• April 18, 2021

My experiences in 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 diagnosing behavioral or developmental problems among children. These are just my opinions and experiences as a child care provider and as a registered nurse at our center.

Last year my friend and I, a special education teacher, decided to establish a child care center with absolutely no 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, healthcare professionals (when necessary), 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 adequately profile all children aged 4 and under and collect enough data for researchers, policy makers and students use to 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 disabilities. In this article, we will mainly talk about ASD and how we treat our children on a daily basis.

It is no secret that young children today 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, watch it on bulky televisions, or read about it in encyclopedias and almanacs.

However, on the other side of the coin, the same technology is making many of our children less sociable and thus many have developed behavioral and developmental problems. In our child care center, since August, 3 out of 10 of our children still do not speak by age 3, and the same proportion of children show features from the autism spectrum or some other disorder (no eye contact, little or no speech, lining of things and toys, walking on tiptoe, collapses, diminished social skills, solitary play, aggressive behavior, conversation, repetitive play and actions, hitting, etc. ).

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

Diagnosis and after

Noting the characteristics of ASD in a child, we invite both parents to show them how we assess the child’s basic skill sets and the signs or characteristics that 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 generally suggest one or a combination of the following:

  1. hearing test (to rule out disability),

  2. ongoing child care (to improve 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 is fairly easy to spot children who are “at risk.” Limited or absent eye contact and speech at a certain age usually means something is wrong and is often the first thing we notice among our children with ASD.

The hardest part is not identifying these characteristics, but informing the parents about the possibility of a developmental problem. Denial and resentment are things that many parents go through, but we make sure to be with them every step of the way. If they refused any referral to a developmental physician, then we will not hold it against you.

It is important for us to convince these parents and guardians to ensure that high-risk children can visit professionals who can then immediately diagnose them correctly, 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, approaching, and communicating with a child who has ASD.

Initial diagnoses are not always absolute, even physicians take a long 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 to try to communicate with children with ASD

1. Watch the child play or teach something.

Children with ASD usually play solo play and may seem 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. Confronting the child gives you the opportunity to enter his world and participate in the child’s play.

two. Get their 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 a narrow focus can be really 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 “right now” and base your lesson on those stimuli.

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

Four. Stop when the child is not interested.

When the child cannot sit still any longer, stop and give him something different to play with. If nothing catches your eye, sing your favorite song! Also, if you notice him talking or doing repetitive actions again (such as running around), distract him with toys or hold his face, call him by name, and grab his attention to break up the repetitions.

It is also important to note that some children with ASD may seem disinterested, but they actually listen to what you say while they are busy doing things on their own. Each child will show a different sign of “boredom” 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 directions, maintaining 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 wrongdoings and explain why it should not be repeated again. Children learn when you help them consistently follow rules and when you kindly 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 get your attention. That is why therapists perform gentle massages and pressure to help children focus better.

Find ways to keep 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 them during circle time. They especially love action songs and we would make them listen to these songs for days until we saw them having fun.

Litter trays are also great ways to stimulate your senses of touch. We use them to trace shapes, numbers, and letters as well.

7. Involve regular children in your games / activities.

Toys and supportive playmates are important to any developing child. At our center, we have a two-way task of making our clients with ASD comfortable and teaching our regular 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 of their playmates.

These are just some of the things we do at the center to help our children with ASD open up a bit, focus better, and “communicate” what they want using words. Sometimes it takes a long time to get them to learn new words, but they can still communicate in many other ways. Cry, point, hold and direct 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 care and education is beneficial for early intervention. Trained professionals can easily spot developmental and behavioral problems among young children.

However, not all early care and education providers are the same. 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 that they are handicapped by leaving their children in daycare or child care. Center staff, class / playmates, and parents can collaboratively provide the best environment for ALL children to grow and learn optimally.

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