HOW TO TREAT AN AUTISTIC CHILD? 23 EFFECTIVE TIPS - ECONOMÍA - 2025

Learning to treat autistic children appropriately is critical to their education, future, psychological well-being, and quality of life for the entire family. Here are 23 practical tips.

When a family learns that their child has autism, one of the first questions that may come to mind is how they should treat him from then on. Whether in their care, the way they communicate with him or even educate him.

It is true that each person with autism is different, but in general there are some guidelines that we can follow that will make our relationship improve and be more positive and enriching for both parties.

23 tips for treating autistic children

1- Have a life governed by a schedule

Children with autism are not flexible at all in their daily life, so this should be governed by activities that always meet the same schedule, otherwise we will awaken incomprehension and frustration.

If we follow this methodology, the child will be able to anticipate everything that he is going to do during the day, thus reducing his stress and discomfort. A good way to do this is to have a big schedule somewhere in the house about all the activities that you are going to do during the week so that you can refer to it whenever you want.

Although you always do the same activities, it is good that one day a week the activity is changed. If it is presented in advance, you can internalize that there is a change and little by little we will make it something more flexible.

2- Avoid anger whenever possible

It happens to people with autism the same way as to those who do not have this disorder. What happens around them affects them even if some do not have the ability to demonstrate or communicate it.

In the event that they have not done something correctly or that their behavior has not been appropriate, we must let you know that it has bothered us. All this in a calm and quiet way. If we do it aggressively we can create anxiety and make them nervous too.

3- Don't talk too much to them

Sometimes they may not want to communicate with anyone. As fathers and mothers we must respect that our son that day does not want to talk or even to be talked to. If we force you, we may disturb your peace of mind and we may trigger aggressive behavior.

On the other hand, it is not advisable to speak to them too quickly since some do not have good communication skills and, as in the previous case, we can create frustration and anxiety.

4- Reward what you do well

As with people who do not have this disorder, they love to know that they have done things right. Our duty as parents is to convey that message to them by rewarding this behavior with something that we know they like.

The same would happen in the event that they did not behave well or did not do something properly. In this case, it is recommended that we punish him by taking away something that we know he likes for a certain time.

If we are teaching him to do something, it is normal that at first it costs him a lot. It may even take longer than "normal." We have to be patient and not get upset because we can negatively affect you.

5- Help them understand their surroundings

We must bear in mind that it is difficult for him to understand why things are done one way and not another. People with autism don't understand things that are very abstract, such as rules.

Therefore, as parents we must support them and do everything possible to assimilate and internalize the world around them in one way or another.

6- Respect your space

Something as simple as talking upward or giving him a hug without expecting it, can be upsetting people with autism excessively.

As relatives we have to respect their space in order not to irritate them and make their day to day more comfortable, bearing in mind that we should never leave them alone.

7- Understand their way of communicating

Depending on the person with this disorder, as well as others that may be associated with it, there are people with autism who can communicate both with help and without help and others who are not able to articulate a word.

Although they do not have the same communication skills as us, they are able to communicate when they are wrong in other ways: screaming, swinging, flapping their hands, spinning in a circle or even self-harm.

Therefore, we must pay attention to these behaviors to know exactly what you need.

8- Ask him what he is capable of doing

Although he may have limitations or does not do some things properly, we have to emphasize and value the things he does know how to do. A good way is to give him that responsibility, for example if he knows how to put the napkins let him put them and ask for it.

9- Speak to them clearly

Not everyone has the ability to communicate correctly or understand what we say to them. Avoid complex sentences and use clear and simple language.

It is recommended that we also accompany what we say with visual gestures, this will help you understand what we are saying.

10- See beyond your disorder

We cannot blame ourselves, much less treat him with pity or regret. We have to see that he is a person like any other and that he has the same needs as us. So you also want to have fun, enjoy family, do new things (within your possibilities) etc.

11- Enjoy their company

Children with autism can teach us a lot of things if we pay attention. We have to take advantage of every minute that we are with them and try to make those moments the best for both parties.

12- Accept it as it is

We have to accept it as it is. There are people with this disorder who have many manias that can make us feel bad at times and that can even become a family problem.

We have to find the best solution for both parties without affecting the person with autism much calmly and without getting upset.

13- Help him improve

It is important that we try to improve on those limitations or problems that it may present by giving it the necessary tools. If we know that you cannot be in a place where there are many people, our duty so that you have a quality of life is to help you overcome your stress and face these types of situations.

14- Promote their autonomy

As family members we cannot feel guilty about this situation, we must be strong and from the first moment give him the necessary guidelines so that when he grows up, as far as possible he is autonomous and can live alone or without help.

15- Continue working as a family

It is important that as a family work together and more when we have a person with this disorder in it. Following the rules will be essential to give the child the stability she needs.

Our son will be able to advance and improve if all his members work towards that end and set an example for him. Otherwise, the family will be an impediment in its evolution.

16- Talk to other parents

Knowing that there are other parents with children with autism. In addition to reassuring us, it will also allow us to inform us about how they are organized, how they treat your child and which methodologies work for them and which do not.

They can also help us with the therapies that exist, as well as the medications that can work better if necessary.

17- Keep a sense of humor

It is important that we have a good mood and know how to accept reality as it is and the sooner the better. If we do not, we could be affected ourselves and in turn we could harm our child in a negative way.

18- Plan the future with time

As parents we have a finite cycle, this can create anxiety since we will not know what will happen to our child once we are away. Therefore, it is important that we organize ourselves to have everything prepared for that day and thus reduce this feeling.

19- Be aware of the progress made by the child and the family in general

It is important that we are aware of the progress the family is making, as well as the progress made by the child. This will help to see how much progress has been made and will make us feel better.

20- be calm

As paternal references, it is important that we remain calm at all times, even if we sometimes feel that circumstances may overwhelm us. If we get upset we can affect our child negatively and that should be the last.

21- Get organized

As we have mentioned before, people with autism need to have a squared life given their little flexibility. We have to learn to organize ourselves keeping this in mind to give our son the best quality of life.

22- Learn about autism

It is important that we know exactly what disorder our child has in order to understand it and put ourselves in his place. This will improve your relationship as well as your treatment of him.

23- Talk to your brother

In the event that your child with autism has a brother who is both younger or older than him, we have to explain to him what is happening to him, as well as the rules that must be followed from now on at home.

Meet your son

The guidelines that we have put in place both for treating your child with autism and for the family in general, may vary from child to child as well as family to family. The person who knows your child best is yourself, so it is important that even if you follow the general rules that we recommend, you formulate your own.

Each person with autism is different and their behavior depends on many factors including: age, temperament, if they have associated diseases… Therefore:

• Observe your child carefully. This will help you understand her behavior and know how to act as well as her tastes and the things that may bother her.
• Create new guidelines. Based on the conclusions you have drawn during the observation, create your own guidelines for treating your child with autism to see if you get the results you expect.
• Rehearse and test your own guidelines. The only way to see if the guidelines you have created are working is to test them in the different situations in everyday life that may arise with your child. In the event that this is not the case, we will have to return to the initial section.
• Be consistent. It is very important that you are consistent with the guidelines that you create and that you intend to carry out with your child. So, you have to think if it is exactly what you want and if it is the best for him.
• Keep them in time. The most difficult thing is to maintain them over time, it can be very exhausting but it is important for him and for the family in general that it be done this way and not another.
• Help yourself from professionals. Education professionals, as well as mental health professionals, can help you with these issues. Whenever you need it, it is good to ask for help.

Conclusions

As we have seen, having a person with autism in our life can be a big change. However, we cannot get carried away by negative emotions and we have to accept reality as it is.

At first this can be very complicated, but little by little it will be accepted and you will do it for the well-being of your child. Don't be afraid to seek help for support or even to have a bad day, it is natural for you to feel that way.

Following these guidelines will help you improve your day to day with your child and even over time you will follow your own that work for you. Well, as we have said before, each person with autism is different and although we have established general rules, it is important that you know your child to know exactly what tools to follow.