Early childhood support for children with autism can help them develop lifelong skills. ASD, or autism spectrum disorder, is a developmental condition.It affects social skills, language, communication, sensory sensitivities, and repetitive behaviors. It is a spectrum disorder requiring unique support for each individual who presents differently.
Even though autism is a lifelong illness, many ways can help children realize their full potential by improving their communication, social skills, emotion management, and independence.
Here are valuable tips for parents and teachers in daycare centers.
Tips to Support Children with Autism in daycare centers
Break down tasks into easy steps.
Children on the autism spectrum, particularly those with an autism diagnosis, often struggle with executive function skills, which involve planning, organizing, and completing tasks. To assist young children on the autism spectrum with task planning, it is recommended to break the steps and use caution when providing too much information at once. You can determine whether the children have heard and understood the procedures by having them repeat the directions.
Help identify their emotions and behaviors.
Emotion regulation is a skill that some children naturally acquire, while others require additional support for development. Recognizing powerful emotions is the first step towards learning how to control them. Strong emotions, such as anger, frustration, or even excessive excitement, can frighten a kid unaware of the physical changes.
Use concise language and an even tone to ensure your words are heard clearly.
A child may find it difficult to listen to you logically if their emotions or behavior are out of control. Furthermore, it will be even more difficult for a child who has trouble controlling their own emotions to see you acting out when you’re attempting to punish them.
For example, when raising your voice, you may yell, “I told you not to throw the toy!” but they may perceive you as angry and accuse you of doing everything wrong. Instead, use a lower, even-toned voice and minimal words, such as “We don’t throw toys.”
Give any new behavior support strategies time to work
Introducing a new strategy often involves resistance, behavior escalation, and learning new boundaries. If successful, it leads to positive change. As a result, you should wait a few weeks before determining whether a plan is effective. You should obtain help from your therapist right away if a strategy is seriously upsetting you.
Setting up multiple review periods, such as two and four weeks, is smart. During these periods, everyone can discuss how the strategy has worked at home and school, voice any concerns, and decide whether to stick with the current plan or make changes.
Learn and develop attachment through play in daycare centers
Using play-based learning to support young children on the autism spectrum can be a very effective way to teach them new skills. Children naturally acquire knowledge through play. It may teach children patience, sharing, how to handle failure or loss, how to understand other people’s perspectives, how to control emotions, how to make friends, how to follow directions, how to say please and thank you, how to deal with challenging circumstances, and how to solve problems.
Developing an attachment bond with your child is another significant result of play at a daycare center. Your child sees you as a role model, is encouraged by your interest in them, and receives a lot of praise and encouragement as you better understand their interests and strengths. Most importantly, it’s enjoyable!
