Explaining Death To A Child Is Never Easy

Explaining death to a child is never easy, but this task can be even more difficult if the child is also autistic. Most autistic children are capable of sensing the void in their life from the death of a loved one. What you say to your child when explaining a death will depend on many factors, including their developmental level and how close they were to the deceased. In general, there are a few tips that you can keep in mind that may make this task a bit easier on both you and your child, whether or not they are autistic.

Look For Ways To Explain Death Before It Happens

Sometimes it is not always possible to try to prepare a child for the death of a loved one, particularly if the loved one passes suddenly or when they are young, but death is a topic that should be discussed rather than avoided. If a loved one is facing an illness that is likely to result in death, you may wish to be on the lookout for opportunities to discuss death with your child. If you happen to be driving by a graveyard or perhaps a pet that belongs to your child’s friend dies, these are good opportunities to bring up the subject of death and explain that it is a natural part of life. Explain that it is natural to feel many different emotions when someone close to us dies, but that death is something that is a natural part of living.

Reassure Your Child That It’s Not Their Fault

Your child may understandably feel confused and perhaps distressed at the loss or void in their life from the person’s absence. When explaining death to your child, reassure them that the death is not their fault, that nothing that they said or did made the person go away and that it is not a means of punishing the deceased. Explain to the child that the loved one is also no longer in any pain and still loves them, even though they will no longer be able to see them.

Try To Maintain Normal Routines

It is important to try to keep the child’s schedule as normal and regular as possible, but also important for the child to attend the viewing and funeral of the deceased loved one. It helps everyone to give and receive comfort and to be allowed to show their grief.

Understand The Signs Of Grief And Offer Comfort

We all express our grief differently. Some children may temporarily regress, or perhaps act out more and display outbursts of temper and frustration. Others may express their feelings in nonverbal ways such as losing sleep or appetite. It is important for adults to express to children that all of these behaviors are normal and that they are still loved and that it is okay for the child to seek comfort from them.

Death is hard enough for adults to understand and accept.  Don’t expect too much of your child.

World Autism Awareness Day 2nd April

This year’s World Autism Awareness Day falls immediately after Easter.  For the last six years, on April 2 the world has celebrated World Autism Awareness Day by lighting up blue.

Autism Awareness says “April 2 is the United Nations sanctioned World Autism Awareness Day, which sees countries all over the world light up their iconic buildings blue. From The Empire State building, to the Pyramids, famous buildings and landmarks across the globe will all take part in the ‘Light it up blue’ campaign to shine a light on autism.”

I love the World Autism Awareness Day Facebook page which is filled with photos of children wearing blue in support of the day, and of the world’s major buildings showered in beautiful blue light.

This year the Sydney Opera House won’t be showing much colour, thanks to the decision of the Premier of NSW who has decided to only support second-rate lighting.  Our Opera House won’t glow like the Empire State Building or buildings around the world.  It will be a limp blue grey colour.

If you would like to support the cause by contributing towards the funding of decent lighting, you can do so at Everyday Hero and show that you care.

Join the World Autism Awareness Day page on Facebook or visit Light It Up Blue to show your support.

Sensory Play Ideas

There are some brilliant ideas for sensory play and recently I have come across these which are practical and developed by families to meet the needs of their sensory challenged child.  They are simple but really effective.

Developed by Familylicious, this Slime Basket looks like fun.  You can almost feel the soft, cool slime snaking through your fingers, can’t you?  It might be a little messy so make sure you set up in an area that is easy to clean or cover the floor with paper.

The Sensory Spectrum shared this clever idea for making music.  Set up a sturdy frame and hang different containers and objects.  Plastic bottles filled to different levels with rice or water make great sounds.  Empty tins, sticks of wood – anything you can find.  Then simply let your child tap or shake them, or just move them as they walk past.  The different sounds could be captivating.

GummyLump has a great idea for sensory Easter play.  Cut large Easter egg shapes out of sturdy cardboard and decorate with items that each have a different feel.  Twirled pipe cleaners, cotton wool, tinsel – whatever you can find – can be glued to the egg so that the surface feels different when you touch it.

Mom to 2 Little Divas has an idea that I would love to play with.  Fizz, Bubble & Pop! Experimenting with Vinegar + Baking Soda is a combination of science experiment and pure fizzing fun.  You know what happens when you mix baking soda and vinegar but your kids won’t.  Add a dash of food colouring and you will have colourful fizz happening right in front of their eyes.

Most of these activities take imagination rather than expense to prepare and they will be just as much sensory fun for you as they are your children.

A Non-Chocolate Easter

Not everyone can safely eat chocolate and during Easter, that can put a strain on celebrations.  The last thing you want is some sugar-driven, chocolate inspired meltdown.

Not everyone understands the impact that chocolate can have so be prepared for family and friends to arrive bearing chocolate drama in the shape of an egg or a bunny.

We like to give non-chocolate gifts at Easter and we’ve found a selection that are Easter inspired yet won’t break the bank. 

Easter Egg Putty - It looks like an Easter egg but it’s not.  It’s soft and squishy and can be formed into different shapes.  So much sensory fun in one little egg!

Jumping Egg Putty - Squishy, slimy and bouncy!  This bright yellow putty stretches and tears and moulds and shapes.

Decor Egg Lamp - I love these.  They are great decor Egg Lamps with fantastic mood lighting through 7 different colours.

Egg Chalk - This is a pack of 6 egg shaped chalks in an egg carton.  Each chalk is designed to fit snuggly inside a little hand.

Easter Carrot Containers (set of 3) - What a clever idea.  If your child MUST have chocolate, add a tiny portion inside one of these containers and he or she will get the chocolate they want and a toy to play with too.  They will hold little gifts as well.

These are all Easter inspired gifts that your child will love and which will take the emphasis away from all that chocolate.  Best of all, these gifts are all priced at less than $7 each.

Make your Easter a little happier by swapping chocolate for a long-lasting toy.

Does Diet Cause Autism?

If you are the parent of a child with autism, chances are great that you are constantly seeking ways to help your child with the unique challenges that they face as they grow. In your quest to understand more about autism, you may look for ways that can help them to adjust and cope with their environment. One of the factors that you may have considered is the role of diet in its development and treatment.

In the past, there has been considerable debate among parents, teachers, physicians, psychologists and others as to whether or not diet plays any role in the development or progression of autism. It seems there are plenty of studies that support both sides of this discussion. So, what are parents who wish to provide the best care and support to their children with autism supposed to do?

While the research still remains unclear, most of us who are familiar with autism know that our kids are more sensitive to many things in their environment. Whether it’s noises, textures, movement - you name it - many things seem to affect our children more than others without autism. While it is unclear if certain foods in our diets may cause or worsen autism that does not mean that we should not take the time to be aware of the effects certain foods may have on our children.

Many parents of children who do not have autism are familiar with the excess energy and erratic behavior that sometimes occur in children when they have eaten too much sugar. If this occurs in non-autistic children, it is simply common sense to consider that our autistic kids may be more sensitive to the effects of sugar and other common ingredients found in foods, such as caffeine, chocolate, food dyes, preservatives and more.

You may wish to keep a food diary to document any reactions your child has to specific foods. Keeping a food diary may help you to discover if specific foods seem to increase certain behaviours or reactions in your child. Over time, if you keep noticing your child has the same effects to a particular food, you may wish to limit their exposure to this item.

While sugar, caffeine and chocolate are known for being likely culprits, other children may have gluten sensitivities  or even low level allergies to other food items such as nuts or milk.  While identifying a specific food sensitivity probably won't "cure" your child's autism, anything that you can do to help reduce your child's stress and sensitivity levels from factors in their environment certainly won't hurt.

 

Sensory Processing Disorder

Sensory Processing Disorder (SPD) refers to the body’s difficulty in interpreting stimuli with any one (or more) of the senses.  For example, a child may have difficulty concentrating when there is a lot of background noise or might struggle to play on outdoor equipment that other children love.

Sometimes the SPD is minor and is nothing to be worried about, but other times it can cause difficulty at school or in social settings.

We receive information from the world through all of our senses – touch, sound, sight, taste and smell.  The information is taken in and processed by our nervous systems which make sense of it for us.  We all have different preferences for the way we accept information.  I prefer visual information over sound, for example.

SPD becomes a problem when the child cannot process the information properly and it interferes with normal development or behaviour.

Some examples of potential SPD indicators are:

·         Inability to focus on an activity if there is background noise

·         Jumping from one activity to another, never fully being able to complete a task

·         Responding negatively to loud noises, or often covering ears

·         Seeking high movement activities, but often appearing clumsy

·         Showing a strong preference for certain foods or smells

·         Irritation from shoes, socks, tags, or different textures

·         Difficulties learning new activities

·         Under or over-sensitivity to touch, movement, sights, or sounds

There are more indicators listed on the North Shore Pediatric Therapy website.

If you know your child has a sensitivity to something, you can plan around it.  For example, if your child hates lumpy food, don’t buy yogurt with fruit pieces in it.  If they hate the feel of woollen jumpers, avoid blankets and toys made of woollen fabric.

Sensory toys and games can make “therapy” fun and be done at home.  The idea is to expose your child to a range of different stimuli in a safe and fun way so that gradually the fear goes and the child learns how to respond more appropriately.

Specialist Occupational Therapists can make a big difference in the way your child copes with his or her sensory issue so if it is causing real problems at home or school, that would be your best starting point.

SPD can be managed so that your child can have a normal, happy life.

Autism Oz Magazine

Autism Oz is a monthly iPad based magazine with a focus on autism health and lifestyle issues.  This magazine provides up to date and current information relating to autism as well as resources that will inspire and support you and your family.  Even if you don’t have an iPad it can be downloaded in PDF.

The magazine utilises a great team of writers who have experience across a whole range of autism issues so they can bring you relevant information and advice.  A great feature of Autism Oz magazine is that it is interactive through the sharing of videos, letters, stories and links to other resources.  It features real life stories from people who share their experiences including their struggles, challenges and successes.  By sharing these experiences it is intended to provide readers with a valuable insight that may assist them on a practical level.

Follow the link to download the free application from iTunes and then subscribe within the application to view the magazine.

In addition, Autism Oz has a great Facebook page that provides a range of additional resources and information as well as the comments, feedback and support from other people.