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How a Parent of Autistic Children Can Make Them Feel Included

A Parent of autistic children knows how difficult it can be to make sure that his or her children feel included at all times. When you have an autistic child, you deal with all of the normal parenting obstacles plus some. One of the main issues that weighs heavy on parents of autistic children’s minds is making them feel included.

How a Parent of Autistic Children Can Make Them Feel Included

As a parent, it’s hard to watch your child be left out of gatherings, events, and special occasions because of their autism. From in the classroom to everyday life, we want our autistic children to feel just as included as everyone else. However, this is a sometimes difficult task to complete, especially if we’ve never been given any tips or advice.

Although you can’t always control how the world treats your autistic children, you can control how you and the rest of the family treats them. Help your children feel like they’re just as much a part of the family as everyone else is. Continue reading below for several ways to ensure this happens!

  1. Research About Autism 

If you’re new to parenting an autistic child or even if you’re a veteran, take the time to do your research. There’s always something new to learn as new methods are constantly being developed. For example, you never know when a parent might come up with a new trick to help autistic children feel included.

This is why it’s so beneficial to stay on top of the research on a consistent basis. Even if you feel like you know everything there is to know about the topic, never stop searching for more knowledge. The more you know about it, the more you begin to understand it. 

Once you have a solid understanding of autism, you can then begin to create your own methods and see what works best for your children. You can also visit this link for more information on autism and ABA therapy!

  1. Treat Them the Same 

One of the easiest ways to make your autistic children feel included is to treat them the same as all the other children. Anytime that you’re given the opportunity to allow them to engage with other children, take advantage of it. Let them socialize and build awareness and so much more. 

Speak to them just how you would speak to any other child. Don’t use different tones with them either. You want to keep things consistent when dealing with all of the children in your family. 

At the same time, it’s important for you to also be accepting of the things that do make your autistic children different. If your children tic or hum, act like you don’t even notice. This is a much better approach than bringing attention and possible embarrassment to them. 

  1. Always Invite Them 

Autistic children love being included in social events just as much as anyone else. Be sure to allow them to join friends and family members for sleepovers and get-togethers as well. Make sure to let family members know they want to be invited and included in these fun times and that you’re more than willing to allow it.

You should also consider letting them invite friends or cousins over for sleepovers at your house. If enough time is given, all accommodations that need to be made can be made to make the event as special as possible for everyone. 

  1. Find Alternative Ways to Communicate

Communicating with your autistic children has its own obstacles, especially so if your children are nonverbal or don’t like to speak often. If this is the case, don’t stop trying to communicate with them. Find alternative ways to communicate with them allowing them to still feel included.

For example, one great way to have a conversation without pressure is to speak with comments rather than questions. When you ask them questions, there’s an awkward pause that follows. Your children might then decided they want to answer or don’t want to. 

This also places pressure on them to respond. Instead, consider using comments where no pressure to respond is given. For example, rather than saying, “That book looks interesting. Can I read with you?” say, “That book looks interesting. I bet you enjoy reading it.”

Your children then feel included, without having pressure placed on them to communicate. 

  1. Focus on the Positives 

Remember to always focus on the positives. Focusing on the negatives will begin to make your children feel left out or different from everyone else. Instead, try to pay not much mind to the things they can’t control and focus on all of the things that make them a normal child. 

With any child, it’s always a great idea to give positive reinforcement to the good things the child does.  

  1. Take Them with You for Daily Activities

If your children experience behavior that’s sometimes unpredictable, you might feel inclined to leave them at home when doing your daily activities. This is understandable as you want to keep them out of specific situations, but it’s best to take them with you for daily activities.

It’s not a good feeling always being left at home and never being able to join in on the errands. Take them with you to the grocery store, to fill up the tank, to the post office, and anywhere else. Doing so also helps them get more familiar with the outside world. 

A Parent of Autistic Children Can Always Make Them Included! 

As a parent of autistic children, you have more obstacles to climb. However, it is possible to overcome these and become a better parent for your children each and every day! Keep these few tips in mind to ensure that your autistic children feel just as included as your others!

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