When raising a child with autism, you'll face challenges but also find rewards. It will help on your journey to learn about the autistic behaviors you might encounter and what drives them so you can provide the best care for your child.
This guide explains what autism is, its common characteristics, and the strategies you can use to help your child learn, cope, and overcome.
- What Is Autism Spectrum Disorder?
- Common Characteristics of Autism
- How Autism Characteristics Can Be Strengths
- How to Help a Child with Autism: Support Strategies
- Therapies & Resources to Help a Child with Autism
- Self-Care Tips for Parents & Caregivers
- FAQs for Supporting a Child with Autism
What Is Autism Spectrum Disorder?
Autism spectrum disorder is a lifelong neurodevelopmental condition that shapes how someone perceives, processes, and interacts with the world. There's not a singular known cause, and an autism diagnosis can only be made by a healthcare provider who has done a thorough evaluation.
People with autism can have widely varying levels of social understanding, communication techniques, sensory sensitivity, and routine management. Some autistic children may need significant support to navigate everyday activities, while others may have found ways to manage certain situations and be independent.
Because it's a neurodevelopmental disorder, not a temporary illness, autism doesn't have a "cure." Children with autism experience life in unique ways, and supporting them means offering understanding, accommodations, and encouragement so they can thrive.
Common Characteristics of Autism
Children on the autism spectrum often interact and communicate in ways that are not typical for their age. This can mean they have reactions or behaviors that others may not expect but are, nonetheless, part of their natural way of functioning.
Here are some characteristics of autism you might notice in your child:
- Strong Sensory Reactions: Certain sounds, lights, smells, or textures may feel uncomfortable or even unbearable.
- Disinterest in Imaginative Play: Your child may prefer structured play or repetition over pretending to be a character or acting out scenarios.
- Focused Interests or Routines: They may talk at length about a favorite topic or want objects arranged in a specific way.
- Repetitive Movements or Vocalizations: You might see them tapping rhythmically or hear them echoing what they just heard.
- Unusual Emotional Reactions: They may show their feelings with changes in their movement, behavior, or tone rather than words or facial expressions.
- Different Body Language: Interactive social cues may feel unexpected, such as making too much or too little eye contact or standing too close or too far away.
Sometimes, it's not a single behavior that catches your attention, but other signs of autism you observe over time, such as:
- Issues with impulsivity or inattention
- Seeming overly anxious or stressed
- Unusual eating or sleeping patterns
- Being either too fearless or too cautious
A child with autism may show all, some, or none of these characteristics—it's different for everyone.
How Autistic Characteristics Can Be Strengths
One meaningful way to support a child with autism is to recognize the potential strengths of their way of processing and interacting with the world. Some people may feel confused or frustrated by autistic behaviors, but they're not inherently negative. Their traits may reflect an aptitude for deep focusing, direct communication, or rational thinking.
For example, a child who is drawn to patterns, order, or repetition may have a natural skill for noticing details and inconsistencies. A child who insists on doing an activity their own way may be a creative problem-solver.
It's important to look for the upsides of your child's unique traits and nurture them.
How to Help a Child with Autism: Support Strategies
Professionals often recommend taking a strengths-based approach of focusing on what your child does well, building on what motivates them, and celebrating their successes along the way. Here are some key strategies for supporting a child with autism:
Create Structure and Routine
Children with autism tend to thrive when they have consistent and clear daily routines. This doesn't mean they should do the same thing every day—it's more about setting expectations and being prepared for changes. Knowing what's going to happen and how long things are going to last can alleviate anxiety and stress.
Even a simple schedule of "first, next, last" can help your child organize and process what's expected of them.
Meet Them at Their Communication Level
Language issues and auditory processing disorders are extremely common among children with autism, and they can be frustrating for both you and your child. Simplifying your words and sentence structures may be effective, or they may need you to take a longer-than-usual pause so they can digest what you're saying and form a response.
Especially if your child is nonverbal, it can help to try word-and-picture visual aids, sign language, and augmentative and alternative communication (AAC) tools.
Find Outlets for Sensory Needs
Children with autism can become overstimulated or hypersensitive in a variety of situations, leading to stimming, trying to get away, and meltdowns.
The first step is identifying what triggers the overload, such as certain noises, crowded spaces, bright lights, physical contact, or feeling pressured. Next, help your child find a way to self-regulate their reactions with something soothing or distracting, or help them manage avoidance.
Common techniques include using a weighted blanket for comforting pressure, taking a break in a quiet space, wearing noise-blocking headphones, and having a toy or gadget to fidget with.
Practice Social and Emotional Skills
Labeling emotions and practicing interactions can help your child feel more confident and in control. Structured interactions let you coach your child to better understand social situations and emotions. For example, you might make cards showing facial expressions for happy, sad, scared, or excited and then help your child recognize and match them with their own and others' feelings.
Another common strategy is creating a word-and-picture social story to guide them through an experience, like asking to borrow someone's toy. Show each step with different options and outcomes.
Therapies and Resources to Help a Child with Autism
Autism awareness and approaches are expanding as more is discovered about the condition. Experts suggest several therapeutic and educational interventions that family caregivers can use to help children on the autism spectrum develop and expand their skills.
- Applied behavior analysis (ABA) can enhance communication, focus, and social skills while minimizing challenging behaviors.
- Speech therapy helps your child work on specific ways to understand language and social interactions and communicate more effectively.
- Occupational therapy provides activities to develop the fine and gross motor skills, hand-eye coordination, and self-care independence needed for everyday tasks and helps address sensory processing needs.
- Sensory integration therapy offers tactics for body awareness and calming, including movement, compression, tactile play, sound tolerance, visual processing, and mouthing activities.
- Parent or family training involves at-home coaching on how to use behavioral and therapeutic techniques with your child in an everyday setting.
- Early intervention programs may be available in your school district to assess preschool children—typically birth to age 3—for developmental delays. They may then qualify for publicly funded therapies and educational services.
- Public school accommodation services can be arranged as determined by an evaluation and individualized education program (IEP).
Self-Care Tips for Parents and Caregivers
Caring for a child with autism can be physically and emotionally draining, with the potential for burnout. Your well-being directly benefits your child’s stability and progress. Taking care of yourself is one of the best things you can do to be energized and present for your child.
- Set realistic expectations for your child and yourself. You'll make advances, and you'll have setbacks. It's okay. Nothing stays the same forever. Everyone progresses in their own time.
- Seek respite care when you need to take a break. Plan to give yourself time off from caregiving, whether it's to get other things done or to do something you enjoy.
- Consider joining online support programs or local parent groups to connect with others who have similar experiences. You'll have the chance to commiserate and swap tips.
Frequently Asked Questions for Supporting a Child with Autism
How can I calm a child with autism during a meltdown?
When possible, distance your child from what's overwhelming them. In time, you can teach other ways to cope, but a meltdown is generally a sign they need relief right now. Keep them safe while they work through their emotions. Avoid minimizing what they're feeling, and hold off on talking about it until later. Show them grounding techniques like controlled breathing, holding onto an object, or squeezing your hand. You can also try distraction or redirection.
What are the best activities for children with autism?
Encourage their hobbies and talents, such as reading books, playing board games, being active outside, creating art, or playing an instrument. You can also cater to their sensory and developmental needs with fine motor activities (like puzzles, coloring, or building blocks) or gross motor activities (like tossing a ball, obstacle courses, or having a dance break). Activity schedules can provide predictability, and you can sandwich new experiences between favorite things to do.
How can I help my child build social skills?
To build social skills, model them with your child. Smile and make eye contact to show engagement, but also demonstrate how to know when people don't want to talk. Play games that involve taking turns or cooperating. Practice making small talk and other common conversation scenarios. Read stories that show effective social interactions. Use visual aids to help them recognize and express emotions.
What is the best way to communicate with a nonverbal child with autism?
Use plain words and sentence structures. Give them time to process what you are saying and form their response. Try several methods other than spoken speech, such as flashcards, word-and-picture visual aids, sign language, or assistive and adaptive technology. Be patient and understanding while you find what works.
BrightStar Care® Can Help You Support Children with Autism
Having a child with autism is a journey of understanding, patience, and growth for both you and your child. Your commitment as a caregiver is key, but you also have people and resources to help.
BrightStar Care provides compassionate in-home care and special needs care for children with autism. Find a location near you, contact us online, or call (866) 618-7827 to learn more about how BrightStar Care offers A Higher Standard®.