My goal is to give you the tools to build a happy family life that includes your child with autism. When my son was little, I felt trapped and isolated because of his many difficult behaviors. We just could not get out of the house. Many autism families have that problem.
I know now that it doesn’t have to be that way. I want to share how I taught my son the functional behaviors that allowed him to participate in community activities, and to grow into a happy teen who brings joy to our lives.
One of the struggles that many autism parents face is dealing with sudden disruptive behaviors in public places. I learned that the best thing is to deal with challenging behaviors at home first. Once the situation at home is calmer, you can teach your child the skills for going out in public.
Before you can begin to teach your child to walk nicely to the car, behave well in the grocery store or play at the park, it’s important to be know how to deal with and reduce the meltdowns and screaming: behaviors that are often result from over-stimulation and unmet needs. In addition to specific interventions which I will discuss, you and your child also need to sleep. Lack of sleep causes incredible stress on the whole family, and it is hard to be happy when you are exhausted all the time.
Here are some articles to help you get started with managing and reducing meltdowns and screaming, and setting up an effective sleep program:
What to do when Your Child with Autism is Driving You Crazy?
Got Autism? Got Screaming and Verbal Stimming? You Can Teach Your Child Peace and Quiet
Got Autism? Need to Sleep? You can teach your child to stay in bed and sleep, sleep, sleep ….
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