Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) refers to a bunch of disorders clustered together. These disorders are characterized by difficulty in communication, delay in cognitive development, impaired social skills, and repetitive behaviors.
ASD is often diagnosed at a young age and is a lifestyle disease. It’s true that people cannot grow out of ASD, however, when they are treated and cared for the right way, by the people around them, they learn to live a normal life, despite their conditions.
If you are a parent, teacher, or sibling of an autistic patient, here are some tips for you:
If an autistic person cannot speak, or hear well, it doesn’t mean they don’t understand. You’ll be surprised to know how sensitive, observant, and smart most autistic patients are.
Make a rule to never talk about them, but rather talk to them. Whether you are a classmate, a parent, or a teacher, make them feel included rather than like an outsider.
If you have anything important to discuss about them, do so in their absence, and always in a respectful manner.
A different teaching method should be used for autistic children, to help them progress faster and effectively with their studies.
Most autistic children are visual thinkers; they look at the pictures first and pay attention to the words after. They even think in the form of pictures.
To help them increase their knowledge, and develop their interests, use pictures and visual tools to teach them. They’ll understand and remember it more easily.
Not all, but most autistic patients have very sensitive senses. Sometimes it is sensitivity to a certain sound, sometimes it is a smell. The fear of this sensory overload often leads the autistic patient to behave badly. Parents or teachers don’t understand, and one bad situation leads to another.
As a caretaker of an autistic person, make sure you guard them against sensory overload and make sure they remain guarded wherever they go.
One way to help them adjust to a new place is by showing them visuals of that place, and the people they’ll meet or those who’ll be there to help them. This way, they’ll be way more comfortable stepping into that place for the first time.
An autistic person’s progress in life depends on the people around them. If someone dear to you is autistic, make efforts to learn to care for them better. You can reach out to a home care agency to seek their professional advice, and care for your autistic loved one under their professional guidance.