Use your child’s strengths
Many children with ASD have a range of strengths. Some children with ASD may be particularly skilled at music, maths or another activity, or they may have a lot of knowledge around a particular area of interest. Try to harness these skills to motivate and stimulate your child’s learning and communication by showing interest in their activities and to foster interaction and communication.
Use your child’s special interests to increase motivation in other areas
Children with ASD can have a small number of intense interests and seem quite unmotivated to engage in other important activities. Rather than focusing on diverting your child’s attention from these specific areas of interest, see if they can be used as a springboard for strengthening your engagement with your child, for expanding your child’s interests and increasing your child’s motivation for other activities.
- Share their interests: Play alongside your child, following their lead in their play. Talk about your play and make observations about what your child is doing, and what you are doing. Your observations will help your child make connections over time between their perspective and yours. Playing alongside your child can also help them learn to take turns and to experience shared delight.
- Gradually include minor variations in the play to help expand your child’s imagination and tolerance for minor changes. Introduce changes that are not too far from your child’s original idea and which make sense around the theme of your child’s play. For example, your child may enjoy the sensory experience of throwing objects in the air and watching them fall back down. You might join this play by bringing a range of safe objects such as soft balls, feathers, and balloons and noting your child’s reaction to this expanding play.
- Incorporate their special interest, toy or game into other activities. For example, a child may have a particular interest in Thomas the Tank Engine. The characters from these stories can be used to help your child engage in counting activities, learning colours, and even social stories where the characters are used to act out certain social interactions. Your child’s desire to engage in these activities may also help them finish off less enjoyable tasks, so as to move on to their preferred activity.
Use visual aids and reminders
Children with ASD are often helped to understand routines and activities with visual timetables and visual reminders of the steps to complete tasks. For example:
- Create activity boards or step-by-step reminders for activities or routines that your child needs help with, such as making lunch or packing their school bag.
- Create reminders and step-by-step guides using written words for children able to read, or using photos or pictures to describe steps.
Prepare your child for changes
Changes to daily routines can be difficult for children with ASD, so where possible, prepare your child for any changes. This might include changing teachers when teachers are away, or changes to daily routines that can happen from time to time.
Involve your child in social activities
Being involved in social activities can help your child learn social and play skills from other children and adults. There are a range of programs you can consider, from social skills groups specifically developed for children with ASD, to social- and activity-based groups such as Scouts and Guides. Your council may have information about group activities in your local area.