Autism & Children

It has been quite some time that we have been working on catching our son’s look under his psychiatrist request. It is a very important exercise for when your autistic child looks at you when you talk to him or call him, that means communication is there.

How to catch his look?

It is already necessary to see if your child doesn’t spontaneously raise his eyes and look up at yours when you call him. If he is busy playing a game, you have to pass something that he likes in front of his eyes and then in front of yours, while constantly repeating “look at me in the eye” in a kind way.

After a while, he would have to understand what we expect from him when we ask him to look in our eyes, and it would become less and less hard as time is passing by.

Rewards

It is necessary not to under-estimate the importance of rewards when establishing a good behavior. Did he succeed in looking at you? Better: did he look at you and ask for something, or simply because you called him? He must be rewarded.

Rewards can go from simple congratulations (don’t hesitate to make many of them, and positive reinforcement often makes wonders on all children) to a tap on his shoulder, a tickling game if he likes that, or even a little sweet or a small toy that he desires if what he has done needed a particular effort.

Translation: Sihem Boussabat