good evening everyone!

i did not plan on posting tonight because it has just been a long couple of weeks. but, i decided that i just wanted to share a little information with parents who have an autistic child. i am hoping that this will help cease, or at least decrease, some of the frustration in your life.

one of the biggest hurdles facing an autistic child is their ability to communicate. just imagine, as a typical person, how irritating it can be to get an idea across at times. perhaps it is because of a language barrier, or perhaps you just can’t find the right words to express how you are feeling, or maybe the fear that what you have to say won’t be understood. well, imagine those same irritations and not being able to talk.

Follow up:

your child needs something and can’t share it because he has no verbal skills. he can only cry or laugh to let you know something. so, as the parent when your child starts crying you end up going through a checklist…is he hungry, is he wet, is he tired….what happens? you both become frustrated and the tears and crying only increase. some autistic children never learn to speak, so what to do?

sign language! it has worked wonders for us. i was overwhelmed at the thought at first. i have seen speeches where there is someone to the side interpreting the words for the hearing impaired and been wondering how in the world do you learn that or understand that. but, it is really not that difficult once you get started.

i recommend starting simple…learn the signs for “eat”, “more”, “milk” and so on. there are some great dvd learning sets and even resources on the web. one of my favorite right now is “signing times”. there is also a box set available called “baby signs”. and another great one is “talking hands”. they are entertaining to baby and for the parents as well.

we have been working and using sign now for over a year. even ms. maxie signs really well. and it has helped sir dantes tell us what he wants or needs…anything from “i want a cookie” to letting us know he wants to watch “cat in the hat”. and, since he is learning a way to communicate the tantrums caused by the frustration of not being able to express himself have decreased ten-fold.

the other day sir dantes went to the pantry and grabbed a bag of chips, took them to his father and signed “please”. daddy gave him a bowl of chips and set them on the table and sir dantes signed “thank you”. what great progress!

please watch the link and don’t feel overwhelmed. it is actually easy to learn with practice. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mdhcH5nI45w

good luck and good night!