Recently, medical professionals have begun to pay more attention to a disease such as autism. Autistic people are people who have difficulties in communication, in building relationships with others, their imagination is somewhat limited. This is expressed in particular to literally understand what they are told. For example, when in a train carriage the controller asked a young man with autism, "Can I see your ticket?", He replied: "No, it's in my pocket." In this article, we will look at modern methods to combat autism.

Despite the fact that autism has always been considered an incurable disease, in recent years there are different opinions on this issue.

Autism treatment

Since its first discovery in 1942, many treatments for autism have been proposed, but all have been rebutted by scientific research. There are now certain treatments that are helping many adults and children. Let's consider them.

Autism and food intolerances
One of the newer treatments for autism that is gaining momentum is choosing the right diet. Consultant pediatrician Dr. Michael Tettenbohm of Fimli Children's Hospital argues that there is a link between autism and food intolerances, which, in the case of some patients, also includes candida yeast infections. Starting with treatment for candida and an appropriate diet, he successfully cured several patients and helped them largely overcome their autism. The regimen requires strict medical supervision, says Tettenbohm, and some patients may deteriorate before finally improving.

Professor Jonathan Brostoff of the University of Allergy and Environmental Medicine, London, states: “The logic is that digestion breaks down food and small proteins called peptides can enter the bloodstream through damaged human digestive tracts. These peptides act as sedatives, shutting down the brain and causing autism. "

Unusual exercises
A new boarding school near Newsbury, Berkshire, Prior's Court School is introducing new educational methods that include vigorous exercise, following an established "Daily Life Therapy" regimen that has already proven itself well and was proposed by the Hope Foundation. Higashi in Japan and the United States This boarding school offers its students a highly structured curriculum with many interesting activities targeting different interest groups.

Vitamins
Vitamin therapy has been used to treat autism since the 1960s. It was widely promoted by the American psychologist Dr. Bernard Rimland of the Institute for the Study of Autism in San Diego, California. He is also the founder of the American Autism Society. Scientific studies have been done and although the results were not very impressive, some people still managed to help. Vitamins offered included vitamin A, vitamin B6, and vitamin C.

Medicines
Many people with autism undergo drug therapy, although there is no evidence of a beneficial effect. Professor Michael Rutter at Madley Hospital London conducted additional documentary research in 1999 and confirmed earlier findings that there is no drug that has a strong positive effect in the fight against autism.

Most children with autism spectrum disorder are non-aggressive, but many throw tantrums when they find themselves in difficult situations or cannot get what they want. They do this not out of spite, but because they do not know how to react otherwise. With a few simple tricks, you can reduce the number of tantrums and even teach your child self-control.

Steps

How to handle an emotional breakdown

Think about the reason for the child's emotional breakdown. Emotional breakdown occurs when a person with autism can no longer deal with the stress that they have carried within themselves for a long time. Stress comes out of disturbance by emotional breakdown, which can manifest itself in the form of hysteria. The reason for hysteria is most often something that upset the child. Children with autism throw tantrums not because they enjoy it, but because something has caused stress. With a tantrum, a child may try to say that he cannot cope with a situation, an irritant or a change in the usual routine. A child may resort to hysterics as a last resort if he fails to communicate his feelings in all other ways.

• Emotional breakdowns can manifest in different ways. The child may scream, cry, cover their ears with their hands, self-harm, or even be aggressive.

1. Find ways to make home life more comfortable for your child. Because breakdowns are a result of stress, a more relaxed atmosphere at home will reduce stressors in your child's life.

   Teach your child how to deal with stress. Some children with autism spectrum disorder are confused about how to deal with their emotions and may need help. Praise your child when he applies the technique you taught him.

   • Develop a plan for specific stressors (loud noises, crowded places, etc.).
   • Teach your child to calm down on their own: do exercises for deep breathing, count, move away from the problem for a while.
   • Consider how the child might tell you about something that is bothering him.

2. Learn to see when your child is stressed and acknowledge the importance of their feelings. Seeing his needs as natural and important will make it easier for him to get used to being able to express them.

   • "You look depressed. Does the loud sound bother you? I can ask your sisters to play outside."
   • "You seem angry. Can you tell me what upset you?"

3. Set a good example for your child. The child sees when you are under stress and adopts your behavior. By being calm, expressing your feelings clearly, and being alone with yourself when you need to, it will be easier for your son or daughter to learn to do the same.

   • Try to explain your behavior. "I'm upset right now, but I'll take a break and take a couple of deep breaths. I'll be back after that."
   • If you do this several times, it is likely that the child will try to repeat after you.

4. Create a quiet corner for your child. It is important to remember that it can be difficult for a child to perceive and process multiple signals, sounds, smells, and textures. Excessive stimuli can cause stress, panic, and emotional breakdown. In such conditions, a calm room will help the child.

   • Teach your child to tell you when he needs to be quiet. For example, a child might point to a room, show a card representing a room, gesture to you, type words, or say everything in words.
   • Read articles on how a peaceful corner should look like.

5. Record a history of emotional breakdowns. If you write down all the breakdowns, you can better understand the reasons for this behavior. Try writing down the answers to these questions the next time your child has a breakdown:

   • What upset the child? (Remember that he could contain stress for hours.)
   • What signs of stress were visible?
   • If you've seen stress build up, what have you done? Did it help?
   • How could you prevent the breakdown from happening again in the future?

6. Talk to your child about hitting someone and bad behavior. Remember, autism cannot be considered an excuse for physical abuse or violent behavior. If your child has misbehaved towards others, talk to him when he calms down. Explain that any of his particular actions were unacceptable, and explain what he can do instead in the future.

   • "You shouldn't have hit your brother. I understand that you were upset, but hitting people hurts, and you can't hurt people when you are angry. If you are very upset, you can take a few deep breaths, take a break or tell me about the problem."

7. When your child has a breakdown, contact family members. Sometimes it can be difficult to calm down a person with autism, but police intervention in this case can only do harm. If you cannot cope with the relapse on your own, ask a family member to help you.

How to behave in case of tantrum

Think about how your actions might affect your child's tantrums. Children throw tantrums when they want something but can't get it. By his behavior, the child expects to achieve what he needs. If you give your child what he wants (for example, ice cream, later going to bed), he will understand that hysterics can achieve his goal.

Start dealing with the problem of tantrums as early as possible. It is much easier to solve this problem when the child is still young. For example, a six-year-old child who is rolling on the floor is much easier to calm down than a sixteen-year-old teenager. It also makes the person less likely to physically harm themselves or someone else.

Never mind the tantrum. Ignoring works most effectively with yelling, swearing, and harsh language. This will teach the child that this behavior will not help him draw attention to himself. It is important that he assimilated the following thought: “I don’t understand what you don’t like when you scream. If you calm down and tell me what upset you, I will gladly listen to you.”

Take action if the child misbehaves or does something dangerous. Intervene whenever a child starts throwing things, taking what belongs to others, or fighting. Ask him to stop and explain to him why he shouldn’t behave like that.

Encourage good behavior. Explain to your child how he can behave in order to get the reaction he expects. So he will understand how he can achieve what he wants (or at least get attention or a compromise).

• For example, say, “If you want me to help you, take a couple of deep breaths and tell me what you don’t like. I’m always there.”

Applications of Method A-B-C

1. Learn to anticipate the next attack. Write down (preferably in a diary) at what time and under what conditions an attack of aggression usually occurs (for example, before walking, bathing, or sleeping). A-B-C stands for A - antecedent, B - behavior, C - consequence. As you record all of your observations, you can figure out what to do to prevent or extinguish the outburst of anger.

   • Prerequisites... These are the factors that led to the aggressive behavior (time, date, place, incident). How did these factors affect the situation? Have you done anything that hurt or upset the child?
   • Behavior... How did the child behave?
   • Consequences... What were the consequences of the child's actions? What have you done as a result of these actions? What happened to the child?

2. Use the A-B-C Method to determine what is causing the child's tantrum. Then, based on this information, teach your child to link cause and effect. For example, if a child is upset about someone breaking their toy, that means they should ask for help.

   Discuss your notes with a therapist. Seek help from a specialist when you have collected enough information. Show your doctor your notes so that he can look at the child's behavior scenarios in detail.

How to help your child express their needs

Help your child express their needs. If the child can explain what is bothering him, he will have less stress and less likely to misbehave. The child should be able to pronounce or otherwise express the following thoughts:

• "I want to eat".
• "I'm tired".
• "I want to pause."
• "It hurts."

1. Teach your child to identify their emotions. Many children with autism spectrum disorder do not understand their feelings, so it can be helpful for them to point to pictures or remember the physical symptoms that accompany the feelings. Explain that if you talk about a problem (for example, "I'm scared in grocery stores"), it will be easier for the people around you to solve the problem ("You can wait outside with your older sister while I go shopping").

   • Let your child know that if he interacts with you, you will listen to him. This will relieve the child of the need to throw a tantrum.

2. Remain calm and act consistently. A child prone to emotional breakdowns need a calm adult, as well as the consistent actions of all the people who care for them. You cannot solve the child's self-control problem if you don’t know how to control your behavior.

   Assume that the child wants to be good. This approach dramatically improves the ability of people with autism to communicate. If a person feels that he is respected, he is more likely to start talking about his desires.

   Try alternative ways to communicate. If your child is not ready to speak, there are other ways to communicate with you. Try to communicate with him with gestures, invite him to type text, show pictures, or do something else that the therapist advises you.

Other tricks

Remember that your actions can affect your child's emotional breakdowns. For example, if you continue to do things that upset him (for example, expose him to stimuli or force him to do something that he does not want to do), the child may not be able to handle it. Children are more likely to throw tantrums if they feel that this is the only way to get an adult to take their feelings and desires seriously.

1. Treat your child with respect. By forcing the child to do something, ignoring the fact that he does not like something, or physically limiting the child's mobility, you harm him. Respect the autonomy of your son or daughter.

   • Of course, you cannot always accept rejection. If you are not doing what the child wants, explain to him why you are doing this: "It is important that you sit in the child seat because it is for your safety. If we have an accident, the seat will protect you."
   • If something is bothering your child, find out why and try to fix the problem. "Are you comfortable in the chair? Should I put on a pillow?"

Regardless of how much you do for your child with ASD, how often you teach, and how much time you devote to therapy, you probably cannot get rid of your guilt. This is partly due to the fact that there is still no unified theory of what triggers autism and what can serve as its treatment. Therefore, whatever you have done in the past may be wrong, but whatever you do can help.

However, guilt feelings are inherently destructive - they can even prevent you from being an effective parent to your child. Here are ten tips for overcoming guilt and finding the strength to continue your treatment.

1. IT'S I'M GUILTY FOR THIS DISEASE!

It is clearly known that autism does not arise from a lack of parental love. However, science cannot yet say with one hundred percent certainty whether your diet during pregnancy, vaccinations, or any other of your actions led to this disorder. Because of this, it is easy to start blaming yourself, but most likely it is due to genetic factors that are completely out of your control.

2. I SHOULD DO AS MUCH AS POSSIBLE!

What if a new approach to therapy is a long-awaited tool that will definitely help a child, as soon as he undergoes treatment? The thought of depriving your little one of the treatment they need, condemning him to lifelong disability can be overwhelming.

But remember this: people have been seriously dealing with autism for a long time, but until now there is no remedy that would have the same undeniable therapeutic effect as it was in the case of antibiotics. Even if you can't afford a new procedure just yet, the time your little one spends with a loving parent won't be wasted.

3. THIS TIME I SHOULD DEDICATE TO EXERCISE WITH THE CHILD!

You sat down to read a book while your little one was watching TV - and now you are eating yourself up for it. After all, every second counts, and you must work on the development of your child all day long without interruption. This, of course, is a very laudable desire, but even the best father or mother cannot spend eighteen hours a day with a child and at the same time maintain mental and physical health. Remember that your well-being matters too - your child needs healthy and energetic parents, not completely exhausted parents.

4. THIS MONEY I HAVE TO SPEND ON TREATMENT!

You broke down and bought yourself a new blouse - and now you scold yourself for not spending this amount on classes with a psychologist, books on autism or educational toys. Note, however, that the child is not the only member of your family. Money is not easy for you, and you have the right to think about yourself. Your child will certainly not regret an extra therapy session that was not attended.

Read also What is Severe Autism

5. I HAVE TO FIND TIME FOR OTHER CHILDREN AND THE SPOUSE!

If you are largely responsible for communicating and helping your child with autism, you may be too tired to give other family members the attention they deserve.

It is important to find opportunities to communicate with your husband or other children, but sometimes you just need to be alone with yourself, take a walk or find another way to free your brain of thoughts that bother you. If you will be with family members only physically, and your thoughts will be all occupied with the issues of therapy, there will be little sense from such communication.

6. OTHER PEOPLE DO MUCH MORE FOR THEIR CHILDREN WITH AUTISM!

Other people also have more money, better health, leaner bodies, and higher endurance. Comparing yourself with others makes sense only when such a comparison helps you gain new ideas or knowledge, otherwise it is a direct path to a constant experience of guilt.

Remember: you may not know all the financial and other resources that your neighbors have. It may be easier for them than for you - and you cannot influence it in any way.

7. I SHOULD PROMOTE _________________________ MORE IN EXERCISE WITH A CHILD!

Depending on what you read or with whom you communicate, you may receive a variety of advice (often the exact opposite) on how to help your child. More inclusion in a team with ordinary children or, on the contrary, less inclusion, more therapeutic sessions of various orientations or concentration on only one type of activity, whether or not joint play sessions with other children are needed - there are a million examples. Even an ordinary child can get tired of the variety of meetings, trips and games happening to him, what can we say about a kid with an ASD who is much more sensitive to such things. Maybe you should get some more rest too!

Autism is one of the most common developmental disorders with symptoms that usually appear before the age of three. Life is a source of stress for autistic people, which leads to behaviors that are difficult for parents and guardians. However, treating your child with love and respect can improve their social skills and make the child's life happy.

Steps

Coping with lack of responsiveness

You must understand that lack of responsiveness is a typical symptom in autism. They may not know how to offer social or emotional support to others, and some of them show clear unfriendliness and insensitivity towards others.

• There are autistic people who genuinely care about others, but they do not know how to properly show their care and help the people they love.
• Lack of responsiveness is one of the reasons autistic people have difficulty finding a job, keeping a job, and making friends.

1. Teach your child social behavior skills. Whereas ordinary children learn skills to interact with others naturally, simply by observing and participating in communication with others, autistic children need direct and accurate direction. Parents and special educators can and should spend a lot of time educating autistic children about social behavior (often starting with teaching the child to literally follow a "script") and explaining how to understand the needs and emotions of those around them.

   Encourage your child to interact with others. Over time, many autistic children begin to take an interest in other children and try to make friends with them, especially if they are given the opportunity to meet with children on a regular basis. You can go with your child to playgrounds and organize small children's parties, where the child can be with ordinary children. If your child is not very successful with other children, tell him that you came to this noisy place only for a short time, and then the child will get tired less.

   You need to get your child to spend time with both autistic and non-autistic children. Interacting with ordinary children will help your child become more responsive and attentive to others. Communication with autistic children will teach the child that special children are no worse than ordinary ones, and that there are many children like himself in the world. For older children, communication with autistic peers provides an opportunity to receive support and useful advice that no one else will give them.

   • Some school programs offer autistic children the opportunity to spend some time with their regular classmates. If your child is safe for school, this might be a good idea.

2. Offer your child many positive rewards. Instead of punishing your child, encourage every attempt to socialize with others or to participate in a common activity. Encourage your child, applaud him or offer a reward - a star made of foil (there is a special method for working with autistic children, where a child is rewarded for doing the right thing with a star, which the child can later exchange for his favorite treat or entertainment) or a trip to an ice cream parlor, in in general, something that can create positive motivation.

   • Avoid coercion and punishment. Don't try to force an autistic child to communicate with others. In most cases, this is not only useless, but it will make your child afraid and do his best to avoid situations where he will have to interact with other children. Punishment is unlikely to solve the problem, and your child may begin to negatively perceive social interaction and responsiveness, associating them with the feedback and punishment received.

How to deal with speech and communication problems

1. You should be aware that verbal communication problems are common in autistic people. More than half of autistic children have problems with the development of speaking skills and the formation of speech. Other children can speak, but have significant difficulty finding specific speech problems, including echolalia - the repetition of words and sentences spoken by others, sometimes exactly the same as the original tone and accent. In addition, autistic children may have some speech difficulties:

   • Incorrect use of pronouns. Autistic children. for example, they may regularly use "you" instead of "me".
   • They understand what is said literally. Autistic people may not understand phrases, jokes, and teasing.
   • Difficulty in speech recognition. Even if the child understands the structure of speech perfectly and has an extensive vocabulary, he may have difficulty in processing the addressed speech. You have to repeat what you said one more time.
   • Chagrin. These difficulties can be frustrating!

2. Develop your child's abilities. The correct approach to overcoming language and speaking difficulties depends on your child's ability and the severity of the autistic disorder. If your child cannot speak at all, try at least teaching him or her to point a finger at an item he or she wants. In the event that your child can pronounce individual words and phrases, you can try to teach him to speak simple sentences.

   • Don't be discouraged even if your child never learns to speak. Nonspeaking autists, too, can find their place in life and be happy. Your child can learn to interact with people through other means of communication.

3. Work with a speech therapist to help develop your speaking skills. A speech therapist or speech therapist-defectologist can help a child improve pronunciation, learn to build sentences correctly, and better understand the speech being addressed. Many experts in this field treat special children with love and care, so your child will look forward to the next lesson every week!

   Talk to your child. Talk to your child even if the child seems to be unresponsive to your speech. Explain why and how certain events occur. especially if the child is angry or nervous in specific situations (For example: "We are going to the supermarket to buy tasty and healthy food from which we will prepare meals all week. When we are at the store, you can help me choose delicious food"). Read poetry aloud and sing songs.

   Tell your child stories. Tell your child stories every day. It is very helpful to tell stories in the evenings when the child goes to bed. At this time, the child is already tired and ready to listen to a fairy tale. Ask your child to tell you stories on his own, even if you do not always understand his stories. This will help the child become more confident and less nervous.

   • Above all, you should try to prevent the child from feeling that they are doing something ridiculous. As you listen to your child's story, you should appreciate their attempts to communicate. You can even ask your child one or two questions as the story goes to help you understand the story better. In order not to disappoint the child, sometimes you will even have to pretend that you understand the meaning of the story.

4. Repeat the words over and over to increase your child's vocabulary. Repeat the word you want to teach your child several times, pointing or touching the object. "This is your bed. Bed. Say" bed "" - and reward your child every time he repeats the right word.

   If it is difficult for your child to express his desires in words, try communicating with him through pictures. Make cards with pictures or photographs of items your child will need to communicate with you. The cards can depict different food, drinks, bed, favorite books and toys of the child. The child will be able to use these pictures to explain exactly what he wants.

How to deal with emotional breakdowns and tantrums

Try to understand what exactly caused this behavior. Possible reasons:

• Anger at not being able to explain what you want. Imagine how frustrating it is if a person needs to explain something, but he cannot express it in words or understandable sentences. This is very upsetting and the child may break down.
• Sensory overload. Autistic children can get irritated when there are too many irritants in the room. Bright lights and loud sounds make the child angry and uncomfortable. This can cause an emotional breakdown (which looks like a tantrum, while the child cannot control himself) or withdrawal (when the child stops responding to what is happening around).
• Reluctance to do anything. When a child is forced to do something against his will, he can lose his temper.
• The last resort. If a child does not believe that he can get what he wants through words or alternative ways of communication, he may resort to such behavior, believing that this is the only way to be understood.

1. React calmly and patiently. Never raise your voice or threaten your child. Demonstrate the behavior to your child that you yourself would like to see in him in moments of anger. Your child learns behavioral patterns by observing you. Give yourself time to cool down if necessary.

   • Help your child calm down. Give him the opportunity to be in
   • Determine which methods of sedation are effective for your child.

2. Offer your help. Let your child know that he won't have to deal with upset or overwork alone. If, for example, the child is angry that you force him to make the bed, offer to do it together. If it is difficult for a child to do it himself due to undeveloped motor skills, do not insist.

   Encourage your child. It can be very helpful to offer your child a reward for completing a task or coping with an annoying situation. For example, your child is afraid to go to the doctor's office, but loves to collect model cars. Tell your child. that after you go to the doctor, you will assemble a model car with him. If you do this, the child will look forward to a pleasant experience and reward, which may be enough to cope with the annoying situation.

Coping with self-harm tendencies

You should be aware that self-harm is one of the common manifestations of autistic behavior. Excessive irritation with external stimuli and anger can lead to self-injurious behavior. Parents may fear this behavior, but they need to know that this behavior is common for an autistic child and can be prevented.

• Scientists believe this behavior is due to biochemical factors. During self-harm, endorphins are released in the body, which block intense pain sensations and at the same time make a person feel happier.

1. Try changing your child's diet. Some parents note that switching to a gluten-free diet and increasing vitamin B6 and calcium intake can help cope with unwanted behaviors.

   • Some foods that are high in the vitamin include sunflower seeds, pistachios, fish, poultry, pork, beef, prunes, raisins, bananas, avocados, and spinach.
   • Some foods that are high in calcium include milk, cheese, yogurt, spinach, kale and kale, okra, soybeans, white beans, and calcium-fortified juices and cereals.
   • Always check with your doctor if you want to change your child's diet.

2. Come up with safe forms of self-stimulation. Some autistic people can scratch their skin until they bleed, do other damage to themselves, and injure themselves. You can stop this by suggesting safer ways to stimulate. In this case, massage can help, as well as moderate rubbing of the skin with a brush. You can also wear thin clothing (such as cotton sweatpants) on your baby to protect the skin from scratching.

   • Keep in mind that many people with autism are not themselves enthusiastic about their own risky behavior. Together with your child, you can find alternative ways to provide the necessary stimulation. For example, if the child is banging his head on hard surfaces, you can try to change this behavior by asking the child to simply shake his head back and forth vigorously.
   • Look online for stories where autistic adults share how they have succeeded in replacing their self-harm tendencies.

3. Try to resolve the issue with the source of irritation. If your child's self-harm is associated with annoying factors, try to do something about it. You can find new ways to communicate with your child, skip certain activities, or take care that your child does not end up in situations that could cause sensory overload.

How to reduce anxiety

You should be aware that repetitive actions and consistency of behavior are the norm for autistic people. It is common for autistic people to develop strong attachments to certain things or behaviors. Don't tell your child that there is something wrong with their stereotypical behavior and narrow interests, otherwise it will interfere with their emotional development and make the child ashamed of themselves and afraid to express their personality.

• Being passionate about something can help build relationships and gain experience. They may even turn into wonderful careers someday.

1. Stick to a daily routine. Many autistic children feel much better when they have a stable, predictable daily routine. Knowing when to eat, play, exercise, and go to bed will make the day less frightening, tiring, and unpredictable. This will help reduce anxiety and associated rigidity.

   • Establishing a new daily routine can be tricky, so please be patient. It will take your child some time to understand the daily routine and to estimate that it will need to be followed every day. Explain the daily routine to your child and make a picture schedule to help your child understand the order of the day. You will be rewarded for persistence - once the child understands and accepts the new daily routine, he will feel much better.

2. Play with your child more often. Try to play the calm games your child chooses. Let your child play the way they want, even if the game seems boring and repetitive to you. For example, if your child likes buttons, give him a handful of different buttons and join the game.

   Turn on the music. Many autistic children are very receptive to music. If you find that your child is overly anxious, play nice, soothing music. This will help the child calm down.

   Try a massage. Including a short massage in your daily routine can help your child relax. To do this, you do not have to invite a professional massage therapist, you can learn how to do such a massage yourself!

   Maintain a positive attitude. If your child feels that you are angry with him or want to scold him, he will most likely hide in his inner world again. Thus, it is in your best interest to be affectionate, kind, and positive, even if you are feeling annoyed. Even if you scold your child, he should feel that you empathize and support him. Give your child time to calm down after the reprimand.

   Let your child know that he is dear to you. Tell your child that he is as important to you as the rest of the family. In support of the words, treat the child with love, respect and generosity. When a child feels safe, they are much less likely to exhibit rigidity and repetitive behavior.

What to do if your child uses bad language or misbehaves

You must understand that autistic people sometimes lose control over their behavior. The same problems (irritation, insecurity, or an excess of annoying factors) that cause behavioral problems can cause a child to break the rules of social behavior. Children may behave in unusual ways, such as screaming or making unusual noises.

You should be aware that autistic people often do not know how to recognize the signals that other people are sending. Autistic people sometimes do not even understand that their behavior interferes with other people, and they do not always manage to recognize discontent by the facial expressions and gestures of others. It is very important to understand that autistic people sometimes inadvertently break these rules.

Calmly explain to your child that this is not the way to behave. Give him time to ponder what has been said. If the child did not deliberately violate the rules of behavior, then your harsh reprimand will only make him feel uncomfortable. If the child behaves in such a way as to attract attention, the lack of a violent reaction will let him know that this method does not work.

• If your child continues to try to attract attention with bad behavior without even getting your feedback, calmly say, "Yelling won't get you anything. If you want something, why don't you explain it in words?" If you are consistent and suggest the best solution, the child will learn well that this behavior is ineffective.

1. Watch your own behavior. For example, if you do not want your child to use swear words, you yourself should refrain from swearing. Children learn by observing your behavior, and the rule "do as I say, not as I do myself" does not work here.

   If you have done everything. as we advised above, but the child has not stopped his misbehavior, you must resort to the appropriate punishment. Limit anything the child perceives as a privilege - for example, forbid him to watch TV all day.

   • The most important thing about this method is to be consistent. If your child suspects that you will not follow through on your threat, he is unlikely to stop violating the rules of conduct. Consistency means that you will do exactly what you say.
   • Only use punishment as a last resort.

Coping with stereotyped behavior

1. You need to know that stereotypes, or persistent repetitive movements, are one of the characteristics of the autism spectrum. Most autistic children repeat the same movement periodically - they bounce, spin in place, interlace their fingers, shake their hands, tiptoe, or grimace. Like self-harm, these movements are part of self-stimulating behavior, but they are not harmful to the child's health. Stereotyped movements help the child to control their emotions, focus on the task at hand, prevent breakdowns due to sensory overload, and feel calmer.

   You must explain to your child that there is nothing wrong with such behavior, especially since all people, to one degree or another, have a tendency to repetitive movements. (For example, even healthy people may have the habit of clicking an automatic pencil, pacing back and forth in a room, curling a lock of hair around their toes, or tapping aimlessly with their feet.)

   • Never punish or laugh at your child for this behavior, as this will inevitably affect his self-esteem and adversely affect emotional development.

2. Offer your child a variety of activities. If you spend a lot of time with your child, playing various games, then he will show less stereotyped behavior. Teach your child new games, especially those involving the imagination.

   • If motor stereotypes are constantly present, the child needs more physical activity.
   • If a hyperactive child is jumping on a trampoline, exercising on a bouncy ball, climbing trees, swimming, doing recovery exercises, or walking, this gives him enough physical activity so that he can sit quietly at his desk during lessons.

3. Make sure that your child's peers understand the trait. Talk to teachers and teacher assistants to be sure your child's classmates are good at communicating and not teasing your child for being different. Autistic children should not be afraid of ridicule due to stereotypical behavior.

   Give your child suitable toys. Your child may enjoy fiddling with the doll's curls or rolling a ball of thread in his hands. This will give the child the opportunity to choose what stimulating actions he needs, and whether he wants his actions not to attract the attention of others. Emphasize that you accept and respect his choice.

How to deal with food preferences

1. Be realistic. Autistic people often have very narrow food preferences. They can be very picky. You want to make sure your child is getting all the nutrients they need, but you don't want every meal to turn into a battle. Approach this question wisely.

   • Eating enough food is more important than organic food.
   • Pay attention to nutritional balance.
   • Pay attention to whether your child can take vitamins.

A behavioral crisis is hard for everyone. However, it is especially difficult to deal with it if it stepped in a public or crowded place. Here are some guidelines for parents whose kids are prone to tantrums in public.

For children with autism, visual cues are especially helpful to help them better understand your expectations. You can write a separate social story for each visit to a public place that comes with your child. For example, it might be a story about a child going to the grocery store with his mother, and how he doesn't like that it is too noisy there. He wants to scream, but instead he asks his mother for help. She hugs him tightly to help him calm down and tells him that they will leave the store in 5 minutes, and also offers him earphones.

You can use images to tell a story or otherwise communicate your expectations of the child's behavior. For example, you can make a special card that your child can give you when he is feeling too stressed and needs a break.

During your visit to a public place, you can use a series of pictures to illustrate the upcoming event step by step as support. This will help the child to understand in advance what awaits him. You can use a now-then board that contains two pictures to illustrate what will happen at the moment and what will happen next. For example, in the first picture, a child is sitting quietly in a restaurant, and the second picture shows the reward you promised him for good behavior.

Preliminary practice. Role out a trip to a store, library, restaurant, or any other place you plan to travel with your child. Help your child practice good behavior during role play. Play and potential problems arise. Rehearsals for problems like this can help your child get through a long line or come to terms with the fact that their favorite toy is not in the store.

Start small. It is best to start small, get home as soon as possible, or return to this place after a long break. So if you are planning your first visit to a restaurant, then order only an appetizer, dessert or drink, and then leave. Returning to the grocery store after a long break, grab only one item and head straight home. Gradually increase the time your child spends in crowded places, determining his readiness by his behavior. Remember, success leads to success.

Get your child involved. Help your child play as active and responsible a role as possible when visiting public places. For example, instruct him to put all the goods in the cart at the supermarket. Or let him choose a book from the library.

Keep toys or other items ready to distract your child. It is easier for any child to endure the inevitable with the help of a small favorite toy or computer game.

Teach your child self-soothing strategies. It is helpful to think of several possible options at once to calm your child down. You yourself know best what could help him. One such strategy is to encourage the child to take deep breaths. Another strategy is to ask him to close his eyes and count to 10, or to think about his favorite place. Other children can pick up a favorite stuffed animal or hum a favorite song under their breath. It is very important to identify all possible strategies for self-soothingness and practice them in a comfortable environment when the child is calm. Only then will it be easy for a child to use these strategies under stress.

Reward good behavior. In addition to unambiguous expectations, describe the reward for good behavior. For example, explain to your child that if he does not grab everything and yell at the store, then upon returning home he will have 15 minutes of his favorite game. Waiting for a positive event can motivate him to behave well.

Preparation and planning can greatly reduce the risk of tantrum in a public place. However, most likely, they will not nullify them. Here are some tips for responding to a behavioral crisis in a public place:

Keep calm. Take deep breaths and try to assess the situation.

Stop and help the child. If possible, stop what you are doing and focus on helping the child. First of all, remind him of rehearsed strategies for self-soothingness and / or try to distract him with a toy or object that you took for this purpose.

Tell witnesses to the hysteria what is best for them to do. If necessary, you can say something like, “My son has autism. Please step back. Free space will help him calm down. " Some parents whose children are prone to tantrums carry business cards or flyers with them that explain what autism is and what their child's behavior is related to. This allows you not to go into explanations in front of a child, but just hold out a business card or flyer if necessary. Most people will be willing to help if they have information about what exactly is going on. Don't be afraid to ask a stranger to call the store manager for help or help clear dangerous items away from your child. In the most extreme situations, you may need to call the emergency service, although this option is not liked by anyone. In any case, the safety of the child and those around them should come first.