My experiences caring for children with autism spectrum disorder

Who I am?

First, I want to tell you that I am not an expert in child care and diagnosis of behavioral or developmental problems among children. These are just my opinions and experiences as a child care provider and RN at our center.

Last year my friend and I, a special education teacher, decided to set up a childcare center without any knowledge or realistic expectations of what to expect. Little did we know that caring for young children will take us on a roller coaster of experiences that will help us grow as early childhood educators and caregivers.

We work closely with developmental pediatricians, health professionals (when needed), occupational and speech therapists. In the future, we would also like to work with other child and day care centers, behaviorists, and other professionals in our locality to properly profile all children ages 4 and younger and collect enough data for researchers, policy makers and students can use for study.

the modern child

At our center, we serve regular children and those with special needs. More specifically, those with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) and people with hearing impairment. In this article, we will mainly talk about ASD and how we treat our children on a daily basis.

It’s no secret that today’s young children are much better adapted to technology than we were used to. And this, to some extent, is a positive achievement for many of us who used to “dream” about technology, looking at it on bulky televisions or reading about it in encyclopedias and almanacs.

However, on the other side of the coin, the same technology is making many of our children less social and therefore many have developed behavioral and developmental problems. In our child care center, as of August, 3 out of 10 of our children are still not speaking at age 3, and the same proportion of children show characteristics Spectrum disorder or other disorder (lack of eye contact, little or no talking, shuffling things and toys, tiptoeing, emotional breakdowns, decreased social skills, solitary play, aggressive behavior, repetitive conversations, games and actions, hitting , etc).

Children with special needs do best when integrated with children who do not have behavioral or developmental problems. Play and peers are very important to help them open up more and eventually learn to communicate their wants and needs.

Diagnosis and After

When noticing ASD characteristics in a child, we invite both parents to show how we assess the child’s basic skill sets and the signs or characteristics we notice in their child. At the end of the session, we asked them if they would be interested in visiting a development pedia in the city.

The doctor would usually suggest one or a combination of the following:

  1. hearing test (to rule out impairment),
  2. ongoing child care (to enhance socialization),
  3. speech therapy (to improve or correct speech),
  4. occupational therapy (to improve dexterity, control, and mobility), and
  5. some other specific medical and psychiatric tests,
  6. follow up on a specific date

It’s fairly easy to spot children who are “at risk.” Absent or limited eye contact and speech at a certain age usually means something is wrong and is usually the first thing we notice among our children with ASD.

The hardest part is not to identify these characteristics, but to inform the parents of the possibility of a developmental problem. Denial and resentment are things many parents go through, but we make sure to be with them every step of the way. If they turned down any referral to a developmental doctor, then we don’t hold it against them.

It is important for us to convince these parents and guardians to make sure high-risk children see professionals who can correctly diagnose them right away, but it is also important to consider their feelings and their right to decide for their children. Knowing the diagnosis is essentially the first step in understanding, reaching out to, and communicating with a child with ASD.

Initial diagnoses are not always absolute, even physicians need a lot of time to administer tests and work with other professionals to arrive at a correct diagnosis and suggest the most appropriate management for the high-risk child.

Ways of trying to communicate with children with ASD

one. Watch the child while he is playing or teaching something.

Children with ASD typically engage in solitary play and may appear uninterested in us, the caregivers, and the other children. Most, if not all, of our “high risk” children were initially engrossed in their own worlds and didn’t really like interacting with their playmates. Facing the boy gives him the opportunity to enter her world and participate in the boy’s game.

2. Call his attention when you want to say something to the child.

Facing the child, touch his shoulder and say his name if you want to show or tell him something. You can even hold his face and look directly at him until he does the same and looks back at you.

3. One command or information at a time.

Teaching children with limited focus can be very frustrating at times and it’s best to keep things simple. Build their vocabulary by teaching them one word at a time. Observe what they like to do “in the moment” and base your lesson on those stimuli.

For example, once, I noticed that one of our children with mild autism was very interested in how the pencil repeatedly rolled on the table. I knew I had his attention because he was laughing as the pencil moved back and forth and looked at me expectantly. Then I stopped, held the pencil, and said, “ROLL” as he showed him how it was done. I rolled it up again and then held the pencil a little longer this time to see if he would take my hand and motion for me to do it again. To my delight, he said “ROLLA!”

Four. Stop when the child is not interested.

When the child can’t sit still any longer, stop and give him something different to play with. If nothing catches your eye, sing along to his favorite song! Also, if you notice him talking again or doing repetitive actions (like running around), distract him with toys or hold his face, call his name, and get his attention to stop the repetitions.

It’s also important to note that some children with ASD may seem disinterested, but are actually listening to what you’re saying while they’re busy doing things on their own. Each child will display a different “boredom” signal and it is important to recognize this and give them plenty of time to rest.

5. Be generous with praise and be consistent.

Sitting still, following simple instructions, longer eye contact – these are all tasks and milestones. Be sure to praise and congratulate the child for being successful and for trying, even if it can be very difficult at times. On the other hand, correct the bad deeds and explain why they should not be repeated again. Children learn when you help them follow rules consistently and when you gently explain the reasons for those rules.

6. Use the different senses.

Sensory integration is important for children with ASD. The sense of touch is a very powerful tool to capture your attention. That is why therapists perform gentle massage and pressure so that children can concentrate better.

Find ways to make activities fun. Music and dancing are popular with those who need to move all the time to focus, and in our experience, these two activities never fail to engage during circle time. They especially love action songs and we would have them listen to these songs for days until we see them having fun.

Litter trays are also great ways to stimulate their tactile senses. We use them to trace shapes, numbers, and letters too.

7. Involve regular children in your games/activities.

Toys and supportive playmates are important for any developing child. At our center, we have a two-way task: to make our clients with ASD comfortable and to teach our normal children how to be more patient and understanding with their classmates who have autism. Young children are naturally selfish at first, but with constant reminders and guidance, they learn to value their friends and build good relationships with all their playmates.

These are just some of the things we do at the center so that our children with ASD open up a bit, concentrate better and “communicate” what they want using words. Sometimes it takes them a long time to get them to learn new words, but they can still communicate in many other ways. Crying, pointing, holding and directing your hand to do something – these are all means of communication!

Importance of early childhood care and education

Providing all children (especially those with special needs) early childhood care and education is beneficial for early intervention. Trained professionals can easily detect developmental and behavioral problems among young children.

However, not all early care and education providers are created equal. They should be kind, consistent, and compassionate, and the service should reflect what a child would learn in a healthy, loving home.

Parents should never feel shortchanged by leaving their children in a day care center or day care center. Center staff, classmates/playmates, and parents can collaboratively provide the best environment for ALL children to grow and learn optimally.

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