Things You'll Need:
- Patience
- A Malleable Communication Style
- Energy
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Step 1
Autistic children can seem hard to control, understand, and discipline. Most of this comes from the idea that they don't and can't understand the consequences of their actions.
It is true that many autistic children have a harder time understanding, depending upon the severity of the disability, but even the most challenging children can learn to behave given effective discipline that is tailor-made for that child. The first step is to figure out what that child responds to, like any other child who and what does that child respect. -
Step 2
To help answer step 1, I thought I'd relay a story a of mother who not only had a child who was autistic but this same child was also mentally retarded. The mother found her son, who was about 12, to be too much of a burden. He never listened, she couldn't potty train him, and she often put a helmet on his head to keep him from hurting himself from banging his head on the wall. She seemed completely incapable of taming his behavior, and many watching felt his severe retardation and autism made it impossible for him to learn and respond to discipline.
When the child's father arrived home each evening, the child's entire disposition changed. He minded, went to bed when told, and rarely threw temper tantrums. And when his older sister watched him, she would peacefully engage him in activities.
So as you can see, it is not that this child was incapable of understanding because of his disability, he required certain types of interaction in order to get him to behave.
Figure out what types of behavior and response provoke positive behavior and responses out of your child. Try to immolate those behaviors. -
Step 3
Don't be afraid to discipline your autistic child. Many parents of normal children are afraid to discipline them, and parents of autistic children usually follow this trend to the extreme. Many parents feel as though an autistic child's bad behavior is a response to their disability and not of their own volition.
Usually an autistic child's bad behavior stems from frustration from not being able to communicate their thoughts and feelings. It is important to give them other tools to communicate. Try giving them a color sheet with different color squares, and start working with them on associating those squares with thoughts and feelings. Blue can mean tired, red can mean mad, and yellow can mean happy. As they become angry try pointing their fingers toward the blue square, eventually they hopefully will associate the two and be able to communicate another way. Be creative when trying to get your autistic child to communicate with you.
Don't be afraid to send an autistic child to their room or put them in timeout. They will react like any child at first, and rebel. Just be firm and consistent. -
Step 4
Like any child, an autistic child who has to deal with a parent who is clearly stressed and frustrated will also act stressed and frustrated. Try to calm yourself. The best way is to get time to yourself, even if its just 30-minutes while they are napping. Try meditating, exercising, or reading - whatever it is that relaxes you. Every parent or caretaker needs "me time."
Your rejuvenated spirit will encourage positivity in your child.
