1. Children with Autism Tips & Behaviors

2. What Can Parents do? Learn about Autism Become an expert of your child’s behaviors Accept your child!!!!! Do not give up! Positive reinforcement

3. Be consistent Children with autism have a hard time adapting. Be consistent in the way you interact with your child and deal with challenging behaviors. What they may have learned in one setting (school) to others, like your home, can be different. An example may be: your child may use sign language at school to communicate, but never think to do so at home. Creating consistency in your child’s environment is the best way to reinforce learning. LEARN! What are your child’s therapists doing? Continue their techniques at home (Be Consistent!)

4. Scheduling Stick to a routine schedule! Children with Autism work best with a highly structured schedule. Set up a schedule for your child, with regular times for meals, therapy, school, and bedtime. Do you best to keep disruptions to your routine at a minimum. Prepare your child in advance for unavoidable schedule changes.

5. Rewarding your Child Provide positive reinforcement! Praise them! When they act appropriately or learn a new skill. It is very important to be very specific about what behavior they’re being praised for. Reward them for good behavior by giving them a sensory toy, favorite snacks, giving them stickers, or letting them play with a favorite toy for awhile.

6. Nonverbal Cues Children with autism may express themselves through specific behaviors, facial expressions, and hand gestures. Learn how to interpret these cues to the best of your advantage. Provide reinforcements.

7. Sensory Sensitivities Children with autism can be hypersensitive to light, sound, touch, taste, and smell. They may also be “under-sensitive” to sensory stimuli. What sights, sounds, smells, movements, and tactile sensations trigger “bad” or disruptive behaviors? Which elicit a positive response? What causes child to become stressed? Calm?

8. Citations Rudy, Lisa Jo. "Top 10 Tips for Understanding and Managing Your Autistic Child's Behavior." About.com Autism Spectrum Disorders. About.com, 5 Aug. 2006. Web. 1 May 2013. Smith, Melinda. "Helping Children with Autism." Helping Children with Autism: Treatment Strategies and Parenting Tips. HelpGuide.org, Dec. 2012. Web. 1 May 2013. Volkmar, Fred R., Domenic V. Cicchetti, Elizabeth Dykens, Sara S. Sparrow, James F. Leckman, and Donald J. Cohen. "An Evaluation of the Autism Behavior Checklist." Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders 18.1 (1988): 81-97. Print.