Teaching children with Autism can be one of the most rewarding tasks and one of the most frustrating. Particularly since what may work for one child may not work for the next. To teach children with autism parents have to be prepared on many different fronts and prepared to act quickly.
Some days a child with Autism may be able to be in any situation a parent might find themselves in. They might be able to go grocery shopping or to the mall. On other days they might not be able to. There have been days when going to a store started out good and quickly deteriorated. Being prepared to change tasks was critical on those days.
Keeping your child engaged in what you are doing is effective in teaching children with Autism. Letting them hold the bag for the fruit or hand you an item keeps them focused on you and the task. This gives them less time to become distracted.
Parents can further enrich the situation by talking about the type of fruit or the color of the fruit. Some children with Autism can read but do not seem to understand what the words mean. Telling them to get the jar that says peanut butter can help drive home the concept those words mean something.
Another effective tip is to let an older child with Autism hold the money. If you are in line at the store or to pay a bill you and your child can practice counting out the money or even recognizing the bills and the coins.
Of course choosing the time of day you shop or pay bills is important as well. Going during the rush hours might be convenient for us. That is usually not the right time we will be most effective at teaching children with Autism.
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