Alee Behavioral Healthcare

  No student enjoys doing their homework. After all, after spending a busy day at school – they want to be able to dedicate their time to something a little more relaxing or fun, such as exploring their special interests or hobbies . However, for children with autism or related disorders, completing their homework could present them with a number of different challenges that they must combat.  While the school year may be behind us, many teachers chose to set their student’s work to complete over the holidays. If not, it’s important that they develop these skills in time for the new academic year.  With that in mind, here are some tips that you can use to help your child complete their homework (without the stress).  Add it to your calendar. Children with autism or related disorders prefer to stick to a certain routine – so you should ensure that homework is part of their schedule. For example, they could spend an hour or so after school working on their homework- wh...

One of the biggest issues that children with autism and related disorders encounter with literal thinking is difficulty understanding abstract thoughts and concepts. While neurotypical people may find it easy to use idioms such as “under the weather” or “piece of cake”, various studies have found that “children with ASD face greater difficulty than normal children in understanding idioms; they fail to consider social context and tend to interpret expressions literally.” For example, if they are told that information came “straight from the horse’s mouth”, this could be a point of confusion for them. More generally, this thought pattern also means that children with ASD may also be more straight to the point when communicating with others – which can sometimes appear as though they are being rude. While this is not the case, it can make it harder for them to communicate, especially among others within their age group. However, there are many ways in which you can encourage your child to...