what can i do to help my autistic child break out of his mold?

Answer 1

Ok, first of all...you need to give much more information for me to be really helpful, but I will try. I have a brother who is autistic and I also work in special education and in respite care so I have a lot of experience. One of the most important things to remember is that first of all...you may never be able to break your child completely out of his mold, he is autistic and he always will be. However, there are many ways to help your son that will greatly benefit him...especially if he is still young. If your son doesn't already get these essential therapies, find out how to get these services from your local regional center, school, or dr asap. These therapies are occupational therapy for sensory integration which is an aspect of every person's life who has any form of autism, ABA/DTT therapy which is to teach your child the skills he needs like communicating/self-help/academic, etc and is geared specifically towards autistic children and there are training programs that will teach you to do this at home. Autistic children should have 20-40hrs a week of ABA/DTT therapy, which is usually provided by an agency. Another important thing is speech therapy...especially if your child is non-verbal. Find a good speech therapist and don't settle for less, if you don't like the therapist request a new one and keep requesting until you find someone you like and works well with you and your child. If you child is non-verbal, I strongly recommend using the pecs program to teach him to communicate. Some teachers try to tell parents that using pecs isn't a good idea because the child will not talk...it has been scientifically proven that when autistic children use pecs they actually learn to talk faster and have a better understanding of their vocabulary. They also learn to talk in sentances...instead of pointing, or using one word phrases. The pecs system is very easy to learn and it stands for the picture exchange communication system. If your child has behaviors that you want to change, request that they be seen by a behavior modification therapist, they do a lot of good, especially with autistic children. Also, an important thing to remember is if your son has sensory problems...don't try to ignore or act like it doesn't matter or it's a bad behavior. Sensory therapy should be done all the time...at home, at school, whenever your son needs it. I know this is a long post so I will cut it a lil short and give you my email. I can help out quite a bit if you want more information. I have pecs I can email to you or mail to you, I also have a lot of information on Dtt/ABA, and a lot of resources on sensory and autistic therapies. I will include a few links here and my email is:
[e-mail]
please feel free to email me anytime. I'm more than willing to help you out.

Answer 2

That's a very general question with no background information at all. ASD contains a wide range of abilities and strengths, where does your child fit in? How long have you known he/she is autistic? What have you read?
The best books I read were those by Temple Grandin (Emergence, Thinking in Pictures). Providing a schedule and alternative communication if your child is nonverbal helps open your child up. Does your child receive therapy of any kind? Go to school?

Answer 3

if you have a spare moment look up Lovaas and his theories (applied behaviour analysis) for repairing autism. It is very interesting and it has been around since the 80s but is causing a bit of a hype at the moment in australia. the basic idea is he believes that autism can be repaired (not cured), by a number of things, one most significant is early intervention (however there is still good chances of success with older children). he aims to teach specific skills, (for example eye gaze and daily living skills).
the ideal situation is where the child receives intensive intervention which consists of a trained member (parents or someone contracted), to be with the child to help use the principles to teach the child specific skills over 40hours a week, sounds a bit daunting but it has been proven successful. let me know if this has helped and if you want more info.

also just a quick note to say that if by breaking out of the mold you mean by ceasing specific behaviours, you can really stop a behaviour unless you replace it with some other form of behaviour.

Answer 4

Accept the child for who he/she is for start. It depends what type of mold you are talking about. Positive encouragement is a big key. Walk with them through their fears, acknowledge and listen to their wants, needs and feelings.

Answer 5

I personally would let him do that on his own. Don't try to push him to do things he normally wouldn't do becuase that will mke him not want to do that activity even more. I would just keep encouraging him to do other things but try to be careful so that you don't push him away from things even more. I'm not sure if I was of any help but I tried to answer from what would help me. I also have a form of Autism... :) ~Nikki

Answer 6

Why should he? I am mildly autistic and "broke out of my mold" when I wanted to. http://web.syr.edu/~jisincla/dontmourn.htm

Answer 7

If you have heard of Dr. Stanley Greenspan's Floortime therapy ..do it!! If you have not, look it up. Unlike ABA, Floortime is child led and not parent led. You engage your child using THEIR interests. Read "Engaging Autism" by Greenspan and Weidner...
Best wishes.

Answer 8

Go to www.schwablearning.org and search around on their site. Also sign up for free to post on their parent to parent message board. You should get lots of help there !!

Answer 9

-Try letting him do art (drawing or possibly painting or collages) to express himself in a way he may not be able to communicate
-Have a conversation every day, even if it means you do all the talking.

Answer 10

possibly sensory integration