Working with Autistic Children

Working with autistic children is often presented as difficult and challenging. While there is some truth to this, it is also equally true that there are many rewards – and while it is certainly a subjective experience, the fact that more and more people are becoming involved in the treatment of austism spectrum disorders means that there must be something that makes it worth while.

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For someone entering the fields of education, medicine, psychiatry, or social services there is a way for them to become involved in treating autism. Every time a child is diagnosed with autism, a team is needed – a team of professionals and concerned adults and peers, all working together to identify the needs of the child and design a process of treatment.

The children aren't the only ones involved. There are parents who are faced with the realization that their understanding of their child has changed. There are siblings and peers that need to be educated in the ways of working with autistic children in inclusive environments. There are tests that need to be made, and data that needs to be collated and added to the body of research that is helping everyone understand ASD better.

Working with autistic children directly, though, is the way that many people have their first experience with the disorder, and it can be a very upsetting and disruptive experience for everyone involved. Autism is not a clear-cut set of symptoms or behaviors, and children may appear the same as others without ASD. Their behaviors may seem similar, and when they do have difficulties, they may manifest in ways that appear simply unruly or disruptive – nothing more than a temper tantrum.

This becomes immensely frustrating for parents of autistic children, who may be asked why they "can't control" their children. The fact is, while the behavior may seem similar to a simple temper tantrum, the underlying causes of that behavior is deep-seated and very much beyond either the parent or child's control. A screaming child may not be misbehaving – rather, they may be experiencing the fabric of their shirt or the sounds in their environment as excruciating pain. Worse, they may not be able to communicate with their parents or caretakers what it is that is causing the discomfort.

This puts everyone in a stressful and untenable situation, and there have been many methods such as Applied Behavioral Analysis, dietary treatments, and alternative medicines used to try and deal with them. This is another of the challenges of ASD; just as the symptoms vary widely, so do the treatments and the effectiveness of them. People who work with autistic children learn to be both flexible and patient, as they learn with every child what will and what will not help them lead a more calm and happy life.

Integrating children with autism into the educational environment is one area in which many strategies and innovations have been developed. Teachers have learned to identify and to develop specific tools that often help many children with ASD, even with widely varying manifesting symptoms:

• Using pictures as a direct representation of the day's schedule, rather than abstractions such as words
• Providing clearly defined working environments for each activity
• Using stories as behavior modeling tools for children to learn how to better interact socially.
• Controlling the environmental stimuli such as lighting or noise from other classrooms
• Providing a flexible learning environment able to adapt to varying learning styles, such as kinesthetic learners being able to walk around their desk while taking a test
• Sticking to a clear schedule with as much forewarning of variances (such as field trips) as possible

These are only examples – many conferences and professional journals discuss what techniques work and which don't. There are also many books by pioneers such as Dr. Temple Grandin also help adults understand the disorder and therefore develop better strategies of treatment.

The one thing that needs to be remembered is that the prime motivation for working with autistic children needs to be the welfare of the children. With this objective in mind, everyone is working together toward the same worthwhile goal.

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• Social Skills Activities for Kids with Autism
• Speech Therapy Ideas for Autistic Children
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