Communicating With Children That Have An Autism Spectrum Diagnosis

Autism spectrum condition affects a range of different individuals and is a spectrum condition and affects people in a number of different ways. It is important when supporting an individual with autism to identify and recognise each individuals’ abilities – what they can do successfully, needs – what the individual needs support with, strengths and gifts – what the individual is good at, what they have a real talent in, and interests – what is motivating for the person.

Children will always need guidance in what good behaviour is and it is the adult/carer role to teach them. Working with children who have behavioural issues as a result of neglect and abuse I often see children acting in negative ways as a way of seeking attention. This is a result of their lived experiences and they need to be taught how to seek attention in a more positive way that allows for less chaos and full of growth. Behaviour of such kind is also an indicator something is not right and they lack the right communication skills or are not being heard. It is important that we try to identify patterns of behaviour or triggers because:

Autism, also known as Autism Spectrum Disorder, or ASD, is a complex developmental disability. I happen to have two nephews with autism, one who I am very close to and interact with a lot. A child is usually diagnosed with autism during the first three years of life. It is a result of a neurological disorder that has an effect on normal brain function, and affects the development of the person’s communication and social interaction

Understand how autistic spectrum conditions can impact on the lives of individuals and those around them.

Parents come home from a long day at work tired and agitated. When agitation gets the best of them, anything a child may do could possibly send them over the edge. A child may be loquacious and that makes their parent/guardian upset. Instead of being pragmatic towards the child, the parent takes all of the stress from work out on the child. Even though the parent may not mean anything of the words being said, they still affect the child. After the parent is able to calm down and realize yelling isn’t the answer, they talk to their child. Parents apologize for what they did and say they overreacted. Sometimes a parent feels compunction for yelling at their child and will bribe them with a toy or food to make them feel better. To conclude, each and every parent is able to relate to yelling at their children when they don’t deserve

Autism is a developmental disability caused by neurological dysfunction. It affects the way a person understands and responds to the world, how they hear, see, feel, sense, perceive and interpret everything around them. This may affect how they eat, sleep, dress, work, spend leisure time etc. They are likely to have repetitive behaviour

It is a speech disorder which causes problems in the co-ordination and flow of speech.  Children may:

Autism is a brain disorder that is characterized by slow and difficult comprehension of spoken and non-verbal communication and repetition of behaviors. Autism is normally noticed in the first two years of a child (Myers & Johnson, 2007). Asperger syndrome is an autistic disorder that has almost the same similarities with autism. People with Asperger syndrome have little comprehension of the world and its surroundings and poor communication with other people. People with Asperger syndrome are hard to recognize, as they do not show on their outward appearances. They are average or above average intellectually and have fewer problems in terms of speech and specific learning disabilities unlike in autism. These difficulties include dyslexia, epilepsy, and attention

Speech, language and communication difficulties can have a profound and lasting effect on children’s lives and development. These can affect their ability to communicate and interact with others. The impact of these difficulties will vary depending on the severity of the problems, the support they receive, the demands of the child’s environment

You need to have a common ground with your child where they will mind you but also come to you if they need help. Many times a child will just end up acting out worse than they would have in the beginning. You have to properly discipline your child. Some of these children will end up turning to drugs, sex, or possibly being very depressed (Dr. Archer). The fact that people hit their children when they do something wrong confuses them. It makes them think that people should be punished physically when they do something that they are not supposed. This can end up creating a continuous cycle that is only dangerous to that child and the people in their

I will be focusing this seminar on children with Autism and how they communicate with family, friends and the wider community and how the families are supported within society by the authority such as social workers, also what role social workers can play within a family with an autistic child.

• Create and follow a plan for you and your child's caregivers to correct your child's behavior.

Students with autism can become overwhelmed very easily by even minor deviations from the routine. It is important to be sensitive to the way autistic children function so that their potential can be reached.

There is no doubt that raising a child with autism is challenging. There is endless research on Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) but a very limited amount on the costs and benefits of caring for a person with the disorder. In order to gain a comprehensive perspective on the biggest challenges parents and caregivers of autistic children face, a look into the private lives of these families and close networks is necessary. The only way to give support and provide the much needed services required to help, one must ask them what the most difficult parts about managing autism are. Below examines three of the most common struggles these families face when trying to understand and help their autistic children develop into the capable people they are certainly able of becoming.

Santrock (2010) gives the advice for parents stating “ recognize that the quality of your parenting is a key factor in your child’s development…..parents should observe for themselves whether their children seen to be having behavior problems”. (p.372)