A Parent's Guide to Autism Diagnosis by Adele Devine

Author:Adele Devine
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Jessica Kingsley Publishers
Published: 2021-11-18T00:00:00+00:00

Building attention

Parents and professionals sometimes use the phrase ‘stuck in their own little world’ when talking about engaging with an autistic child. Some examples we have seen are a child who will spend hours sifting through sand, or lying on the ground and spinning the wheel of a toy car on repeat. We must not confuse this with a child who is able to self-occupy and completely engage in their own individual play.

Although children need to have time to do their own thing – and if this makes them comfortable and happy, that is okay – what we don’t want is for the child to do this at all times, because whilst they are doing this they may also be zoning out a bit and not building those skills which are vital for them to learn to communicate.

So, what can you do? Initially, it is important to go quietly and join them for a bit. If they are sifting sand in a tub, get another tub and sift sand nearby. If they are lying down spinning the wheels of a toy car, go and get one and lie down somewhere nearby and spin the wheel in a similar way. Smile and enjoy what you are doing, and the child might find this interesting. You have to be interesting before they will want to pay attention to what you are doing.

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