Autism is a condition that can be seen on some children at an early age of 2. A child with autism has difficulties in handling social interactions and problems in conveying his wants through verbal communication. Caring for a child with autism can be a challenging task but parents are not totally helpless in helping their child cope with autism. Here are some things that you can do in caring for a child with autism.
Autistic child often reacts to sudden burst of noise drastically. If they are startled they tend to exhibit extreme emotional responses such as screaming, incessant crying or running around while mumbling. To respond to this, you should have a routine to calm your child.
You can hug your child, sing a certain song that he likes or give him his favorite toy every time such autistic behavior arise. It is always effective not to panic when your child is displaying such behaviors, instead try to remain as calm as you can and talk to your child in a gentle and soothing voice.
Autistic children respond to their environment differently than normal children too. If your child sees you and your spouse quarreling his autistic behaviors will mostly be triggered because he cannot “process” the situation. It is therefore, advisable not to display your anger in front of the child so as not to trigger his autistic behavior.
Do not show any sign of notoriety to an autistic child as it can lead to the further breakdown of his emotional and mental development. Treat an autistic child like any other child only with extra patience and care.
Make your living environment safe for an autistic child. As autistic children cannot process all the colors, shapes and sizes you should simplify your living room or his playroom. Allow your child only a couple of toys instead of giving him too many. A child’s autism can progress if he is assaulted with all too many experiences and interactions that he cannot understand.
Determine the triggers of your child’s autistic behavior. Is he sensitive to bright lights? Does he cover his ears on sudden noises such as a door banging or an object drops and breaks? Is his autism behavior triggered by an unfamiliar face? Knowing these triggers will help you manage your lifestyle in such a way that the autistic behaviors of your child can be held at bay.
Know your child’s patterns. An autistic child’s behavior revolves around a certain pattern, and it is wise to be prudent on making sure that these patterns are not changed abruptly. For example, if your child drinks a glass of milk before sleeping make sure to give to it, or else he will not sleep until he gets what he wants. Although this can be seen as “spoiling” your child, it is best to avoid triggering your child’s autistic behaviors so that he can improve both emotionally, communicatively, mentally and socially. Last of all, love your child. Nothing is more effective in dealing with autism than with loads of love.
Tags: autism, autistic
Posted in Child Care and Daycare, Parenting | 
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It is surprising how kids grow nowadays. It only seemed like yesterday that they were on their diapers, and now they are going to school. To allow your child to explore his environment and meet new challenges get your child an after school program to improve his self-esteem and academics. After school programs also enable your child to blend in his environment giving him feeling that he fits in. Choosing the right after school program for your child is easy. You only have to ask the following questions below.
Is the after-school childcare program focused on academics or on social skills?
Your child needs to have a balanced environment for studying and playing. If your child excels in academics then look for an after-school childcare program that focuses on developing your child’s social skills such as doing fun activities with other children. On the other hand, if your child needs more attention on his academics, choose a childcare program that focuses more on the intellectual development of your child.
Are the After-school Programs approved by the local school board?
To determine immediately if the after-school child care programs are effective on helping your child develop check if it is approved by the local school board.
Is the After-School Child Care Program Environment Safe for your Child?
It cannot be stressed more that safety is first when it comes to your child. Personally check the after-school childcare program and determine if it is safe. If it is indoors, check if there is a readily accessible fire escape nearby. If it is outdoors, does it have a perimeter fence to limit the child’s playing area and is it not near busy roads?
Are the Teachers and Staff Child-Friendly?
Living your child to strangers can be quite discomforting. It is therefore, important to determine if the teachers and staff are friendly not only to your child but to all the children in the after-school child care program. To be able to determine this without a biased conclusion, make a surprise visit to where the after-school program is being held and observe from afar the behavior of the teachers to the children and vice versa.
Is the location of the after-school childcare program near your home or office?
It is important that you can get to your child as fast as you can in case there are emergencies. It will be very economically unwise to enroll your child in an after-school childcare program that is held at the other side of the city. If this cannot be helped, at least make sure that a close friend’s house or a relative is nearby.
Does a child really need after-school childcare?
I think the answer to this depends upon you as a parent. If you leave work at 7 o’clock in the evening and your child is most of the time with a baby sitter it is better to have your child in an after-school child care program so that he can interact with his age group.
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A recent survey revealed that most families spend 7% of their annual income on child care services. This can be a huge cut on the budget for parents earning less than $75,000 every year. Below are 11 ways that can help you save on child care services cost.
1. Do you have a relative who lives nearby? One of the easiest way to cut on child care cost is to look for unemployed relatives that are near you to look after our child. Not only will you be able to cut the cost on childcare, but you will also be more at peace knowing that your child is with someone that you personally know.
2. Lessen the amount of time that your child is in childcare by arranging your schedules well.
3. Nanny Pool! If you have friends that need child care why not pool your resources and hire a nanny. You can have your friend’s child come to your house or vice versa.
4. Get a telecommuting job. A telecommuting job allows you to work at home. This means that not only will you be able to cut childcare cost, but you will also spend a lot of time with your child.
5. Check if your employer offers child care benefits or in partnership with child care services to get discounts on child care.
6. Enrol your child in public and charitable child care services. There are a lot of charitable organizations running child care services at very minimum cost.
7. Be on time. Most child care services charge an awful lot of money when your child stays longer than previously agreed. To avoid this extra charge make sure to pick your child right on time.
8. Avail of Child Tax Credit. If you are earning below $75,000 annually you can get a $500 tax break. All you need to do is send the IRS your gross annual income and all your childcare cost receipts.
9. There are also a lot of childcare associations all over the country that can help you save money on child care cost by providing you with information on where to get your child care, what is the cheapest yet the best child care services available or even house your child in their care.
10. Don’t enroll your child on the first child care services that you see. Look around your area for different child care services and choose the one that fits right in your budget.
11. Do childcare swap! If you have a friend or a neighbor that has the same problem with child care as you do why not talk to each other about share caring. This works better if you are working on different shifts. For example, if your neighbor works during the day you can watch over his child and when you work at nigh you can send your child over to his house. Make sure that you establish a good relationship with your friend or neighbor though before doing these to avoid future problems.
Tags: costs, money, savings Posted in Child Care and Daycare, Parenting | No Comments »
It is flu season again and more and more I am hearing about parents with sick kids. The flu season does not peak until November and several cases have already been reported. The Swine Flu originated in pigs, but has now begun affecting humans. With many cases are already reported. The Swine Flu is causing a widespread concern and uncertainty in many areas. Expert epidemiologists admit there’s little knowing whether the outbreak will worsen into a global pandemic, or end up no worse than the everyday flu.
Many people do not know the difference between the Swine Flu and the seasonal flu. Some panic when they hear about the Swine Flu but if you removed the “Swine” it’s still just the flu. The seasonal flu should not be taken lightly either. The influenza kills more than 36,000 people and hospitalizes another 200,000 a year. The difference with the Swine Flu is the timing, as this Flu seems to mutate at a different time of the year. It is also affecting a different group of the population.
Symptoms of the Swine Flu
• fever
• cough
• Body aches
• Sore throat
• Chills
• Fatigue
• Headache
How can parents protect their children?
Wash your hands. Make sure your kids are washing their hands regularly, especially after touching common areas that are shared with other people. (Door knobs, light switches, etc…)
Keep exposure low. If your child is sick or showing signs of being sick, let the child stay home. If your child is showing flu symptoms have your family doctor check or treat your child.
Coughing and sneezing. Teach your children to cough or sneeze into their shirt sleeve. The old practice would be their hands but this is no longer recommended.
The Swine Flu can be scary and alarming but there isn’t a lot of evidence that shows children are at a high risk. Follow the steps above and remind your children to wash their hands frequently and visit your doctor at the first flu symptoms.
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