Category: Parenting

April marks Autism Awareness month. All around the world-famous landmarks have been lit up with blue lights, a great way for the world to notice that Autism is real, it impacts more people than we can imagine and yet, there is still so much to learn about the condition.

There is no doubt in my mind that parenting is the most difficult and demanding job of all, and this is ever more true in the case of parents with children on the autistic spectrum. Autism impacts many aspects of a family’s life:

• Anxiety, depression, and exhaustion take their toll on the physical well-being of caregivers
• There is a huge financial burden due to providing medical and therapeutic care, as well as the appropriate specialized toys and equipment and finding the best school
• It adds strain on the parent’s and siblings’ relationships. Parents have less quality time together and siblings often feel overshadowed and left out by the added attention and care that the autistic member of the family needs.

SENSORY PROCESSING
Ask any adult or adolescent about what they found most difficult in living with Autism and they will mostly confirm that dealing with the sensory elements of Autism was their biggest hurdle. At every moment in our 24-hour day, our senses are inundated with new and old sensory input, which gets filtered appropriately in order for one to function effectively. Many autistic children have great difficulty with processing sensory input from the environment and added to that, they have great difficulty communicating what they don’t like about the sensory input.

Autistic children are typically sensory sensitive with either low or fluctuating thresholds, meaning that they are hugely affected, (often negatively), by sensory input from their environments. It is just too loud, too bright, too tight or too fast for them. They experience sensory overload on a constant basis and they really battle to cope with this. Their withdrawal patterns and poor social skills are not necessarily caused by sensory overload but are augmented by their sensory issues. Children on the autistic spectrum need consistency, routine and structure. Unpredictable and sensory overloaded environments (like shops and shopping malls) are very difficult for them to cope with, which typically will cause them to throw tantrums, get aggressive and/or withdraw from such environments.

SENSORY MELTDOWNS
Sensory meltdowns occur when there is some form of discordance that happens in one or more of the sensory systems (touch, taste, sound, sight, smell, movement). Low blood sugar levels are also of relevance, as lowered blood sugar levels heighten all the senses. Remove the child from the distressing environment and take him to a safer and calmer place.

These meltdowns happen quickly and without warning.  The best advice for parents is to try not to over-protect these children or to shield them from stressful environments. Learn to anticipate which sensory system overloads the quickest and be prepared. Exposure to new and uncomfortable environments needs to be done in a gentle and calculated way (when the child is calm and regulated) as it helps them learn to anticipate, to adapt to and to manage these environments. A portable sensory toolkit can be taken with you whenever you are away from home.

PORTABLE SENSORY TOOL KIT

• Sunglasses (to decrease the effect of bright light)
• Baseball cap or wide-brimmed hat (for decreased visual stimulation)
• Ice cold water bottle with a sports cap for sucking water or an ice-cold juice with a straw
• Chewy snacks, like biltong, dried fruit, chewing gum
• Soundproof headphones for very loud environments
• Change of clothing (long-sleeved t-shirt to avoid unwanted touch)
• Deep bear hugs – calming effect
• Deep breathing – the universal calmer

The senses are thus vital in coping with Autism. Understand it, use it wisely and learn to look at people and environments from a sensory point of view.

Lastly, parents, you are the voice for your autistic child, you are their champion, you fight for their cause and you love them now as you did on the day that they were born. They are still the same children who love you for always being there for them, even when they cannot tell you themselves. You are the one that they depend on to tell the world that they are not less because of a diagnosis or label.

Annabella Sequeira holds a BSc (Occupational Therapy) degree from the University of Cape Town, backed by 22 years of experience in both the public and the private sectors.  She has extensive practical experience in the area of Sensory Integrative Dysfunction in children and is passionate about empowering others to improve functionality and quality of life.

Parenthood is wonderful – the fun and joy that a child brings are unlike any other experience in life. It also brings with it many responsibilities, like feeding and clothing your child. Sometimes, though, fun and responsibility combine in activities that are both good for them and fun for you both. Reading is or should be, one such activity. The process of finding a story that your child enjoys and reading it to them is extremely satisfying, but it has many benefits besides that. One of the most important is linked to the senses – reading aloud and hearing words/language is great for children’s development. Here are four ways this key sensory experience benefits little ones and tips to help them read more.

Reading improves cognitive ability

There is now much research to suggest that reading increases your child’s cognitive abilities – their rational thinking, logical skills and conceptual understanding. Some research even suggests kids’ IQ increases when read to regularly. By hearing stories, their brain gets used to auditory learning which is very helpful in later life. To unlock some of the more cerebral benefits of reading, try the following:

• Finding books with varying themes and ideas. This will give children different situations to think about and help broaden their understanding of different topics.
• Read books that help your child become familiar with sensory and other concepts like colour, sounds, numbers and seasons. The more practice they have in understanding these ideas, the better.
• Use books with different textures and fabrics to introduce sensory knowledge and understanding too. Head to your local library for lots of exciting options.

Being read to helps improve important sensory skills

Reading also encourages sensory skills like speaking and listening. For example, people who have been read to as children tend to be much better listeners in later life. This isn’t just because they are used to auditory experiences so can listen to stories, lectures or speeches; it’s also because they listen to other people in conversation and actually hear what they have to say. This is an invaluable skill and definitely one that should be encouraged. Here are some ways you can help:

• Try using different voices for different characters when reading to your child, and getting them to try the voices out too. This will help you to make sure they’re really listening – and it’s fun, too!
• Ask your child questions about the story at the end to help determine what they really heard.
• Test your child’s listening skills by setting them a challenge afterwards, like a scavenger hunt. You could task your little one with finding three objects related to the story, for example.
• Reading encourages important sensory exploration skills away from the ever distracting visual overload of technology.

Reading is a sensory experience that helps improve the bond between parent and child

Increased bonding between the reader and child is another great thing about this activity. There is something extremely intimate about hearing a book being read to you and this can also help the child enjoy the sound of their parent’s voice. A few more tips:

• Give everyone in the house a chance to read stories to the child so that they have a chance to develop bonds with the whole family.
• Include grandparents, aunts, uncles and siblings in the routine to help the child feel closer to them, too.

Reading is fun!

Most importantly, reading is ultimately about pleasure – stories are fun and listening to them being read is a sensory pleasure! Instilling not only the practice but the love of reading in your child at a young age will be crucial for their enjoyment of this activity in later life. Make sure to show your enthusiasm for reading, as this can be infectious. Here are some ways to make sure that reading is a treat to look forward to, not a chore:

• Remember that it’s OK to stop reading a book if your child isn’t enjoying it. Don’t force the issue, just move on to a different story.
• When you finish a book, ask your child what they enjoyed about reading it, and share what you liked about it as well.

There are so many potential benefits to reading with your child. Just sit back and enjoy a good story together. Remember, reading has so many sensory benefits like helping your child get used to the sound of your voice and encouraging them to hear and listen well. So find a good book and enjoy!