Parenting a Child with an Autism Spectrum Disorder

by Milliann Abrams, Reach Therapist Intern

March 30th to April 5th marks National Autism Awareness Week!!

Having a child with this disorder can be tough for everyone involved. Listed below are some helpful tips.
 Being on the same page. Having a congruent parenting team is effective in helping the child to manage and reduce symptoms.
     o It is important for parents to communicate with each other and to make sure you both enforce the same rewards and consequences. One helpful way to do this is to make a list of positive and negative behaviors and what their rewards and consequences will be. These are also proven to be more effective when the child is enlisted to think of some rewards.
 Consistency
     o Following a schedule is helpful to children diagnosed with autism. For example: Having a set bed time, a set time for homework, and a set time for free time.
 Consequences & Rewards
     o If a child exhibits an inappropriate behavior, have a system of consequences in place, the same goes for rewards! If a child does his/her chores the first time you ask, give them verbal praise. It will increase the chances of that behavior happening again.
 Check-Ins
     o Check in with all those involved to see what is working or not working for the child, or for helpful ideas. That can include any doctors, the school, coaches, friends, anyone involved in the child’s life
 Age Appropriate
    o Make sure any chores, tasks, rewards, or consequences are age-appropriate for the child. Each child goes through different developmental stages, so it is important to make sure that child understands.
 Effectiveness
    o If a child loves watching television, then that would be appropriate to reward them with, or to take away television time as a consequence. If a child doesn’t normally watch a lot of television, than there may be a better incentive to reward them with to increase their motivation.
 Talk
    o Talk to each other. It is important to have open communication.
 Self Care
    o Parenting a child is stressful, it is important for both parents to take time to care for themselves and de-stress.

During National Autism Awareness Week, Reach is offering the first session free to anyone with a family member diagnosed with an Autism Spectrum Disorder. To schedule an appointment , please contact Pfeiffer Institute Reach today: (919) 941-2900 or www.pfeifferreach.org.