Category Archives: Child Care

The Little Known Secrets of Hugging an Autistic Child

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How much do you love to get a hug?

You see we often seek pressure in a variety of ways to calm ourselves and cope with emotional or sensory overload.

But hugging an autistic child can be quite something different as I’m sure you have found out.

Have you ever wondered how to hug your Autistic Child and get the responses that both of you need?

Well here are the top 8 things that you need to know about hugging your autistic child.

1. Hugging your autistic child can cause more distress than it was obviously meant to cause.
I know this sounds horrible, but your Autistic child does not understand what is happening.

2. Autistic children or adults are often unable to communicate their needs by indicating a particular amount or length of pressure.
So when you are hugging your autistic child this can really be quite ineffective and can actually a negative effect.

3. The simple hug can be both distressing and frustrating for your autistic child.
Imagine not being able to communicate what it is you need and it being forced on you by someone who will not let it be, that’s pretty much what it can feel like, so be careful and understanding.

4. Autistic children sometimes crave pressure to help calm anxiety. This is very important, but how can we do this when we are distressing them all the time with our hugs.

5. Allowing Your Autistic Child To Control The Pressure of A Hug Can Work Wonders
This is enabling them to do and give what they want while still experiencing the feelings that they need to achieve.

6. You don’t have to give your autistic child the hug they need
Something that acts in a similar way can be used; a lady that has Autism has created what is called ‘The Hugging Machine’.

7. You can wrap your child in a blanket
This will allow them to control the pressure that they need also. Blankets act as a barrier to squeezing and can give your autistic child the freedom that they need when entering into such an act.

8. Children with ASD sometimes react better with Mechanical devices
Great work is actually being carried out which will be able to have the devices tailored to the needs of the specific autistic child.

These kinds of positive steps forward with your Autistic child can make you see a much brighter future. But that’s only a small tip of what is available to help your autistic child.

You see, it does not matter where you live, who you know, what you believe in, or even who you voted for in the election. You are part of a community, part of a select group of people who can join together to combat the confusion and frustration associated with having an autistic child.

I personally don’t agree with all of methods that people have created for child autism, but I agree with the message that they are trying to give to the world (our community). They are giving us freedom, joy, happiness, and hope for the future …

Those are ideas we can *all* get behind.

What really makes me hopeful is that you are educating yourself in what needs to be done, this will in turn give you the knowledge to make proper decisions in relation to your autistic child.

Autism 101 – Helping Siblings Cope With An Autistic Child

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When you find out your child has autism you may be worried about what to tell the siblings, or how to help them understand why their brother or sister is different. You may also have to cope with explaining why all of a sudden they need more attention then the other children. Dealing with an autistic child can be difficult, being the sibling of one can be even harder.

Sometimes we as parents become so involved in helping our autistic child, that we forget that our other children need our love and attention too. The situation can become quite critical if the siblings feel like mom and dad don’t love them as much as the afflicted child.

How do we stop this?

One way is to get the siblings into autism support groups. Many cities now have groups that specialize in helping siblings of autistic children to cope with the difficulties and issues that arise in having an autistic sibling.

Another important thing we can do as parents, is to make time for our other children. Even if it means having to get a sitter for the one child, so that you can spend time along and bonding with the siblings. It is important for the children to know that they too are loved, and cared for by the parents.

It is also key to help the siblings cope with the embarrassment that may come from having an autistic sibling. Autistic children often stand out, and can be quite loud and attention grabbing. This can make being a sibling quite difficult. You’ll need to help your child cope with the possibilities of dealing with embarrassment as a result of their sibling.

You also need to make sure that the siblings do not become too parentified, and end up overly caring for their autistic sibling. Too often, they see the weaknesses that their sibling has and step in to help protect them. This is completely okay, but it is important to keep their responsibilities minimal, as they still need a chance to be children, and grow up as such.

One advantage that the siblings have when it comes to their own lives, is that they will typically be more accepting of others with problems or differences. They tend to be more empathetic of others around them that are different.

Having a child with autism can be challenging, but being a sibling can be even worse. With the proper care and attention to the entire family, all of you will cope better.