Wednesday, December 17, 2014

Motivation and Reinforcement: Turning the Tables on Autism


Robert Schramm believes that kids with autism should be accepted as they are. But adults and teens with autism, who never got the help they needed when they were younger, may end up feeling very lonely. By teaching the child some skills for life, you can make it easier for the child to fit into his or her environment.

Schramm provides ideas on how to encourage the kind of behavior that the parent desires,  such as removing things to change the environment. Even if you are okay with something in the home, it may not be acceptable in public. Would you want a child doing it in your home? Would it be acceptable at a public swimming pool?  If not, then it requires work. One of the suggestions in this book is to NOT take things away as punishment, opting instead for a “cash and carry” policy; you get the said reward when you do the task, no credit or excuses allowed. If the rule is “no TV until homework is done” then stick to the rule and don’t take “I forgot the book” as an excuse.

My only fault with the book is that there aren’t enough stories or examples to illustrate. The Grandparents’ Guide to Autism Spectrum Disorders has many, along with diagrams and pictures, which would be helpful too.

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