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Fostering Self-Awareness in Children on the Autism Spectrum

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“I have a daughter with (high functioning autistic). She has numerous sensory sensitivities (certain food, noise, textures of clothing, temperature, just to name a few), which overloads her to the point of meltdown. She is a perfectionist and very sensitive to feelings of embarrassment and humiliation. Nothing seems to console her when she gets angry and upset. When I ask what is bothering her, she says she doesn’t know. How can I help her?” If you want to raise a well-adjusted child (which I’m sure you do), a great place to start is with fostering self-awareness in your daughter. When you promote the development of self-awareness, you are raising your daughter to be mindful of her emotions and mind patterns, and why she is feeling or behaving or thinking a certain way. This will require that you view your child from a place of mindful awareness, without judgment or preconceived expectations (easier said than done). But, if you will practice adding more mindfulness to your o

COMMENTS & QUESTIONS [for July, 2015]

  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. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ In the search for information that could potentially help Lisa and us to a less distressful everyday life,  I stumbled over your e-book "The Aspergers Comprehensive handbook". After just talking a very short glance at the now successfully downloaded pdf-file, I can only conclude that it indeed seems comprehensive. I like that it in a straight forward way adresses everyday problem situations and ways of dealing with them. We really need that kind of support. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  Dear Mr. Hutten, I purchased your book in and around May 5th.  My husband has Asperger's (along with other issues including many many incidences of infidelity, more recently I found out even with men) and somehow, through these many issues, we have been married for 35 years, very very rough years and I am no

3-Step Method for Preventing Meltdowns in Children on the Autism Spectrum

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Here's an important tip that will help you recognize your Aspergers or HFA child’s “meltdown triggers” so you can prevent the meltdown from happening in the first place:  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 ==>  Videos for Parents of Children and Teens with ASD     More art

Setting Effective Boundaries with Children on the Autism Spectrum

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“I have a 6-year-old daughter, Kayla, with HFA. My husband and I are having a terrible time knowing when to set limits with her. She is often critical of herself (and me) …is a very sensitive child …it doesn’t take much to get her very upset and then she becomes aggressive. Sometimes I feel I’m being too hard on her and damaging her self-esteem. But other times I feel I’m not being tough enough which is spoiling her. How do I walk the fine line between too much punishment and not enough?” Being empathetic doesn't mean always giving your high functioning autistic daughter what she wants. But when she is being refused another handful of candy, or disciplined for pushing her brother, or trying to scratch you, the limit-setting needs to be done in a firm, but very gentle, manner. Gentle boundaries coupled with empathy and flexibility will gradually help your “sensitive” daughter be less critical of you and herself. Expand your daughter's dialogue about what comforts and

How to Eliminate Oppositional Behavior in Kids with Asperger's and High-Functioning Autism

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This technique for oppositional kids on the autism spectrum is ultimately the most important! 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  

Parents' "Compliance Strategies" for Uncooperative Kids on the Autism Spectrum

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“Do you have any tricks for getting my very uncooperative (high functioning autistic) son to comply with requests? Even simple ones, like taking one minute to put his dirty clothes in the hamper, initiate a power struggle. This usually results in me doing the task myself just to keep things from escalating into a tantrum or meltdown. Help!” You're in luck. There are a lot of “compliance strategies” that often work quite well with uncooperative kids on the autism spectrum. Here are just a few to get you started: 1. Keep it simple. Try asking your son to do three simple requests first. Request can be things such as asking what time it is, what day it is, to hand you an object he is sitting near, or to tell you something fun he did that day, etc.  Then make your fourth request the more complicated one you were originally hoping to get your son to do (e.g., picking up his dirty clothes). Uncooperative children are more likely to comply with a more difficult request after su