Take The Stress Out Of NEW YEAR

In January most people set goals and make changes in their lives. While change can be good for the average person, change, particularly abrupt change, can cause severe stress for children and teens on the Autism Spectrum. When unpredictable changes occur, children and teens with ASD may withdraw, display repetitive behaviors, tantrums, or become aggressive. Keep in mind that these dysfunctional behaviors are generally the result of severe anxiety. The child or teen may feel out of control and unable to properly communicate their feelings and desires. As a result, a structured, consistent and predictable schedule can help children and teens with autism feel safe and secure.

1) Provide a daily visual schedule for your child or student so they can clearly see how their day will play out. Daily schedules can include daily tasks as well as their school schedule. Make sure to include visual and verbal reminders of any changes that may occur in their normal routine so they have time to mentally prepare for these changes before they happen in real-time.

2) Picture cards display images of events or tasks that the child or student needs to complete throughout the day. These picture cards can be velcroed onto a laminated card and adjusted to show daily tasks and events.

3) Parents and teachers can encourage flexible thinking by adding new activities to the visual schedule. When positive unplanned events are placed on the schedule, your child or student will learn that change can be fun, not just anxiety-provoking.

4) Making the adjustment from being at school all day to staying at home all day during a holiday break can be difficult for children and teens with autism. In these cases, a count-down calendar can be used to help the child or student prepare for the change in schedule.

5) Whenever possible, practice going to new places or participating in new activities before these events happen in real-time. For example, if your child is starting a new school, tour the school after hours. Let the child walk the hallways, play on the playground, run in the gym, sit in the cafeteria, at their own pace without other kids there. Let them visit their classroom(s) and meet their teacher(s) before they are expected to attend full time.

6) If practicing an event ahead of time is not possible, make a video for your child or student that highlights the events they will experience when they actually visit a specific place. For example, if the school is planning a field trip to a farm, visit the farm ahead of time and make a video showing what will happen there. This might include going on a hayride, petting farm animals, picking apples or pumpkins. Let your child or student watch the video as many times as they need to feel comfortable about the upcoming event. "Research has shown that when using videos in this manner, with children with ASD, disruptive behavior decreased greatly as the routines were made more predictable"(Karen Burner, 2013).

7) Social stories can also help prepare your child or student for change or any type of anxiety-provoking event (i.e. visiting the doctor’s office). YouTube is a great place to find Social Stories.

Source: Karen Burner, P. D. (2013, February 8). Autism and dealing with change. The Autism Blog Autism and Dealing with Change Comments. Retrieved January 23, 2022, from https://theautismblog.seattlechildrens.org/autism-and-dealing-with-change/