regular classroom. The goal is to place children in the least restrictive environment possible where they are still able to learn. If you’d like to pursue special education services, your local school system will first need to evaluate your youngster. Based on this assessment, an Individualized Education Plan (IEP) will be created. An IEP outlines the educational goals for your youngster for the school year. Additionally, it describes the special services or aids the school will provide your youngster in order to meet those goals.

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

15. Learn about High-Functioning Autism. The more you know about HFA, the better equipped you’ll be to make informed decisions for your youngster. Educate yourself about the treatment options, ask questions, and participate in all treatment decisions.

16. Look for nonverbal cues. If you are observant and aware, you can learn to pick up on the nonverbal cues that kids with High-Functioning Autism use to communicate. Pay attention to the kinds of sounds they make, their facial expressions, and the gestures they use when they’re tired, hungry, or want something.

17. Make time for fun. A youngster coping with High-Functioning Autism is still a kid. For kids and their moms and dads, there needs to be more to life than therapy. Schedule playtime when your youngster is most alert and awake. Figure out ways to have fun together by thinking about the things that make her smile, laugh, and come out of her shell. Your youngster is likely to enjoy these activities most if they don’t seem therapeutic or educational. There are tremendous benefits that result from your enjoyment of your youngster’s company and from her enjoyment of spending un-pressured time with you.  Play is an essential part of learning and shouldn’t feel like work.

18. Pay attention to your youngster’s sensory sensitivities. Many kids with High-Functioning Autism are hypersensitive to light, sound, touch, taste, and smell. Other kids are “under-sensitive” to sensory stimuli. Figure out what sights, sounds, smells, movements, and tactile sensations trigger your kid’s “bad” or disruptive behaviors and what elicits a positive response. What does your HFA youngster find stressful? Calming? Uncomfortable? Enjoyable? If you understand what affects your youngster, you’ll be better at trouble-shooting problems, preventing situations that cause difficulties, and creating successful experiences.

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

19. Reward good behavior. Positive reinforcement can go a long way with kids with High-Functioning Autism, so make an effort to “catch them doing something good.” Praise them when they act appropriately or learn a new skill, being very specific about what behavior they’re being praised for. Also look for other ways to reward them for good behavior (e.g., giving them a sticker, letting them play with a favorite toy, etc.).

20. Stick to a schedule. Kids with High-Functioning Autism tend to do best when they have a highly-structured schedule or routine. This goes back to the consistency they both need and crave. Set up a schedule for your youngster, with regular times for meals, therapy, school, and bedtime. Try to keep disruptions to this routine to a minimum. If there is an unavoidable schedule change, prepare him for it in advance.

21. Under the U.S. federal law known as the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA), kids with disabilities—including those with HFA—are eligible for a range of free or low-cost services. Under this provision, kids in need and their families may receive:

• assisted technology devices
• medical evaluations
• parent counseling and training
• physical therapy
• psychological services
• speech therapy
• other specialized services

Kids under the age of 10 do not need a diagnosis to receive free services under IDEA. If they are experiencing a developmental delay, including delays in communication or social development, they are automatically eligible for early intervention and special education services.

22. With so many different treatments available, it can be tough to figure out which approach is right for your youngster. Making things even more complicated, you may hear different or even conflicting recommendations from other moms and dads – and even doctors. When putting together a treatment plan for your youngster, keep in mind that there is no single treatment that will work for everyone. Each child with High-Functioning Autism is unique, with different strengths and weaknesses.

23. Your youngster’s treatment should be tailored according to his or her individual needs. You know your youngster best, so it’s up to you to make sure those needs are being met. You can do that by asking yourself the following questions:

• How does my youngster learn best (e.g., through seeing, listening, or doing)?
• What are my youngster’s strengths?
• What are my youngster’s weaknesses?
• What behaviors are causing the most problems?
• What does my youngster enjoy and how can those activities be used in treatment?
• What important skills is my youngster lacking?

24. Know that a good treatment plan will:

• Actively engage your youngster's attention in highly structured activities
• Build on your youngster's interests
• Offer a predictable schedule
• Provide regular reinforcement of behavior
• Involve the moms and dads
• Teach tasks as a series of simple steps

25. Know your youngster’s rights. As the mother or father of an HFA youngster, you have a legal right to:

• Seek an outside evaluation for your youngster
• Request an IEP meeting at any time if you feel your youngster’s needs are not being met
• Invite anyone you want—from a relative to your youngster’s doctor—to be on the IEP team
• Free or low-cost legal representation if you can’t come to an agreement with the school
• Disagree with the school system’s recommendations
• Be involved in developing your youngster’s IEP from start to finish

More resources for parents of children and teens with High-Functioning Autism and Asperger's:

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

==> 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

Flat Affect and Reading Facial Expressions: Help for Kids on the Autism Spectrum

"How can I help my daughter (high functioning autistic) to better understand non-verbal cues such as facial expressions and body language?"

“Flat affect” is a term used to describe a lack of emotional reactivity. It is manifest as a failure to express feelings – either verbally or non-verbally – especially regarding issues that would normally be expected to engage the emotions.

With a flat affect, expressive gestures are rare, and there is little animation in facial expression or vocal inflection. A person with flat affect has no – or nearly no – emotional expression. He or she may not react at all to circumstances that usually evoke strong emotions in others.

Many kids with Aspergers and High-Functioning Autism (HFA) have a flat affect. Their facial expressions are fixed or “artificial” in appearance instead of naturally animated. The youngster may not laugh or smile unless cued to do so in an appropriate situation, or he may appear to have a collection of rehearsed or “canned” reactions to match certain circumstances (which, by the way, is actually a real strength).

The youngster’s way of talking may also seem “flat” and monotone. In other words, his words may sound robotic and carefully measured, or there may be a lilting tone to his voice (described by some as “sing-song”) in which his speech sounds as if it's bouncing up and down when he talks.

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

Many young people on the autism spectrum have internal feelings that may or may not be reflected on their face. But it's important that they provide natural, spontaneous expressiveness – and recognize facial expressions in others – because facial expressions are a form of non-verbal communication essential to interpersonal relationships.

Reading facial expressions is important for social success. An inability to read facial and social cues makes “connecting” to others very difficult. Learning to translate and digest the meanings of different facial expressions can help determine other people's needs and foster true communication.

Parents can teach their special needs children how to be more expressive, and they can teach the meaning of facial expressions in others.

In teaching the child how to express himself “facially,” parents can model different emotions and the corresponding facial expression (e.g., how being “surprised” may look with raised eyebrows and eyes wide opened). Then, parents can have the child practice such facial expressions while she looks at herself in the mirror.

One method to teach the meaning of facial expressions in others is to use photographs that depict different facial expressions. Here are some other ways to teach your child to “read” facial expressions:

1. Teach your child the different modes of facial expression. Start with the building block basics (e.g., what does anger, disgust or surprise look like?). Realize that one building block of reading facial expressions is to discern that the words being spoken may not necessarily reflect the true inner emotions.

2. Teach your child to listen carefully to whatever words are said, but to examine the overall body and facial language (e.g., clenched teeth, angry piercing eyes, or a set, hard mouth). Some people have subtle tics that worsen under stress.

3. Teach your child to look for overly-intensive stares (e.g., overcompensation, rapid blinking, or small smirks in the face). Kids, especially, can’t help but smile a little when thinking that they are "getting away with it." Liars will either avoid direct eye contact or overcompensate by looking you right in the eyes to assure you of their "sincerity."

4. Reading fear in faces can be discerned, even on a subtle level. Pupils will dilate, the person's breathing will become deeper, the mouth will open wider to take in air, and the eyes will wander around much more than usual.

5. Teach that some people hide many of their true feelings under social discourse, from trying to protect others from negative emotions, to out-and-out deception. Often, the words do not match the emotions being conveyed.

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

6. Review facial expressions that signify emotions of happiness, including people with a wide open stare, who move in closer, show an unaffected smile, or relax their eyebrows. Playing with hair is a positive sign for women. So is sitting up straight and extending a hand with an honest smile. This shows the person is receptive, not closing themselves away. Eye contact is increased and hands are open.

7. Teach how body language plays into facial expressions. Many body positions tell more than what the speaker is saying (e.g., folding the arms across the chest, even while smiling and saying nice words, is a known "on guard" position). The opposite posture, then, is someone sitting with legs spread out, slouched in a relaxed position.

8. Teach your child to look at people’s eyes. For many people, the eyes reveal the emotions behind the words. Even if a person is angry and hiding it with polite words, a wrinkling at the edges (with the eyes held at half mast) tells a different story. So does the smile on a sad person trying to hide their tears in public, but is looking away. Teach to read these cues.

9. Teach your child to be careful not to stare too intently while seeking to read someone's facial expressions.

10. There are many tests online in which you can teach and practice discernment of facial expressions.

11. To your child to watch for the “con man” who can be far more skilled at hiding true emotions and manipulating facial expressions. Often, this overcompensation translates into lack of affect (emotion).

12. Watch foreign movies with your child to teach “facial reading” skills. Study how the actors respond to different activities and situations. This is a way to "see" each emotion, because unless the movie is subtitled, you'll be concentrating on nonverbal signals instead of dialogue.

Resources for parents of children and teens on the autism spectrum:
 

==> How to Prevent Meltdowns and Tantrums in Children with Autism Spectrum Disorder

==> Parenting System that Reduces Defiant Behavior in Teens with Autism Spectrum Disorder

==> Launching Adult Children with Autism Spectrum Disorder: Guide for Parents Who Want to Promote Self-Reliance

==> Teaching Social-Skills and Emotion-Management to Children with Autism Spectrum Disorder

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

==> Unraveling the Mystery Behind High-Functioning Autism: Audio Book

==> Crucial Research-Based Parenting Strategies for Children and Teens with High-Functioning Autism

Aspergers in Girls

How the symptoms of Aspergers affect girls differently than boys: 

What is the Best Treatment for High-Functioning Autism?

“What kind of treatment has had the best outcome for children with autism - high functioning? I’m new to the world of Autism Spectrum Disorders, and I want the best for my child.”

The type of treatment that will have the best outcome varies from child to child depending on his or her symptoms and level of functioning. The most important factor is early intervention. Research shows that early intervention treatment can greatly improve a youngster’s development. Early intervention services help kids from birth to 3-years-old learn important skills.  Services include therapy to help the youngster talk, walk, and interact with others.  Therefore, it is important for parents to talk to their youngster’s doctor as soon as possible if they think their son or daughter has Aspergers or High-Functioning Autism (HFA).

Even if the youngster has not been diagnosed with the disorder, he or she may be eligible for early intervention treatment services. The Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) says that kids under the age of 36 months who are at risk of having developmental delays may be eligible for services. These services are provided through an early intervention system in your state. Through this system, you can ask for an evaluation.

In addition, treatment for particular symptoms (e.g., speech therapy for language delays) often does not need to wait for a formal diagnosis. While early intervention is extremely important, intervention at any age can be helpful.

There are many different types of treatments available:

• anti-yeast therapy
• auditory training
• discrete trial training
• facilitated communication
• music therapy
• occupational therapy
• physical therapy
• sensory integration therapy
• vitamin therapy

The different types of treatments can generally be broken down into the following categories:

• Medication
• Dietary Approaches 
• Complementary and Alternative Medicine
• Behavior and Communication Approaches

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

According to reports by the American Academy of Pediatrics and the National Research Council, behavior and communication approaches that help kids with ASD are those that provide structure, direction, and organization for the youngster in addition to family participation.

A notable treatment approach for children on the autism spectrum is called applied behavior analysis (ABA). ABA has become widely accepted among doctors and used in many schools and treatment clinics. ABA encourages positive behaviors and discourages negative behaviors in order to improve a variety of skills.  The youngster’s progress is tracked and measured.

There are different types of ABA.  Following are some examples:

1. Verbal Behavior Intervention (VBI): VBI is a type of ABA that focuses on teaching verbal skills.

2. Pivotal Response Training (PRT): PRT aims to increase a youngster’s motivation to learn, monitor his own behavior, and initiate communication with others. Positive changes in these behaviors should have widespread effects on other behaviors.

3. Early Intensive Behavioral Intervention (EIBI): This is a type of ABA for very young kids with HFA, usually younger than five, and often younger than three.

4. Discrete Trial Training (DTT): DTT is a style of teaching that uses a series of trials to teach each step of a desired behavior or response. Lessons are broken down into their simplest parts and positive reinforcement is used to reward correct answers and behaviors.  Incorrect answers are ignored.

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

Other therapies that can be part of a complete treatment program for a youngster with HFA and Aspergers include:

1. Treatment and Education of Autistic and related Communication-handicapped Kids (TEACCH): TEAACH uses visual cues to teach skills. For example, picture cards can help teach a youngster how to get dressed by breaking information down into small steps.

2. The Picture Exchange Communication System (PECS): PECS uses picture symbols to teach communication skills. The person is taught to use picture symbols to ask and answer questions and have a conversation.

3. Speech Therapy: Speech therapy helps to improve the person’s communication skills.  Some children are able to learn verbal communication skills.  For others, using gestures or picture boards is more realistic.

4. Sensory Integration Therapy: Sensory integration therapy helps the person deal with sensory information, like sights, sounds, and smells. Sensory integration therapy could help a youngster who is bothered by certain sounds or does not like to be touched.

5. Occupational Therapy: Occupational therapy teaches skills that help the person live as independently as possible.  Skills might include dressing, eating, bathing, and relating to children.

6. Developmental, Individual Differences, Relationship-Based Approach (DIR; also called "Floortime"): Floortime focuses on emotional and relational development (feelings, relationships with caregivers). It also focuses on how the youngster deals with sights, sounds, and smells.

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

Some dietary treatments have been developed by reliable therapists.  But many of these treatments do not have the scientific support needed for widespread recommendation. An unproven treatment might help one youngster, but may not help another.

Many biomedical interventions call for changes in diet. Such changes include removing certain types of foods from a youngster’s diet and using vitamin or mineral supplements. Dietary treatments are based on the idea that food allergies or lack of vitamins and minerals cause symptoms of HFA and Aspergers.  Some moms and dads feel that dietary changes make a difference in how their youngster acts or feels.

If you are thinking about changing your youngster’s diet, talk to the doctor first. Or talk with a nutritionist to be sure your youngster is getting important vitamins and minerals.

Although there are no medications that can cure Aspergers or High-Functioning Autism - or treat the core symptoms, there are some that can help children with the disorder to function better (e.g., help managing high energy levels, inability to focus, depression, seizures, etc.). Also, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration has approved the use of risperidone and aripiprazole (antipsychotic drugs) to treat kids on the spectrum who experience severe tantrums, aggression, and self-injurious behaviors.

Medications might not affect all kids in the same way. It is important to work with a doctor who has experience in treating kids with HFA and Aspergers. Moms and dads and doctors must closely monitor a youngster's progress and reactions while he or she is taking a medication to be sure that any negative side effects of the treatment do not outweigh the benefits.

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

It is also important to remember that kids on the spectrum can get sick or injured just like kids without the disorder. Regular medical and dental exams should be part of a youngster’s treatment plan. Often it is hard to tell if a youngster’s behavior is related to the disorder or is caused by a separate health condition. For example, head-banging could be a symptom of the HFA, or it could be a sign that the youngster is having headaches. In those cases, a thorough physical exam is needed. Monitoring healthy development includes paying attention to symptoms related to the disorder as well as the youngster’s physical and mental health.

To relieve the symptoms of HFA and Aspergers, some moms and dads and doctors use treatments that are outside of what is typically recommended by the doctor. These types of treatments are known as complementary and alternative treatments (CAM). They might include special diets, chelation (i.e., a treatment to remove heavy metals like lead from the body), biologicals (e.g., secretin), or body-based systems (e.g., deep pressure). These types of treatments are very controversial. Current research shows that as many as one third of moms and dads with autistic kids may have tried complementary or alternative medicine treatments, and up to 10% may be using a potentially dangerous treatment. Before starting such a treatment, check it out carefully, and talk to your youngster’s doctor.

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

==> 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

==> Parenting System that Reduces Problematic Behavior in Children with Asperger's and High-Functioning Autism