Communicating with an Autistic Child: A Parent’s Guide

Communicating with an autistic child can pose many challenges. Children with autism often withdraw within themselves and have trouble interacting with the world around them. Every case of autism is a little different; some children can communicate verbally, while others struggle with all communication, including nonverbal hand gestures and facial expressions. Once parents begin to understand the signs and conditions of their individual child’s autism, they can begin to develop a plan for communicating with their child. Communicating with an autistic child has very few “one size fits all” solutions and, in many cases, it will take a lot of trial and error and patience in order to find successful strategies for communicating. However, the trials and patience that go into finding a way to communicate will only make a communication breakthrough more rewarding.

General Resources about Autism

Autism is a complex condition with many different definitions. Simply understanding autism and where your child falls on the spectrum is the first step in learning to communicate with your autistic child. The better you understand your child, the easier it will be to find solutions and treatment options.

A Parent’s Guide to ASD – Learn what Autism Spectrum Disorder is and how to recognize the signs and symptoms.

Facts about ASDs – There are three main types of ASDs. Discover their signs, symptoms and treatments.

Autism and Communication – Gain a basic overview of autism and how it affects communication and language development in children.

Parenting a Child with Autism

Parenting a child with autism requires a significant amount of patience, understanding and support. Those with autistic children can learn as much from other parents with autistic children as they can from professionals who work with children with ASD. Parents of autistic children must also learn to take care of their own mental and emotional health. Being stressed, tired and overemotional will lead to more setbacks than successes.

Helping Children with Autism – If your child has autism, the first step is learning what your options are when it comes to getting treatment for your child.

10 Commandments of Parenting a Child with Autism – This piece provides a slightly humorous, realistic view of what it is like to parent an autistic child.

Young Children with ASD: Strategies that Work – Discover multiple strategies for helping your autistic child.

Living with a Child with Autism – Pay attention to your child’s trigger and follow these tips to help make living with an autistic child a little easier.

Autism and Your Family – An autism diagnosis can mean major changes for your family. Learn how to handle the diagnosis emotionally and physically.

Parenting Tips for Raising a Child with Autism – These simple tips will help parents who have recently discovered their child has autism.

Seven Big Parenting Issues We All Must Face – Parenting is challenging, but it can be even more challenging when a child has autism. Learn how to handle basic issues such as tantrums and car safety.

Parenting a Child with Autism: What Should I Do in a Crisis? – Being prepared is the best course of action when parenting a child with autism. Make sure you are prepared to handle a crisis, should one arise.

Coping with the Autism Diagnosis: A Parent’s Guide to Managing Stress – A stressed out parent is not a successful parent. Learn ways to manage the stress that comes with an autism diagnosis.

Parenting a Child with Autism – Case studies and activities help parents better understand how to work with a child who has autism.

Communicating with Autistic Children

Communicating with autistic children may be difficult, but it is not impossible. Autistic children often do not pick up on the same verbal and nonverbal cues that spur communication in non-autistic individuals. They may act out of emotion or have limited areas of interest that limit the ability to communicate.

Autism and Communication: 5 Ways to Communicate – Communicating with an autistic child can be difficult, but the solution can be as simple as using the five senses.

Communication Problems in Children with Autism – Autistic children have specific communication problems and understanding them is the first step in overcoming them.

Communication-Building Tips for Parents of Children with ASD – Simple tips put you on track to experiencing success when it comes to communicating with your autistic child.

Conversation Basics – Autistic children often have trouble with basic communication skills, such as how to have a conversation. This breaks them down to help parents teach those skills.

Puzzling Through: New Ways to Teach Children with Autism – Learn about the latest research and methods available to help your autistic child communicate.

Autism and Communication – Gain an understanding of communication problems in autistic children and how each problem is treated.

Helping the Child with Autism Build Peer Relationships and Friendships – Relationships are difficult for autistic children to form, but it is possible for them to make friends and this guide helps.

The Power of Using Everyday Routines to Promote Young Children’s Language and Social Skills – Routines can be a very successful method for helping autistic children interact with others. Learn how to implement them with your child.

Parent Tips: Cognitive Behavioral Therapy – Cognitive Behavioral Therapy is a treatment option for autistic children. Read about it and determine if it may be right for your child.

Reading Together: Tips for Parents of Children with ASD – When used properly, books can be a way to communicate with your autistic child.