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Getting Ready for School -
For Families With Autistic Children
For parents with an autistic child one of the
greatest challenges is to see that they are provided with a proper
education. Some children may have milder aspects of autism and may be
able to attend regular school and exhibit only a little discomfort in
doing so. Others may be faced with greater obstacles. In either case it
is good to be conscious of the fact that a child with autism is not
comfortable with change. It is often a source of great anxiety. Parents
will benefit from searching out ways to reassure and comfort their child
through this transition.
So
to help their child deal with this change in their routine, parents will
need to prepare well in advance. It has been suggested that visual aids
help the child to become acquainted with the school, his classroom and
his teacher. Some have used videos to show the route, the school and
various classrooms. Others have included a brief interview with their
teacher. It can be profitable to walk through the process - going to the
school and classrooms well before that 'first' day arrives. And other
members of the family can discuss their own experience with a positive
approach. Still others have suggested using a large calendar with the
special day marked in and have the young one mark off the days leading
up to the event as this may help to build an anticipation or at least an
acceptance.
Acquainting the teachers involved with the strengths and vulnerabilities
of your child can also help to mitigate any potential awkwardness or
problems. What will help the teacher is finding out what you have
observed about 'how' your child learns best. What kind of talents or
hobbies interest them? What might be things that easily scare or upset
them? And is there a subject that they may be curious to learn? Can you
provide some examples of their efforts in drawing and writing? All of
this provides a groundwork on which to build. In dealing with a child
with autism it has been said that working from their strengths is far
better and successful in the long run than trying to push them to
conform to some other regimen.
And once school has begun it is important to bear in mind that a
regular, dependable routine is comforting for children in general but
even more so for children with autism. So both teachers and parents need
to plan ahead for any upcoming changes and to go over this with the
children well in advance.
As an alternative some parents may choose instead to home school their
child. They may have done this even if their child wasn't autistic.
Others may feel that their child will be more comfortable in the home
environment and that doing so assists with any special dietary efforts
they are implementing.. This will require a certain measure of
discipline in having a set curriculum. There are, as well, some on line
resources that constitute a 'virtual school' and provide a certain
valuable structure. And the Charlotte Mason method of instruction is a
popular program used for children with special needs that uses a
literature based method of teaching. Of course it is important to check
with your state or province's guidelines concerning homeschooling before
opting for this choice.
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