Each week I provide you with some of my ideas about turning autism around. So, if you haven’t subscribed to my YouTube channel, you can do that now. Kids with autism have sensory issues, but the fact is, that we all have sensory issues, because we live in a world full of stimuli. Kids with autism, however, often have different reactions to those sensory issues. They have different reactions to noises, to smell, and to touch. Parents and professionals often ask, “Is it sensory or behavior?” This is a weird question as a Behavior Analyst.
We want to do a full evaluation. It doesn’t have to be a full complex multi-disciplinary evaluation. In fact, I have a free one-page assessment (in my 3-step guide to turn autism around) that can be done pretty quickly, that takes a quick look at the whole system. Also, when we’re talking about autism sensory issues, we want to look at the sensory systems that seem to be most affected. Then we want to make a plan, which is the second step. We want to prevent problem behaviors related to sensory overload or being sensory under reactive.
For example, we might want to invest in some noise cancelling headphones, or we may need to pair up headphones, because the child may be over reactive to sounds, but they don’t like the way the headphones feel. This involves a pairing and desensitization program. We might want to look at cutting the tags out or getting special softer clothing. We may want to have a trampoline if the child is often seeking that sensory input or offer less offensive foods. I recently did a video blog on solving picky eating, so you may want to look back at that one.
To learn more about how to help children with autism, you can sign up for one of my free online workshops today that will help you increase language and decrease problem behaviors in your child or client with autism. I’ll see you right here next week.
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