Autism Aspects
WHAT WHY WHERE
WHAT
Could the service technicians or the designated programs be contributing
factors as to why your loved one is still exhibiting repetitive and/or
disruptive behaviors?
Families with an autistic member face daunting pressures
every day. Stress over accomplishing a simple shopping errand
to meltdowns that cut short family outings. Episodes of head banging,
screaming, elopement, kicking, hitting, fecal eating and smearing
guarantee that everyone, including school personnel, are exhausted
and on high alert 24/7. Sound familiar?
Behaviors that include sensory stimulation dictate, control and consume learning time
in schools and services leaving goals unmet for years.
Want to know more about your loved one’s behavior and how it affects
the class? How interventions are actually being applied? How the
interventionist responds to an unwanted response? Because the well-being
of the home is directly affected and family members are constantly having to check themselves for fear of
an outburst which causes an underlying “carefulness” that’s not spoken about.
WHY
Do you believe more can be done in
explaining and understanding sensory stimulation behavior in your
child?
Do you feel that the encouraging words from your provider’s
technicians don’t match with their iep or assessments as behaviors in
the home are getting worse? Extreme and aggressive behaviors,
including sensory stimulation, never improve despite adopting coping
and behavioral maintenance
strategies meant to “calm the child”?
Behaviors that should have been extinguished are
now controlling the environment and one parent becomes the primary
support of the team.
How did we get here?
Behaviors left untaught in the art of management can and will get in the
way of a correct assessment. It’s not unusual that even after changing
providers the autistic returns home even more distressed.
Wouldn’t it be nice just to go on family outings without
time constraints dictated by providers, or sensory issues forcing everyone
into a panic to leave?
Ask yourself: are school personnel truly taking your child’s abilities and
future capabilities to heart?
Is time passing and yet flapping, excessive touching,
hair pulling, screaming, throwing and destruction are still unmanageable
after years of continuous interventions? Behaviors that prohibit them
from fully enjoying what the world has to offer?
If you suspect, if you know, that your loved one
could be more than their autism specialist is bringing out,
it’s time to take charge.
WHERE
In the environment
where behaviors occur and interfere with daily life. Anywhere the
behaviors interfere with learning.
Anywhere the family needs an answer. Visits to the doctor and dentist are
a major worry and hardship for family members. Rarely are these
behaviors addressed by
interventionists, yet it is a reality for many.
Is it yours?
Communicating is paramount when understanding autism,
and by this I mean between all service providers and schools. Wouldn’t
you like to know about the autistic’s daily progress as it happens in a format easy
to read, and filled out by all educators who have direct teaching sessions
with your loved one?
Sessions are held in the home and tailored towards the family and
the autistic’s immediate needs, while aiming for the future
as a whole to enjoy.