Rogers Behavioral Health therapist provides tips to support children with autism spectrum disorder

I'm Julia McAndrews. I'm our lead therapist here at Rogers in Skokie, Illinois. I work a lot in our mood and anxiety program for children on the autism spectrum, and I'd like to give you a few tips of how you can support your child. So some things that I typically recommend to parents that have children on the autism spectrum, particularly if that child is also experiencing some mental health challenges, is first, trust your parent instinct. A lot of times when parents are navigating either early diagnosis processes or even finding the right support for their child, that combination of the autism and mental health challenges can be confusing. But if you as a parent know that something is difficult and something is maybe not quite right, or your child isn't experiencing life in the fullest way that they possibly can, then trust that, right? And continue to, you know, meet with people that help you feel empowered to get your child to their goals and get your child to, you know, living the life that they deserve. Second piece, you know, as you are beginning to start to navigate different tools at home and put things in place, or even simply tweak some of the things in delivery of how you're encouraging your child to try things, is using do-based language. A lot of times if kids are struggling or are experiencing challenges such as anxiety or depression, their behaviors may not line up with their true values and intentions. For example, if kids are really struggling with academics and all of a sudden, you know, getting something wrong feels so overwhelming and they're avoiding schoolwork, they might hear a whole lot, hey, don't do, don't do that, don't throw your homework away, don't avoid school. But if we can start to use, hey, do use your coping skills, right? And, you know, do your best. We can, we can help you start to reframe what kids are capable of versus highlighting the behaviors that are already causing difficulties. This can also be, like, do keep safe body instead of don't hit your sister. So this can really feel a little different and kind of flipping the script, but it's definitely something that I think can make a world of difference. Third tip would be to add structure. And this is important for all children, but particularly kids on the spectrum, really of any age. When kids are going through different developmental stages, social needs change, different adaptive skills are going to be expected of kids, different ages. And so really outlining what day-to-day tasks are going to be necessary for kids to thrive and attaching perhaps an external value, like earning things like screen time or, you know, adding up points towards, you know, a special trip to the zoo can really allow kids to start to get new social skills and new life skills down without necessarily seeing them exactly in the same way you're going to see them as the parent lens. You know that engaging in a reciprocal conversation is really important, but maybe your kid doesn't find the value. So how can we help them teach that skill by adding a value and really outlining it in a concrete way? The fourth and probably most important thing I'll say is model, right? When you're teaching your kids these new skills, when you're maybe connecting with professionals that are going to teach your kids new skills, really hone in and pay attention to what your child is learning. Things stick when the family is able to also absorb some of those skills and demonstrate how they work in a family system. If your child is learning things like I feel statements, start to see if you can practice I feel statements, whether that be at your workplace or with a partner, with your other children and certainly with your child that's working on these things. If you're noticing you really want your child to reduce some of the yelling and outbursts when they're feeling frustrated, see if you can reflect internally to say, you know, how am I expressing myself when I'm feeling frustrated? So really going along processes of learning alongside your kid and applying the tools to yourself that you can be the model alongside your kid. As a parent, you will always be the expert on your child, so use these tips in a way that feels right for your family and for your child's needs. And of course, we'll always encourage you to reach out to people that can help you walk alongside your child in learning these skills, including Rogers. Don't hesitate to reach out to know that there are people that are here to help your child meet their full potential.