Five Ways To Help A Young Autistic Child Learn

If you own or manage a preschool and you hope to help autistic children learn new things too, then the first thing to remember is that autistic children don't often learn at the same pace as other kids. So, you need to give them more room. You may also need to adopt some simple ideas that can help an autistic child to learn better. Here are top 5 ways to help a young autistic child learn that have proven to be successful.

Establish a Routine

Autistic children like to have a routine, just like non-autistic kids. Your efforts should be towards creating a routine that's repeated over and over again. Some of the things that can help establish a routine are classroom greetings, a starter activity, transition cues, and wrap-ups. Do not change the routine often, and if you need to, make use of advance-notice verbal cues.

Use Commands for Actions

Children with autism can be trained on what to do with a small command. You need to show them yourself. For example, if you want kids to get up from their seat when you say stand, you need to say stand and demonstrate it by standing yourself. Repeat the command and action a few times to let it sink in. This might take some private education and one-on-one teacher attention to accomplish.

Offer Fewer Options

If you want autistic children to make decisions, try to give them fewer. For instance, if you want a child to color a flower shaped illustration on a page, give them just two or three colors. Giving them more colors might overwhelm them and may lead to inaction on their part.

Find What They Like

Some autistic kids like music while some like computers. You need to find what an autistic child likes the most and communicate with them by using that medium. For instance, if you wish to organize a fun activity at your pre-school, you can go for musical chairs if most of the autistic children like it and none of them has an aversion to it.

No Biases

Though it's a fact that kids with autism have special needs and are often more fragile, you should make the effort to make them a part of the class at your preschool. Do not pity them or let other kids make fun of them and do not isolate them as these things may have a lasting impact on your children's mind.


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