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High-Functioning Autism and Bullying

Children with High Functioning Autism (HFA) and Aspergers, unfortunately, are at a higher risk of being bullied or teased than other children. This can happen on the playground, in the classroom - and even in your own home.

Because many HFA children have some social and communication difficulties, they often can’t tell adults exactly what is happening. Thus, parents and teachers may have to consider bullying as a cause when certain behaviors occur or worsen in the child.

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Building Self-Esteem in ASD Children

"My son is often very critical of himself. He will make statements like, 'I'm dumb' or 'I can't do anything right.' How can I help him feel better about himself so that he stops putting himself down all the time?"

Many children with ASD level 1, or High-Functioning Autism, struggle to accomplish tasks of daily life that are relatively easy for other children. While they may not show it in the same ways as other children, ASD kids struggle with self-esteem issues as much or more than kids without the disorder.

Kids on the spectrum often don’t respond to things like hugs, but they can build self-esteem in other ways. One way to build self-esteem is to use a sticker system. Use a board that lists your child’s tasks (e.g., brushing teeth, dressing, eating meals, etc.), and help your child put stickers on the board whenever he or she is successful in completing a task.

Another way to build self-esteem is to use a reward system that involves being able to do a preferred activity when the child is successful at something (e.g., reading a preferred book, doing a preferred activity, etc.). This works best when the child can link a successful task to the reward system.

Even though children with autism don’t often respond to the same kinds of praise as other children, giving praise is a natural thing for parents to do. Praise, when given as part of the completion of a task, may still increase self-esteem if it comes from a familiar person who they have come to trust. It becomes not the praise itself, but the person from whom it comes that is the reward.

Children on the spectrum don’t look like they need "self-esteem building" at times, but in fact, they do! Parents need to find ways to teach their child that he or she is successful at what they do.
 



 
Resources for parents of children and teens on the autism spectrum:
 

==> Videos for Parents of Children and Teens with ASD


 COMMENTS:

•    Anonymous said... a lot of times my boy will say "all parents say nice- stuff about their kids" It's hard to cut thru the lack of acceptance of his peers...
•    Anonymous said... Camp Kodiak!! I worked there for ten years and they do an awesome job of giving the kids the chance to be successful and that goes a looooong way to building up their resilience for life (aka the school year!!)
•    Anonymous said... everytime I try to correct her.......
•    Anonymous said... Give him constant feedback on how well he did a task, or when he achieves something. My aspie sometimes says "you know I'm stupid" and I have to remind him how bright he is. Lots of hugs help too!
•    Anonymous said... I tell my 8 year old daughter "A professional was once a beginner. Don't give up!"
•    Anonymous said... If our son get frustrated - he will hit his head and say "my stupid brain"
•    Anonymous said... It is SO heartbreaking to hear my son say things like this. We've been to CBT (cognitive behavioral therapy) and it's helped some. What I've learned is that it's really important to point out the good things as they happen. "Wow! I really like how you..." or "You're really good at..."
•    Anonymous said... I've heard this from my son as well. Usually, it's in response to something that was said to him that hurts his feelings (even though that was not the intent by the person saying it). When I've been the cause (or another member of the family), I make sure to take the time to explain to him the real meaning of what was said so he understands it wasn't to harm him. Of course that doesn't work in school - he seems to always take things in a way that wasn't meant so it's hard. Hang in there!
•    Anonymous said... my child does that too especially when she was in school, not so much now as she doesent have to compare herself to anyone
•    Anonymous said... My eldest did that and we made a rewards board in his room, any certificates, merit awards ribbons that he got at school at sports, even if it is just to say he played as part of a team, went up on it and that way he could visually see that he was an achiever.
•    Anonymous said... Ours always says things like "Awww man why do I always forget!"
•    Anonymous said... Thank you thank you so much for always posting timely, relevant articles - they mean so much to us, trying to help our children!
•    Anonymous said... we do a wow book each day what good thing happened to me today. What did I do well. No negatives. Lots of positive praise.

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Coping with Birthday Parties for Aspergers Kids

As parents, we naturally want our children to enjoy it all  and have as much fun as we did. So we talk, anticipate, and prepare with mounting excitement as the child's birthday draws nearer. However, for those parents who are raising a child with Aspergers or High-Functioning Autism, it often adds up to an almighty headache! Why? Because these "special needs" children can have a real hard time coping with all of excitement and anticipation.

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Helping Children on the Autism Spectrum to Be Calmer and More Collected

"I love both of my children equally, however the younger 'typical' child has a much better temperament than his autistic brother? Their personalities are as different as night and day! Any suggestions about how I can help my special needs child to be a bit more calm and collected?"

Children with ASD level 1, or High-Functioning Autism, often struggle to make sense of their surroundings and sense of their world. They exist in a body that does not always allow for accurate interpretation of their world, and they are unable to respond in a typical manner. The result of this can be challenging behavior.

For parents and professionals alike, interpreting this behavior can be difficult. Developing a plan to deal with the behavior is often even more challenging as it requires consistency and routine throughout the day and life of the autistic child.
 

Behavioral issues are often the result of a deficit in communication and sensory integration. Overload of the sensory system can result in a shutdown or a meltdown for the child. In order to change the behavioral challenges of the child, it is first necessary to understand exactly what is causing those behaviors. This will require focusing on the routine of the child, or lack thereof, and determining what happens immediately prior to the behavior, and what the end result is. This can take a great deal of time and effort, but well worth the end result.

A “functional analytic approach” to developing effective behavioral modification in ASD children and teens utilizes a process known as “functional behavioral assessment.” Functional behavioral assessment involves employing a variety of strategies (e.g., child-centered planning, treatment team meetings, systematic interviews, direct observations, etc.) to formulate hypotheses about why a child behaves the way he does. 

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Autism Diagnosis: Where do we start?

"We've just discovered that our 2 year old daughter is autistic.  We're not sure where to even start in dealing with this. My wife and I are feeling a bit stunned and overwhelmed."

If you have just received a diagnosis of autism, you are most likely feeling very anxious about your child’s future. The first step is to arm yourself with as much information about this disorder as you can. Make sure you find this information from credible sources -- and don’t believe everything you read!

Although your daughter has a diagnosis of autism, her abilities are going to vary from any other child with autism. There are some key features of autism that probably led to the diagnosis, but how they affect your daughter will be as individual as any child. 

Based on your child’s needs, there are some assessments and professionals you should consider. Communication is a common problem area for children with autism. Contact a speech therapist to assist you in evaluating your daughter’s strengths and needs. Finding the appropriate communication system will help her tremendously across all environments.

Your child may be verbal, but need some training in initiating communication. If she is non-verbal, there are a variety of communication systems, sign-language, PECS (using pictures and symbols), or communication boards that can be employed.

Have an occupational therapist assess your child for sensory dysfunction. Autistic children sometimes have difficulty taking in sensory information and organizing it for future use. Planning a sensory integration program can help your daughter organize her sensory input and reduce sensitivity to a variety of sensory information.

Also, create a routine within your home, and to the extent possible, don’t vary from that routine.

Autism isn’t a life sentence. Prepare yourself to turn to others for support. Join a local support group and/or an online message board where you can ask other parents for information. Be willing to learn from others, and be willing to accept assistance from others. Also, help the rest of your family learn what they can about autism.

Lastly, be an advocate for your child. You know your daughter better than anyone else, and no one will love her like you do.




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