Szer Chyi's

As there are different types of autism and it ranges in severity, the characteristic of each individual would be different as well. In general, children with classical autistic disorder often face difficulties in acquiring social and interacting skills. They find it difficult to understand other people, thus hindering them from forming good relationships with others. They do not know how to express their thoughts and feelings and have difficulties controlling their emotions which eventually affects their social interaction with people. Furthermore, it is difficult for them to communicate with others as they do not have the necessary language skills. They are always in their own world and are also inflexible in their behaviors. They flaps, get fascinated by spinning objects and get attached to certain objects.

In order for autistic children to learn effectively, we have to create a well- structured and supportive environment.  Sudden changes would increase anxiety in the child, thus such changes need to be avoided. Furthermore, providing individual time table with visual aids for these children would be good.  It tells them about what is going to happen next and thus, they are reassured and prepared. We need to always encourage children to participate in activities. This allows them to form relationships with others and practice necessary social skills. Peers around could also help to aid the autistic child as well. The autistic child would also be less isolated and is able to form friendships with the rest. We have to take physical environment into considerations too.

Different floor mats and soft furnishing allow us to create a calm and soothing environment for children. Furthermore, it could also serve as boundaries which help children to better recognize which activities take place at which corners. Materials like stress balls are also good for children as it helps them to retreat when necessary. As an autistic child can be very sensitive to lights, smell and noise etc, it is important for us to create a calm environment for them. Our voices and body language could cause anxiety in them, thus we need to pay attention to it and make the necessary changes when handling an autistic child. Also, most children with autism are visual learner, they need more demonstrations rather than verbal instructions.