My ASD Child

“Task-frustration” occurs when a child attempts to complete a particular task (e.g., tying shoe laces, riding a bicycle, doing a math assignment, playing a board game, etc.), but fumbles along unsuccessfully.    As a result, he or she has a tantrum – or a meltdown! If you are a parent of a child on the autism spectrum, you have no doubt witnessed your child being overly-frustrated on numerous occasions over seemingly trivial incidents. Well, help has arrived! Read on… “Backward chaining” can have different definitions for different fields, but when teaching life skills to young people with High-Functioning Autism (HFA), it refers to breaking down the steps of a task and teaching them in reverse order. This gives the youngster an experience of accomplishment and completion with every attempt. Instead of the youngster starting at the beginning and getting lost somewhere through the process (with the parent having to complete the task), the parent does all but the last step and le

Philosophers have long known that your thoughts can be your own worst enemy. As Shakespeare once said, "There is nothing either good or bad, but thinking makes it so." Children and teens with Asperger's and High-Functioning Autism are especially vulnerable to such “thinking errors” due to a phenomenon called “mind-blindness." In this video, we will look at some examples of popular thinking errors used by kids on the autism spectrum, and how parents can help these children view their situation more accurately.  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 Spectr

Do you need some assistance in parenting your Aspergers or HFA child?  Click here  to use Mark Hutten, M.A. as your personal parent coach. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Hello, I think two of my three sons have Aspergers.  We have been totally clueless until recently when I was fortunate enough to have a volunteer retired teacher visit us and teach my two younger kids on distance education.  I have known something was quite different with my youngest son for years now, but not knowing anything about asperges or anyone (supposedly) with it- I never made the connection.  Our youngest seems to be quite mild, but has at least 6 typical traits of aspergers, that I can tell.  Our second son is 14 years old and is a minefield.  He has nearly broken up our marriage, and is now working on my in laws, and basically wreeking havok, and I am very worried he will end up in Juvenille court for stealing.  At this point, I am worried sick about him.  My mother in law thinks he may have another