First, I would like to talk about what autism spectrum disorder is. Autism; We can say that it is a developmental disorder that usually occurs in the first years of the child's life and is caused by the child's inability to communicate and establish verbal or non-verbal communication and relationships with his/her environment.
There are certain behaviors that are generally seen in children with autism. These; Situations such as repetitive movements, echolalia (repeating spoken words), echopraxia (repetition of behavior), lack of eye contact, inability to play, lack of imaginary playmates are just some of these symptoms.
What experts usually recommend to families of children with autism spectrum disorder It is said that children's lives should be in a certain order. For example; Children's daily activities such as waking up, eating and playing time should be constant and in order. At the same time, the places of the items in the house should not be changed and new items should not be bought into the house as much as possible. Because after children with autism get used to the order at home, buying a new item for the house or making sharp changes in the daily routine will cause aggression in the child.
If parents are careful about arranging the order at home and the child's life, children will continue to live without tantrums. However, when it comes to a natural event that is beyond their control, the situation can be different for children with autism.
Seasonal transitions bring about many behaviors such as increased obsessive movements, sleep problems, anger, aggression and crying crises in children with autism. Some children with autism experience wetness, etc. There may be sensitivity such as: That's why we need to get our children used to this situation when the seasonal transition approaches. As the seasonal transition period approaches, your child should be prepared for the seasonal transition period with stories, videos and photographs about that season.
After preparing the child, audio and visual reminders can be used so that he/she does not forget these data. In addition, as the seasonal transition approaches, an activity plan can be created for the child to count down how many days are left.
A suggestion from experts on this subject is Otiz. Children with disabilities receive Sensory Integration sessions. Sound, light, etc. in children with autism. There is sensory sensitivity to situations. Therefore, it has been observed that the level of readiness in children increases by taking sensory integration sessions regularly during the seasonal transition period. Additionally, in a study, an increase was found in the AGTE (Ankara Development Inventory) scores of a group of children with autism before receiving a Sensory Integration session, and in the AGTE scores after receiving regular Sensory Integration sessions for 6 months.
Seasonal transitions should not mean that there will be a change in every child with autism. Not every child may show the same symptoms. Although many scientific reasons for this are given by experts, the reason is not fully known.
During these processes, families should observe their children well and get support from an expert about what can be done in this process. It allows them to have a good time.
It should not be forgotten that Autism is not a deficiency but a difference…
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