AUTISM SAFETY
priate behaviors; A 5 is Against the Law! Social
Boundaries: Straight Up! (Kari Dunn Buron) is
an excellent book for schools, or you can use
it yourself for teens and young adults. There
are few if any social groups for adults; parents
might facilitate creating them.
2.
Video feedback can help a child with autism
self-monitor behavior.
ASD children can see their own behavior in vid-
eos of themselves, ideally in real-time settings,
and can learn to self-monitor behavior. Prac-
ticed self-monitoring combined with self-man-
agement skills is very effective.
3. Get professional help in finding strategies.
Speech and language therapists teach prag-
matic language—those critical nonverbal
cues. OTs can help identify sensory tools for
self-calming. Professional therapists can help
ASD individuals identify triggers and neg-
ative thoughts that underlie behavior and
create proactive self-calming, cognitive, and
self-management strategies.
4. Teach your kids or adults with ASD to use
social media.
Individuals with autism need to know what can
and can’t be said in a text or email, the impor-
tance of waiting for a response before texting
again, and the meaning of emojis they might
receive or use. You need to discuss rules of
what should and should not be posted on any
social media: Facebook, Twitter, Messenger, In-
stagram, or Snapchat; this should be covered
in school as well.
5. Use do-it-yourself teaching.
Explain social boundaries and those of person-
al space; draw concentric circles and label who
belongs in each circle (self, family and closest
friends, friends, acquaintances, strangers), and
discuss who fits in each circle, as well as the
appropriate behaviors, proximity, and relation-
ships with people in that circle.
Teach reading nonverbal behaviors by watch-
ing TV or movies together and pausing to iden-
tify nonverbal cues in scenes. It’s particularly
important to identify wanted and unwanted
behavior and cues to how someone is reacting.
6. Encourage meditation for self-calming.
Regular meditation is scientifically proven
36 | Autism Parenting Magazine | Issue 87
to help deal with self-calming and handling
stress. Any form of mediation (mindfulness,
repetition of a word or phrase, progressive
body relaxation, yoga) works. There are apps
for mediation, including apps for children.
7. Educate the community.
Last, but not at all least, we must educate the
community at large about ASD. It’s vital to
teach those who might be responding to alle-
gations to recognize those with ASD and that
unwanted behaviors require education, clarifi-
cation of boundaries, and planning, not legal
action or punishment. Responses to behavior
in school are legally required to take ASD into
account. The general public needs to under-
stand neurodiversity. When parents see events
highlighting autism awareness, they need to
give them full support. You can bring in local
experts as speakers to help local leaders of any
community activity better understand ASD.
While you can’t anticipate every possible situation, you
can be sure your child is as prepared as possible. You
can insist that schools teach about harassment and
social media use in a social skills curriculum. Use op-
portunities for coaching at home. Your child is better
prepared when basic skills and ideas are introduced
early and reinforced at higher developmental levels
as he/she matures. Kids and adults with ASD need to
be taught to recognize potential problems and to ap-
proach certain situations with caution, as well as ad-
vocate for themselves and their perspectives.
With understanding from the community, the antic-
ipation of potential issues, and appropriate teaching
and strategies, we can remove the landmines from the
landscape and create a safer environment for everyone.
Marcia Eckerd, PhD, has been a licensed
psychologist since 1985, providing neu-
ropsychological evaluations, therapy, so-
cial skills training, and consultation with
parents and schools for ASD L1 (Asperg-
er’s) and those with ASD traits. She serves
on the CT ASD Advisory Council, the Clinical Advisory
Group of AANE, the professional board of Smart Kids
With LD, and the associate medical staff at Norwalk
Hospital, Norwalk, CT. Her articles have appeared in
Autism Spectrum News, the Journal of Health Service
Psychology, Aspergers101, SmartKidsWithLD.org, and
her blog, Divergent Thinkers.