Guidance for Parents and Teachers

Tips for Parents

• Learn about autism – If you understand what affects your child, you’ll be better at preventing situations that cause difficulties.
• Accept your child - More than anything else, your child will benefit from feeling unconditionally loved and accepted.
• Be consistent – It is the best way to reinforce learning
• Stick to a schedule - Children with autism tend to do best when they have a highly structured schedule or routine.
• Reward good behaviour - Positive reinforcement can go a long way with children with 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 behaviour they’re being praised for.
• Find non-verbal ways to connect - You communicate by the way you look at your child, the way you touch him or her, the tone of your voice, and your body language. Your child is also communicating with you, even if he or she never speaks. You just need to learn the language.
• Look for nonverbal cues - 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.
• Figure out the need behind the tantrum - Throwing a tantrum is their way of communicating their frustration and getting your attention.
• Make time for fun.
• Pay attention to your child’s sensory sensitivities.

Autism Treatment Plan

1. Build on your child’s interests
2. Offer a predictable schedule
3. Teach tasks as a series of simple steps
4. Actively engage your child’s attention in highly structured activities and provide regular reinforcements

Strategies for Teachers

Strategies for Teachers to handle children with Autism in Classroom:

• Get the child’s attention before giving instructions
• Use simple language with visual prompts
• Use activities and pictures
• Have consistent classroom rules
• Work on understanding emotions
• Teach from concrete to abstract
• Introduce new experiences gradually

Risk Factors for Autism

• According to the Autism Society, if a person has a brother, sister, twin, or parent with an ASD, that person is more likely to also have an ASD
• Genetic disorders such as fragile X syndrome and tuberous sclerosis
• Families who have one child with ASD have an increased risk of having another child with the disorder
• Extremely preterm babies – Babies born before 26 weeks of pregnancy may have a greater risk of ASD
• Children born to older parents and ASD
• Exposure to Certain Drugs
• Environmental Factors – Exposure to heavy metals and other toxins in the environment is also suspected of increasing the risk of ASDs

Protective factors for preventing Autism

• Reduce or eliminate alcohol and caffeine, and eliminate tobacco
• Begin or continue an exercise routine
• Taking a good, comprehensive multivitamin/mineral supplement
• Adding a source of animal-based Omega-3s is essential
• Improve indoor air quality by opening the windows when you can and creating cross ventilation.
• Check vitamin D levels and add additional Vitamin D3 if necessary
• Eating a diet rich in colourful, organically grown vegetables will provide an adequate intake of antioxidants to fight off the damaging effects of free radicals.
• Computers, TVs, and cell phones emit electromagnetic radiation, so you should not sleep with them in the bedroom.
• Do what is reasonable to green your home and to minimize exposure to toxins in your food.
• Continue to take a good comprehensive, natural, and easily absorbed multivitamin.
• Exercise regularly
• Eat at least 80gms of protein per day
• Bond with your baby as much as Wear your baby as often as possible, utilising various baby carriers.
• Having your baby held close gives them comfort, emotional ease, and, very importantly, constant motion. These factors all contribute to strengthening and enhancing neurological development in your baby.
• Avoid cigarette smoke and alcohol. Both can have adverse effects on foetal development and long-term health of both mother and child.

Therefore, when putting together an autism treatment plan for your child, keep in mind that there is no single treatment that will work for everyone. Each person on the autism spectrum is unique, with different strengths and weaknesses.

Your child’s treatment should be tailored according to his or her individual needs. You know your child 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:

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