New! - National Head Start Association

Of course, a child who is diagnosed
with an ASD will need individualized
services that are developed in partnership
with the family and early intervention
practitioners. In general, it is helpful to
do the following:
• Keep communicating with children:
Talk in simple sentences. Get down on
the child’s level and try to make eye
contact. When appropriate, use hand
gestures (pointing, waving, and so on)
along with spoken language to communicate.
• Provide help with transitions: Many
children with ASDs resist changes. Giving
advance warning or notice before an
activity begins (or ends) can signi cantly
decrease transition problems. For example,
use songs to signal that it is time
to clean up and get ready for a new activity.
ese kinds of transition activities
can help prepare all children for changes
to come. Visuals can also be very helpful
in supporting children with ASDs (and
all young children!) with transitions.
Create a daily schedule for children that
includes pictures of the activities that
they will be doing during the day.
• Pay attention to cues: Like all children,
children with ASDs will try to communicate
their needs, whether it is that
they are hungry, tired, or in need of a
diaper change. For children for whom
communication is challenging, however,
it is particularly important that you try
to recognize and pay special attention to
what may be very subtle cues.
• Be consistent: Like all children, children
with ASDs need consistent limits
to help them self-regulate and control
their behaviors. If a child is exhibiting
an undesirable behavior, use redirection
whenever possible. For example, if
a child is grabbing at a toy that another
child is playing with, gently brush
his hand away and redirect him to
another toy.
Jaden and Andrew are lucky to be
involved HS-009 RPS in Early Ad-vFNL Head Start programs.
Children and Families Magazine
Because
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June 13, 2008
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THE MAGAZINE OF THE NATIONAL HEAD START ASSOCIATION Back-to-School 2008 CHILDREN AND FAMILIES 59