Behavioral Strategies for Working with Autism

In this section, I hope to give insight into the symptoms, why they are maintained, and what you can do to facilitate learning or improvement, from working with limited or no language, to addressing self-stimulation activities.

 Biological Intervention

Some specialists in Autism suggest putting a child on a gluten and casein free diet. Others advocate the use of  IVIG, secretin, vitamins, or allergy neutralizators. Talk with your doctor about medical interventions being conducted for children with Autism.

 Limited Language

Children with Autism process language differently than others. Some may have symbolic representation of objects (which is what language is), while others may only assign mental pictures to objects, or not be able to process verbal or written language at all. Therefore, it is important when introducing or encouraging language, to use multiple sensory modes of input –

Hearing (saying the words)

Visual (seeing the words written)

Visual (seeing pictures of the objects and word)

Signing (visual/kinesthetic)

Tactile (feeling the object)

Taste (when appropriate)

Smelling (when appropriate)

For example, if you wanted to teach a child with Autism to understand the concept of “all done”, you could use the words “all done”, set up some kind of physical activity that indicates “all done” (e.g., providing a bin to put an object in when finished with it), you could use picture labels (e.g., a picture of the bin), and you could add the written words “all done” on the bin and/or the picture.