What is the best way to act around a kid with autisim?

Question

Me and my basketball team participate in the basketball challanger program every week. We help play basketball with about 30 kids with autisim. I was wondering how I should act around them what are key traits I should try to have and key things I should try to do. Anything on this subject would help thank you.

Answer 1

Every child is an individual with or without any disability.
Like most people they can pick out fakes. You should just be yourself, be natural - get to know each individual and interact with them accordingly just as you would with anyone else.

Answer 2

Your team is doing a very good thing. First thing to remember is that each person with autism is VERY different. Yes, there are characteristics that tend to be on a "red flag" list for parents to keep an eye out for when monitoring a child's development. But, some people with autism are quite articulate, others are non-verbal and use faciliated communication. Some individuals with autism are slow to warm up to new situations, others might be more comfortable around you and your team. Remember to be yourself. Don't take certain behaviors on a personal level (someone not wanting to work with you). It's helpful to be specific about instructions for playing basketball. Dribbling might be VERY easy to you, but people with autism might need an explanation about exactly how to dribble. Provide positive feedback that DOES NOT sound fake. Treat the kids you're working with according to their age level. Use encouraging comments that are age appropriate. Maybe the use of high 5's or even a thumbs up sign will work for some of the kids. Again, each person is different. And, the same applies for people with autism. Most importantly....HAVE FUN!!

Answer 3

Just be patient, treat them like normal kids. Routine is importent. Kids with Autisim can get upset if things are different even in little ways.
Start every practice with the same ritual. prehaps end the practice with everyone talking about their experences and telling one good thing and one bad thing about their day. Write some sort of chant the team can do together to start the practice.

Answer 4

Yes, act normally. I've worked with an autistic individual before.

Try to be a little more lenient with them, though. You might find their behavior or what they say odd at times, so try not to make them feel bad or abnormal because of that.

You might find occasionally their behavior is sporadic and unconvential. You might find one of their replies to a question strange or even funny when it isn't supposed to be. Just be accepting of that and you'll probably find autistic individuals can be great people.

What most people don't realize is that 'autism' is a very wide category. There is mild, moderate and severe autism and everything inbetween. A child can have autism and be relatively normal. They might even have some remarkable abilities!

I remember asking him, for example, if he had paid for his lunch. He replied ' I don't work here '. Not sure what happened there.

Autistic people are known for being very straight forward and non sarcastic, however, I've had him pull out some wit on me before.

Answer 5

Children with autism can have a wide range of functioning. You are probably working with higher-functioning kids. One thing to know is that they are often very literal, concrete thinkers and it may not be a good idea to use sarcasm or jokes. Also, make sure you introduce them to basketball vocabulary if you are doing any teaching. Sometimes they may have communication difficulties. Teamwork is an important skill that can be developed through sports with children with autism. Most importantly, there is nothing "wrong" with them, so treat them like everyone else!

Answer 6

Be yourself.Repetition is how they learn. Also if the children are high functioning anything you say will be taken literally. I accidently upset my son terribly one day. He wanted a toy and I said you need another toy like you need a hole in your head. He became upset and said I have enough holes in my head.(nose, ears, mouth) All of those sayings are taken literally. Be careful though with touching a child with autism. Some like to be hugged but others can not stand to be touched. If the child goes into a meltdown just let it happen.

Answer 7

mainly, you should treat them like normal kids...because where it counts, they ARE normal. they have feelings and emotions, just like any kid, and they like to have fun and socialize...autism is a mental handicap, and kids may develop slower than other kids, or do really well in some areas, but poorly in others, so you need to have patience and compassion, but not pity...it is kind of like, if someone didn't speak english very well, speaking louder doesn't make them understand it better, and just because they don't speak the same language, it doesn't mean they are stupid, just different. I think it is great that you are giving your time like this, and it will make all the difference in some kid's lives.

Answer 8

The child will learn how to interact with the rest of society will depend on how you react to them.

Be as warm & as supporting as you can. DO NOT consider any negative responce as rejection. Many Autistic kids will take a while to warm up to new people.

Answer 9

sounds like a baby that needs some useful parenting. What does the pediatrician imagine? possibly you may want to do a direction to a thanks to extra effective take care of her. I easily have a baby who has been clinically determined with both ADHD and basic autism and in no way had behaviors something like that.

Answer 10

i have a lil bro who's some simptoms of autism.
since they're very bad at giving attention you should never give up trying.sumtimes when u call their names they'll ignore u.this is when u should go to them and ask them to look straight at u.when u've got their attention tell them everything that u wanna tell.but make it in simple,short words.cos kids with autism tend to get bored of something very quickly.this is based on my own experience with my 4 years old bro.