~~~~~~ Specific Parenting Techniques for Children and Teens on the High-Functioning End of the Autism Spectrum ~~~~~~

Traits in the Child with High-Functioning Autism

Some of the traits associated with HFA that will be addressed in the ebook include: (1) emotional problems and sensory sensitivities; (2) difficulties with school-related skills; (3) issues related to health and movement; (4) social skills deficits; (5) behavioral problems; and (6) deficits in linguistic and language development.

Let's look at each of these in turn:

1. Why do children with HFA experience unique emotional problems and sensory sensitivities? For example:   
  •  An emotional incident can determine the mood for the day.
  • They can become overwhelmed with too much verbal direction.
  • They often experience difficulty with loud or sudden sounds.
  • Emotions can pass very suddenly -- or are drawn out for a long period of time.
  • They have an intolerance to certain food textures, food colors, or the way food is presented on the plate (e.g., one food can’t touch another).
  • They may laugh, cry, or throw a tantrum for no apparent reason.
  • They may need to be left alone to release tension and frustration.    
  • They usually resist change in their environment (e.g., people, places, objects).
  • They experience sensitivity - or lack of sensitivity - to sounds, textures, tastes, smells or light.
  • They tend to either tune out - or break down - when being reprimanded.
  • They have an unusually high - or low - pain tolerance.

2. What are the difficulties associated with school-related skills that need to be addressed? For example:  
  • Difficulty transitioning from one activity to another 
  • Difficulty with fine motor activities (e.g., coloring, printing, using scissors, gluing)
  • Difficulty with reading comprehension (e.g., can quote an answer, but unable to predict, summarize or find symbolism)
  • Excellent rote memory in some areas
  • Exceptionally high skills in some areas -- and very low in others
  • Resistance - or inability - to follow directions
  • Short attention span for most lessons

3. How should issues related to health and movement be dealt with? For example:    
  • Allergies and food sensitivities
  • Apparent lack of concern for personal hygiene (e.g., hair, teeth, body odor)
  • Appearance of hearing problems, but hearing has been checked and is fine
  • Constipation
  • Difficulty changing from one floor surface to another (e.g., carpet to wood, sidewalk to grass)
  • Difficulty moving through a space (e.g., bumps into objects or people)
  • Frequent gas, burping or throwing up
  • Incontinence of bowel and/or bladder
  • Irregular sleep patterns
  • Odd or unnatural posture (e.g., rigid or floppy)
  • Seizure activity
  • Unusual gait
  • Walks on toes
  • Walks without swinging arms freely

4. Why do these children lack social skills, and what can parents and teachers do to help? For example:
  • Aversion to answering questions about themselves
  • Difficulty maintaining friendships
  • Difficulty reading facial expressions and body language
  • Difficulty understanding group interactions
  • Difficulty understanding jokes, figures of speech or sarcasm
  • Difficulty understanding the rules of conversation
  • Does not generally share observations or experiences with others
  • Finds it easier to socialize with people that are older or younger, rather than peers of their own age
  • Gives spontaneous comments which seem to have no connection to the current conversation
  • Makes honest, but inappropriate observations
  • Minimal acknowledgement of others
  • Overly trusting or unable to read the motives behinds peoples’ actions
  • Prefers to be alone, aloof or overly-friendly
  • Resistance to being held or touched
  • Responds to social interactions, but does not initiate them
  • Seems unable to understand another’s feelings
  • Talks excessively about one or two topics (e.g., dinosaurs, movies, etc.)
  • Tends to get too close when speaking to someone (i.e., lack of personal space)
  • Unaware of/disinterested in what is going on around them
  • Very little or no eye contact

5. How can behavioral problems be managed effectively? For example:
  • Causes injury to self (e.g., biting, banging head)
  • Difficulty attending to some tasks
  • Difficulty sensing time (e.g., knowing how long 5 minutes is or 3 days or a month)
  • Difficulty transferring skills from one area to another
  • Difficulty waiting for their turn (e.g., standing in line)
  • Extreme fear for no apparent reason
  • Feels the need to fix or rearrange things
  • Fine motor skills are developmentally behind peers (e.g., hand writing, tying shoes, using scissors, etc.)
  • Frustration is expressed in unusual ways
  • Gross motor skills are developmentally behind peers (e.g., riding a bike, skating, running)
  • Inability to perceive potentially dangerous situations
  • Meltdowns
  • Obsessions with objects, ideas or desires
  • Perfectionism in certain areas
  • Play is often repetitive
  • Quotes movies or video games
  • Ritualistic or compulsive behavior patterns (e.g., sniffing, licking, watching objects fall, flapping arms, spinning, rocking, humming, tapping, sucking, rubbing clothes)
  • Transitioning from one activity to another is difficult
  • Unusual attachment to objects
  • Verbal outbursts

6. What can be done to help with deficits in linguistic and language development? For example:    
  • Abnormal use of pitch, intonation, rhythm or stress while speaking
  • Difficulty understanding directional terms (e.g., front, back, before, after) 
  • Difficulty whispering
  • Makes verbal sounds while listening (i.e., echolalia)
  • May have a very high vocabulary
  • Often uses short, incomplete sentences
  • Pronouns are often inappropriately used
  • Repeats last words or phrases several times
  • Speech is abnormally loud or quiet
  • Speech started very early and then stopped for a period of time
  • Uses a person’s name excessively when speaking to them

Topics: Parenting Children and Teens with High-Functioning Autism

Topics include:

1.    Problems with Diagnosing HFA
2.    Sleep Problems
3.    Ways to Help Your Child Calm Down
4.    How to Motivate Your Child
5.    Picky Eating
6.    Behavior Problems
7.    Caution about Punishment for Meltdowns
8.    Shutdowns versus Meltdowns
9.    The “Hyper-Focus” Trait
10.    School Refusal
11.    Dealing with Temper Tantrums
12.    Helping Your Child to Understand the World
13.    School-Related Behavioral Problems: Tips for Educators
14.    Transitioning HFA Teens to Adulthood
15.    Problems with Balance
16.    Shortening the Duration of Meltdowns
17.    Siblings’ Reactions to Meltdowns
18.    Treatment for HFA Symptoms
19.    Preventing Behavior Problems Before They Start
20.    HFA Teens and Social Skills
21.    Helping Students with High-Functioning Autism: A Snapshot for Teachers
22.    Teaching Organizational Skills
23.    The Cycle of Meltdowns
24.    HFA Students and Public Schools
25.    The Purpose of Social Stories
26.    Transitioning HFA Kids into Adolescence
27.    Dealing with Rituals and Obsessions
28.    Transitioning Between Schools
29.    Social Skills: Key Concepts and Interventions
30.    School Phobia
31.    Completing School Assignments On Time
32.    How Diet and Supplements Can Help
33.    Preparing Your HFA Teen for Adulthood
34.    The Difference Between Meltdowns and Tantrums
35.    HFA Teens and Suicidal Ideation
36.    Sensory Issues
37.    Teaching HFA Children To Lose Gracefully
38.    Rigidity in Thought and Behavior
39.    Grade-Skipping for the Highly Intelligent HFA Student
40.    Defiance in HFA Teens
41.    Helping Your HFA Teen to Accept the Diagnosis
42.    Getting HFA Kids Ready For School
43.    School Concerns: Advice to Teachers
44.    Anger-Control for HFA Teens
45.    Language Difficulties
46.    Attention Difficulties
47.    Rituals and Obsessions
48.    How to Stop Confusing Your Child
49.    Attachment Problems
50.    Oral Sensitivity and the Gag Response
51.    Motor Skills Development
52.    Face-Blindness
53.    Behavioral Management Plan
54.    Adolescent Behavior Problems
55.    Problems with Eye Contact
56.    Special Concerns in Adolescence
57.    Effective Teaching Practices for HFA Students
58.    HFA Students: Educational Considerations
59.    HFA Teens and Sex Education
60.    When Your HFA Child's Grades Start To Drop
61.    Understanding Your High-Functioning Autistic Child
62.    Motivating Your Underachieving HFA Teenager
63.    HFA Teens and Learning to Drive a Car
64.    The Negative Effects of “Nagging”
65.    How to Explain High-Functioning Autism to Your Recently Diagnosed Child
66.    Sneaky Ways to Curb HFA Teen Anger
67.    HFA and Lack of Eye Contact
68.    Grandmothers Raising High-Functioning Autistic Grandchildren
69.    HFA Teens and College
70.    40 Positive Traits of HFA
71.    HFA and Adolescent Issues
72.    Adult HFA Children Who Move Back Home – or Never Leave
73.    HFA and Loneliness
74.    Helping HFA Children with Homework
75.    Surviving Holidays with Your HFA Child
76.    How to Help Siblings Deal with an HFA Brother or Sister
77.    Violent HFA Children: What Parents and Teachers Can Do

...and much more!

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