Tips to Improve Behavior at Home in Children with Autism

As a parent or caregiver of a child with ASD, it is very important to have a cache of helpful suggestions/tips to make the life of your child and you easier. From the safety of structured routines in school/daycare or therapy centers, it can be nerve-racking to manage the child at home.  We have therefore compiled some handy tips to enable you to improve your child’s behavior at home and have a happy home for all. Listed below are Tips to Improve Behavior at Home in Children with Autism: 

• Time and schedules aid in minimizing stress caused by change.  Children on the spectrum thrive best when living in a structured environment. Use time and scheduling to segment the day and activities that they can comprehend, use, and expect. Give the child alerts / verbal warnings before the change between two tasks/activities. Timers or reminders on cell phones can do the job as well.  Make a physical calendar that your child can refer to or use. The use of pictures can be a useful aid in making such a calendar and its activities.  Use First/Then statements to enable the child to comprehend the sequence of events that take place during the day or even for a limited duration. A little bit of planning ahead and sticking to it daily is best to make the life of all simpler. Unforeseen events and circumstances can derail the most well-crafted plans but that’s always expected in life. Parents should just equip themselves to the best of their abilities and means. 
• Curate a ‘ safe zone/area ‘ for your child in the home. Create a refuge within the home where the child can play, retreat, relax, or recover. It can be a quiet area/room that caters to the child’s needs. It contains their favorite furniture, toys, and sensory objects to soothe/calm that is safe to use. The safe zone creates a sense of security in the child where they have a sense of calmness/belonging. The child can retreat/directed to the safe zone to process any feelings before they take a sharp turn. 
• Be positive, cheerful, and calm as much as possible. You can get your child to be more cooperative if you use positive language. Phrase your words carefully with a positive note rather than “don’t”,” no”, “don’t do this” and so on. Plus, try to remain cool & calm under tough situations so that you remain in control and obtain the desired results over time. You may need to step back and hold your peace for a bit. You can practice deep breathing techniques, mindfulness, yoga, or relaxation techniques to be a calmer and more composed person, ready to deal with unwanted situations at home or outside. 
• Build on the learning & principles of behavior therapy. If your child has/is receiving behavior therapy, then take advantage and build on it. Capitalizing on what has been taught to the child and you by the therapist, and applying it on a daily carrying forward of the therapy provides consistency that can only have a positive impact, especially on their behavior.