Whenever you are teaching a child who has autism, there are some strategies and tips that you should keep in mind. To understand why these tips are so important you must first understand that autistic children have difficulties communicating. Just how severe this is will vary widely amongst students.
Daily Routines For Autistic Students
Autistic children tend to thrive whenever there is a predictable routine. However, whenever something unpredictable does happen you will see that the child will have difficulty coping. They may even demonstrate some stereotypical symptoms (i.e. rocking, repeating the same word or phrase).
This repetition is quite calming for them but you will want to gently teach the child better ways in which to cope with unpredictable changes. At the same time it is also important to have the daily routine written down so that the child can refer to it throughout the day.
Reduce Distractions For Autism Strategies (Instructional)
It is important to minimize any excess stimuli so that the child doesn’t become overwhelmed. Remember that it is easier for them to process one thing at a time because whenever there is too much going on, either visually or audibly, it can cause them to shut down and resort to calming techniques.
Whenever you notice that the child is becoming overwhelmed you should quiet the environment, slow down the activity’s pace or let the child move to a quiet area of the room so that they can calm down and continue working. You should also reduce the volume and clutter in your “classroom.”
Simple Autism Teaching and Educational Strategies
Autistic children have difficulty processing requests and are also hesitant whenever it comes to trying something new. Therefore, you should attempt to make eye contact with the child before asking simple questions with options instead of open-ended questions. Once a question has been posed, make sure to give the child more wait time than usual.
Also make sure that the child understands the vocabulary that has been used (i.e. use simple words, define words as you go). If not, you will need to reword questions instead of repeating the same thing over and over again. You will also want to do as much concrete teaching as possible while making sure to involve all of the child’s senses in the learning process. Make sure you remain patient throughout all of this, regardless of how challenging it may be.
Discipline Techniques – Autism Behavior Strategies
You will need to be patient whenever you are disciplining your child. Begin by paying attention to your child’s habits so that you’ll know what’s triggering the behavior so that you can stop it before it even begins. If your child becomes violent, you will need to learn how to hold your child until his tantrum ends. Otherwise you may simply want to ignore your child’s tantrums. They will come to the realization that their tantrum isn’t working and then stop their tantrum faster than they would otherwise.
Whenever verbal discipline is being used, you will need to be sure that you are clear and direct. Remember that your child may not be able to interpret your tone of voice or the unhappy look on your face. Make sure that you are specific whenever you tell them about what they are doing wrong and what the consequences will be if they continue the action.
Setting Up School Rules – Autism Classroom Strategies
You will want to make sure that your homeschool rules are the same as your household rules. Otherwise it will become much too overwhelming and confusing for your child. Consistency will also keep your child from becoming confused and it will also make your child eventually stop doing the behavior because they will realize what its results are going to be.
Once you have decided upon the rules, make sure that you sit down with your child and explain the rules and what the consequences will be if the rules are broken. Then the next time that your child misbehaves, you will want to discipline him promptly so that you are sure that he clearly understands what he is being disciplined for.
In Conclusion For Strategies For Autistic Children
These are only some of the numerous strategies that you may wish to try to use in your homeschool classroom for you autistic child. It will take some patience and trial and error to discover what will work best for you and your student. In the end though, this will be time well spent as it will help to make your homeschool run a lot smoother.