Help parents identify autistic children

How do you identify autistic children?

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It isn't necessarily easy to identify autistic children. It's not something that you're likely to do on your own either.

If you're a teacher or assist families in any way, then you may wish you had a quick checklist that you could provide parents for those times that you suspect that a child may be autistic.
Georgina Rayner, a local advocate for special need kids, has provided a list of red flags for teachers to identify autistic children , but the circumstances at home are a little different.

Here are some red flags for parents that Georgina Rayner developed to help parents identify autistic children.

Red Flags to help parents identify autistic symptoms

As a parent, you usually know when things are not going well for your child. There are many little signals you should pay attention to that become more evident if teaching autistic kids. Many of the above symptoms for teaching autistic kids in school may be things that you recognize at home too. In addition to those symptoms thought, here is a list of some of the other behaviors that identify autistic children, and impact your child's success.

Reluctance to go to school
Bed wetting reoccurs after a long period of dry beds
Suggestions from the school that you need to visit your doctor and have your child medicated because he is hyperactive or doesn't pay attention
Take forever to brush their teeth as they are distracted by other things in the bathroom
Incredibly sensitive to sound, for instance, you needed to creep out of the baby�s room after putting them to bed.
It seems your child never sleeps
Has huge volumes of homework as he couldn't complete any work at school
Child tends to eat �white� food (pasta, pizza, chicken breast, bread)
Dislikes textures in food (picky eater)
Prefers to wear the same clothes all the time
Dislikes tight clothing, elastic in socks, certain types of underwear
Will be very affectionate but recoil when touched by others
School asks you if you are having any problems in your home

One of the most important things you can do as soon as someone identifies an autistic child is to start taking notes of key behavior and the surrounding circumstances at the time. This will be a key tool in identifying effective strategies for both parents and teachers. It also will provide a guide as to what works and what doesn't.

We can help you in that process. We've designed a Parent-Teacher Communication Book that you can customize to best meet the needs of each child. For each identified autistic child, each day can have your specific goals clearly identified at the top of each page, with an easy yes / no and notes format that respects teachers and parents time. And we've provide general space for notes as well as an easily identifiable area for key reminders. The book is easily portable, so it can act as an effective link between parents and teachers.

We recommend that you start a good documentation process as soon as you identify autistic children. Our parent teacher communication book will also serve as important documentation when it comes to assessments and transition times. It can virtually eliminate the common complaint that new education professionals or therapists can underestimate a child's capability, simply because the child didn't express the positive behavior during a particular short visit. Few of us can perform on command, and kids are no exception. Having an ongoing record of achievements can help ensure that the child is given the best assessment possible.

To help eliminate confusion in the classroom, we can also personalize each book with the child's name and photo if you wish. Just contact us with your details. Click here to order a Parent Teacher Communication Book from the Great Ideas Store.

Interested in knowing other steps to take when you identify autistic children? Georgina Rayner has identified a number of first steps that should be taken. Click here for more information.

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