Tips That Help With Specific Issues....

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As parents communicate some of "their issues", in this section I'll post what I did to help with a specific area... so, this will very much be a "living document" in that it may get frequent updates.    This section is for those issues not addressed elsewhere on my site.

I'm just just starting this section to help you understand what I do... that way, I won't have to answer the same question 1000 times and you will have the opportunity to see how to handle something you may have forgotten to ask about.  :o)  If I don't have a suggestion for you, I'll let you know that, however, I'll also leave that as an open issue where other parents can then submit what worked for them.  Parents can also add to my suggestions if they found something worked particularly well for them.   If you submit a suggestion, let me know if I can post your name/email in case another parent wants to thank you personally.    Please make sure you let me know that... I don't want to have to confirm this with all parents... that will get too time consuming... so, if you submit a suggestion, make sure you let me know if you want your name/email posted along with it.  I will not post names/emails next to suggestions that come in and don't specifically say that it is ok for me to post this information.   If parents whose names/emails are posted find they are getting "overwhelmed" with "thank yous", and no longer want their names/emails listed, they can simply contact me to have that information removed from my site.  :o)

Car Windows or Direction Changes Again, here, labels are key.   If your child gets upset when car windows are only partly up or down or if he gets upset when you change directions in the car, while walking, or any other place, all you really have to do is start to label these things for what they are... teach your child the concept of fractions (hopefully with a visual tool as I used) and tell your child the window is "halfway up"... then show him "1/3 up", "5/6th up" and so on to help him grasp the concept of partiality.   If you are changing directions while in the car, or anywhere else for that matter, label the direction change as "turning left" or "turning right" or "backing up"... for Zachary, once he knew "what this was", he was fine with it.   It may take a couple of times, but, it definitely worked for us.
Coping With "Meltdowns" I found that when Zachary was having a meltdown of any type, at any time, a few things always helped "bring him back" quickly.    One of the tricks I use is simply to make him focus on what it is around him that I know he likes.    If the meltdown is in the sandbox, I clear an area of sand and simply spell out a word and ask him to read it.   If the meltdown is in a store, I simply point out "the order" to something... for example, I make him count how many big boxes of Crayola crayons there are (if we are in that aisle), or something to that effect.  It is always something very very specific.   I use spelling, the reading of words (with my finger under them to bring his attention to them) and counting as coping mechanisms all the time... and the best part of it is, as I do this, he is constantly learning more.   For children who can't quite read yet but who know the alphabet, simply asking the child to show you a specific letter or number works too.   For those who don't  know numbers or the alphabet... simply counting out loud may do it.   Autistic children often find great comfort in that alone.  When a change in direction is causing the problem, simply label the direction as "going backwards"  or "turning right" or "turning left".   These are all simple things that have worked for me in the past.   :o)
Getting Cooperation Over Time I know some parents say that "bribery" sometimes helps them get their children to cooperate.   For example, if a child really wants something, making them "work toward" obtaining the object of their desire is something you can use to your advantage when it comes to behavior.   I would not simply "buy the object" for them, but rather reward them in small increments each day for good behavior.   I know this has worked well for a few children... and let's face it, we all "bribe" our kids anyway so, why should autistic children be any different?  Many parents use these rewards... they can take many forms, food, stickers, etc.  This isn't new to anyone... but, for "larger issues", definitely consider rewarding in increments... showing the child how the parts will eventually lead to the whole!  :o)   If bribery works for you, and your child likes this type of reward system for good behavior or for doing their homework, etc., that' s all that matters!  
Hair Dryers These often pose a lot of problems for autistic children.  I just started showing Zachary how the hair dryer works on a very very low speed first... labeling that as "slow".   Then I showed him "fast"... but before I even turned it on... I let him touch the hair dryer.   I also would tell him when I was "turning it on" so that he knew "the sound was coming".   Once it was on, I showed him "cold", then "warm", then "hot".   Holding it slightly away from him helped a lot at first, encouraging him to use his hand to "feel the air".  I then showed him how I could blow my hair all around with it and told him:  "a hair dryer dries wet hair".  We practiced that a couple of times... now he loves it and likes it when I blow warm air down his shirt too. :o)
Potty Training See Potty Training Section.
Vacuum Cleaners The vacuum still scares Zachary ... but, just a little bit now (I think because I don't always tell him "the sound is coming")... he is getting much more used to it... I just really make it a point to show him that the vacuum picks up dirt... I throw something to on the carpet and then pick it up with the vacuum and make sure he sees "the object" (i.e., plant leaf, a little sand, etc) get "picked up".  I then would take the vacuum and run the hose up and down myself to show him nothing bad happened, laughing while I did this, saying:  "vacuuming mommy... all clean".  I've actually been able to do this with him too... just saying: "turning vacuum on" and letting him know "it's coming" was a huge huge help. It's like I say... label everything... and that means a "coming sound" too!
   
   
   

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DISCLAIMER - The statements here mentioned and/or found in my materials have not been evaluated by the FDA or any other government agency or person in the medical field or in behavior therapy and are not meant to diagnose, cure, treat or prevent any illness/disorder and/or behavior.  This information is not intended as medical advice or to replace the care of a qualified healthcare physician or behavior therapist.  Always consult your medical doctor or behavior therapist.  All information provided by Jeanne A. Brohart on her website is for INFORMATION PURPOSES and to GENERATE DISCUSSION ONLY and should not be taken as medical advice or any other type of "advice".  Information put forth represents the EXTENSIVE RESEARCH and OPINIONS of a mother based on her experiences and research and provides information as it relates to one family's journey with autism in hopes that other families may benefit from this experience and/or research.  The creator of this site is not responsible for content on other sites.

DISCLAIMER - PART II - Now... for those of you who think "mother at home researching" means "uneducated person with unfounded information"... I have 10 years of university... 3 degrees... and over 30,000 hours of research into these areas.   For anyone who thinks my research is "unfounded"...  read the RESEARCH FILE posted on my home page... with its over 1,000 references ... for your reading pleasure... because... quite clearly... you haven't read it yet!    

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