Taking Drugs While Pregnant

Although planning a family vacation with children may make any parents pull out his or her hair, it can be a rewarding experience for everyone in the end. It is no different if you have an autistic child in the family.

The important thing to remember is that you need to be prepared for whatever life throws your way. To an autistic child, vacations can be scary and confusing, or they can be a great learning experience, leaving behind wonderful memories the entire family can enjoy.

First, choose your location based on your autistic child’s needs. For example, if he or she is sensitive to sound, an amusement park is probably not the best idea.

Quieter vacations are possible at small beaches and by going camping. Overall, you should be able to find a location that everyone in the family enjoys.

Once there, plan out your days accordingly. For example, you may want to see attractions very early or late in the day to avoid crowds. You also might want to consider taking your vacation during the off-season, if you children’s school work will not be disrupted. These gives your autistic child more comfort if he or she is nervous in crowded situations, and provides you with piece of mind.

When choosing a location, also note how far it is from you home. How will you get there? If you have to deal with an airport, remember that security may have to touch your child and be prepared for this.

Choose a location and activities that everyone can enjoy, but also that provide learning and social interaction opportunities for your autistic child. For example, a child that does not like touch sensations may enjoy the soft sands of a beach, and the waves can provide a very different kind of feeling for him or her.

Being outside, a beach is also a great place for your child to yell without disrupting others. Children who are normally non-responsive may benefit from a museum , where they can ask questions and you can ask questions of them.

Remember that most people on vacation at the location you choose will have never dealt with autism before. Try to be understanding of their ignorance-but also stick up for your child if he or she is being treated unfairly. Know your child’s constitutional laws, and also be willing to compromise.

For example, if a restaurant is reluctant to serve you after your child caused a scene there last night, explain the situation and ask if it would be possible to take your food to go, even if this is normally not done. T

ry not to be rude to people; staring often happens, but instead of snide comments or mean looks, ignore them as much as possible and focus on having a good time with your family

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I received a letter today from an exasperated mom of a 20-month old and it struck a chord in me. As a mother of six (4boys, 2 girls) I’ve been there, done that - and about pulled my hair out during the process.

Dee,

Harrison (my boy) is my first, and I think that is part of my issue. I am unsure of what is normal for a toddler aged little boy, and if I am expecting too much. I have read books, blogs, talked with other parents, but every child is so different. And what works with some children doesn’t work for others. I understand this. I guess I’m still trying to figure out what is best for Harrison.

My mother-in-law tells me often, while usually laughing, that Harrison is /acts just like his father.

A very active, energetic curious, pushes me to the limits little boy.

And as I mentioned in my original comment- I want to channel that energy in a good way.

I don’t want to crush his spirit. I want to encourage him to explore and learn, but not to where he thinks he can run wild. I want to be able to teach him that he can still have fun and stay with-in the boundaries that are there for his safety. How can I do this, and it actually work?

I really appreciate your taking the time to read and respond to me.

Jenifer

To be honest, the golden rules of motherhood that I’ve learned are VERY simple.

1) you listen - to what he’s thinking and feeling and then adjust your comments, advice, discipline and tactics accordingly. This is crucial to start now because as they get older, that listening can save their lives, literally

2) you pay attention - to how he acts, what he’s doing, his moods, his friends, his likes, his dislikes, the looks on his face, the words ‘behind the words’ when he’s upset. I swear if more parents actually PAID ATTENTION to their children, we wouldn’t have the teen crises we have today.

Paying attention isn’t just ‘watching’ a child - it’s truly trying to learn all you can about the child and then noticing the little things - the moods, changes in behavior, changes in friends, changes in likes and dislikes, changes in even facial expressions. How can a parent ever know how to handle a crisis with a child whom she doesn’t even really know?

3) set reasonable boundaries and stick to them - if your child has a problem with temper tantrums in the grocery store check-out line, then choose that to work on this week.

Take him to the store every day if you have to, and tell him beforehand what he will get and what he will not. “Mommy needs to go to the store for paper towels, we are not buying candy for you today. If you start begging and crying, you will have a 10 minute timeout when we get home.”

And then stick to it. Even if it takes 2 hours to get him to sit still in time out for 10 straight minutes. Even if it is in middle of Blues Clues. With a child 3 or under, I’d probably do 5 minutes (that’s a looooong time to a toddler!).

But what I did with my kids is every time they said a word, moved their hineys off the chair or screeched, the clock started over. I used a simple kitchen timer and put it where they could see it and count down with it. Oh, and timing doesn’t start until protestations and crying stops. This same principle works on older children.

You simply adjust the method behind the disciplinary action to fit the age of the child. With my teens, it’s a cell phone. They lose it for one week - but if they beg, or even ask for it back, I tack on another day.

4) don’t sweat the small stuff - nobody should truly want a perfect child. A perfect child who never acts up, never throws a tantrum, never makes a mistake, always sits still, is a child who is stuffing their emotions and trying to live according to what he thinks everyone else wants.

What kind of person does that child become as an adult? One without original ideas, or at least a fear of acting upon and/or sharing any original ideas he may have. He’ll be an adult who cares more about what everyone else thinks than what he wants or believes is good for him.

And, he’ll be a child who never has the strength of self to test boundaries, and boundaries should always be tested - it is how we grow, learn, create and invent in this world. In other words, you’ll be raising a neurotic future adult.

My advice? Make a list of the most important things your child needs to learn - the most important social boundaries, personal boundaries, etc. And then work on those one at a time. If he throws a fit in public, so what? Remove him from the situation and give him a time out and know he’s normal - which is a very good thing.

5) don’t try and shove a round peg into a square hole - one of the biggest crimes in our schools, in my opinion, is the lack of treating children as independent-thinking, unique individuals. All children are not the same - and thank God for that!

They don’t learn the same, they don’t think they same, they don’t feel the same and they don’t see the people and world around them the same. So why do we think we can teach them the same - whether it’s at home or at school? We can’t.

And this goes back up to number 2 - paying attention. As you grow to know your child more - and believe me, at the toddler stage a child changes daily - you’ll understand how better to teach them the lessons they need to learn.

My youngest son, who is my challenge child, doesn’t respond to corporal punishment, nor grounding, nor screaming and yelling. What he DOES respond to is talking. AFTER emotions have calmed down we sit and we talk. And I ask him what he was thinking, what he was feeling and I don’t let him get away with “I don’t know” or “I don’t remember”. He knows by now that we’ll sit for hours if need be until he has an answer.

When I understand as much as I’m capable of what he was feeling, we talk about how others who were in the situation felt or must of felt and then we go on to ideas on how EACH OF US could have handled it better and ways in which a similar situation can be avoided in the future.

Don’t give up, Jenifer. Doctors told me that my baby boy would “never become a productive member of society” due to his emotional issues and diagnoses of OCD, ADHD, and Oppositional Defiant Disorder. I was told I would be ‘better off’ if I “let the state care for him” so that I could better concentrate on my ‘normal’ children.

Needless to say, I told the doc where to go. Not that it’s been easy, it hasn’t.

There were days when he was your son’s age that I’d go and grab him out of bed after I’d FINALLY gotten him to sleep (he’d stay up for 36 hours at a time) because I’d realize I’d spent the whole day going “No, stop, quit it, don’t do that, knock it off.” I’d pick him up, sound asleep, and sit on the couch and hold him, telling him I loved him and fighting tears of frustration.

But today I have a 16-year-old boy who is bright, doing well in school, doesn’t drink, doesn’t do drugs and is well on his way to becoming the man I never lost faith he could become. He still has challenges and he is still challenging, but when people meet him, none can believe a doctor ever advised me to give up on him.

Now that I’ve written a book, I do want to tell you what the one thing is that I think is absolutely imperative for a child to learn. It’s really simple too - Respect. Respect for themselves, for others, for animals, nature and laws. I put respect for themselves first because if they learn that, the others just naturally fall into place.

When a child throws a tantrum in public, how many parents make sure the child understands how it made others around him feel? NOT what others around him thought - who gives a hoot about that - we can’t live our lives according to what others think of us and we shouldn’t teach children to either. But how did they feel? Sad? Distracted?

The other children in story time at the library, did his tantrum make them really sad because they couldn’t hear the storyteller? Did something he did scare them? You have to bring a child outside of himself during times of discipline.

There is no “because I said so” - part of learning respect is teaching that all actions and words have consequences and reactions in the people and world around them.

No man is an island, yet we so seldom teach our children about the human consequences of their actions. We are much more likely to tell them how much money they cost us, how they made us look, how mad we are, how much trouble they could have gotten in, etc.

But take them outside of themselves and help them walk that mile in another’s moccasins, and you will probably have a much better chance of molding your child in the ways you need to.

One more thing, and I apologize for this being so long, don’t spend every waking minute ‘teaching’. Kids learn - in spite of us parents. They learn in everything they do, say, hear, experience and encounter.

Instead of worrying about what you should be teaching him, stave off future regrets (trust me, they’ll happen) and simply take some time every single opportunity you can grab to just HAVE FUN. Even if you can’t see how he’s ‘learning’ - play - play and have fun with your baby. He will be that age for so little time and the play times are what they remember the most fondly.

My daughter, who is almost 18, had to fill out a questionaire for school not too long ago and one of the questions was, “What is your favorite memory with your mom?”. Her answer was about a time we were on a trip and stopped at one-horse town to go pee. The bathrooms were more like outhouses and we both had gas. (I can’t believe I’m posting this).

Anyway, after *noisily* trekking the 100 years or so to the outhouses, puttering the whole way, we collapsed in giggle fits to the point neither of us could breathe very well. Before that we had been in a hurry to get somewhere and we were running late. But that little moment of ‘fun’ stuck with my daughter all these years.

It floored me. After all, we’ve done together, talked about together, places we’ve gone together - and her favorite memory is a gassy trek to an outhouse. (shaking head)

I wish you the best of luck and a truckload of patience and love.

Many blessings,

Dee

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Getting distracted is normal for young children but the same can prove to be a major problem when the child grows up and is unable to concentrate on academics and school work. Lack of concentration or an inability to focus on the task at hand is a common concern that many parents have.

Irrespective of how bad the situation might seem, do not resort to conditional affection towards the performance at school. Comparison with other children should be avoided at all times.

Children have a lower attention span and lose interest in an activity or object very soon. In fact keeping them occupied with work or something to do all the time is not an easy task. There are some major causes of lack of concentration in children that need to be considered before you start getting worried. Once deciphered, some of these causes can be tackled easily.

Fatigue remains one of the commonest causes of lack of concentration. Children and teens are full of bubbly energy and the adrenalin flow at times leads them to indulge in excessive physical activity, late nights and other such activities that tire them out.

Sleepover parties and late-nights results in inadequate sleep and the drowsiness in the morning can hamper concentration. Inadequate sleep also has serious emotional and physical repercussions that can even thwart efforts at improving concentration in your child.

In children, sometimes the inability to concentrate is linked to improper diet and unhealthy eating habits. Children need to eat a healthy diet and that too at proper times. Iron ranks as one of the primary elements whose deficiency can cause lethargy and behavioral changes in a child.

Concentration problems may thus be a direct result of lack of energy in a child. Make sure that your child has a diet that provides sufficient amounts of trace elements including iron.

If the child is not being taught what is of interest, there is a great likelihood of the child becoming indifferent to other subjects as well. Many times boredom stems from forcing a child to undertake meaningless jobs at home. Teachers need to explain the concept of lessons they teach so that the child can understand the reason why he is being asked to learn it. Such efforts can lead to interest in an activity or task that was earlier considered boring.

Failure to do so can contribute to boredom inability to concentrate. At home, you can try to talk to your child to understand what interests him/her. Better still, spare some time and try to create opportunities so that your child can undertake the activities that he / she likes and finds interesting.

It has been observed that anxiety can also cause child concentration problems as the young brain is unable to perceive situations and stimuli in their proper perspective. A teenager’s anxiety may stem from a perceived threat, estranged relations at home, unrealistic parental expectations, sexual anxieties or simply a broken friendship. You can help your children by discussing matters to build a strong bond.

Reference:

http://www.amazines.com/Education/article_detail.cfm/406058?articleid=406058

http://www.articlesbase.com/psychology-articles/causes-for-the-lack-of-concentration-in-children-311505.html

http://www.afic.org/

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While many parents struggle to keep their toddlers away from the TV, there are others who have to deal with active toddlers who are constantly on the move and who look for avenues to attract their parents’ attention all the time.

Parenting an active toddler can be challenging and only apt parental care can help such children in developing into responsible adults. You may have successfully set the limits during early age about acceptable and unacceptable behaviors through non-verbal actions but as your child turns into a toddler it is time to learn about the meaning of specific actions that the child indulges in.

It is important for you to explain the meaning of certain actions that you take too. If you scold the child for pouring the bottle of barbeque sauce on the floor and then continue to splash water on the floor to clean it, the child may get confused about what is allowed and what is not.

Explaining that the water is meant to clean the sauce is important so that your child does not get confused about what is ‘okay’ to do. Children often tend to misread situations and making sure that your toddler interprets your actions in the right manner is essential. Only you can keep the process moving ahead to (as they say) clear the cobwebs and help in improving concentration in your child.

The first aspect of handling an active and aggressive toddler is to make him understand that aggression is much more than a physical and behavioral expression. It is an emotion that one needs to control.

* Raise his feelings to the level of ideas. You can do this if you understand that a toddler cannot conceive a dialogue and express his emotions in a proper language.
* Pretend plays and narratives that promote and support contemplation of emotions help children to understand what lies beyond the physical and behavioral aspect of aggression.
* Make you child aware of all the emotions. It is obvious that we all want our children to grow up to be nice people. But it is equally important to make them understand the range of emotions that we as human beings are capable of experiencing.
* Do not try to shield your child from emotions like anger and aggression. It is wrong to believe that your child will not indulge in aggression if you avoid mentioning it in front of him. Actually, the more you attempt to hide, the bigger challenge it becomes for the immature mind to adapt to it later. It is also important to realize that even if you shield your child from such negative emotions, there will be a time when he or she will get exposed to it somewhere else. And this could be in a place where you are not available to provide adequate counseling.
* Provide counseling about good, bad, acceptable and unacceptable emotions when the right moment arises. So, instead of changing the channel when a good guy kills the bad guy, it is better to present positive ideas like ‘let us help them become friends’. In short, help your child to adopt a contemplative attitude towards emotions and work together to provide a proper channel to channel those emotions positively.

A permissive and a punitive parent in the same family is a common occurrence. Both are not doing their duty as responsible parents if they do not provide food for thought to the toddler before allowing or disallowing something. If you want to learn how to calm impulsive children you should help them learn the manner in which they can control feelings and give a positive expression to emotions.

Till the time children are able to reason out things on their own, the onus of interpreting various actions rests on you. Improper handling at this stage is liable to create child concentration problems which can cause major problems later.

Reference:

http://life.familyeducation.com/behavioral-problems/aggression/40420.html

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No matter what, boys will always be boys and shall be more prone to fidgeting. They tend to fiddle with things, look around and are always up to something or the other. Often this is construed as a concentration problem or a disability. The reality however is that boys who later develop good attention spans also show similar signs.

The attention span of boys is generally shorter than that of girls. This however does not mean that you should not pay attention to the attention span of your son and assume that no extra effort is required since shorter attention spans are normal. You should lend a helping hand to your child for improving concentration irrespective of whether your child is a girl or a boy.

Organization and discipline are primary for increasing attention spans. Chart out a uniform work schedule for your son’s home-study. Set time limits that are clear and consistent. No matter what, stick to them unless there is an emergency.

Let the child choose his own study hours depending upon his comfort. Some kids have a diurnal cycle that allows them to concentrate best in the mornings and there are others who are likely to give their best during the evening or night. Appreciate that a child will not be able to maintain focus for more than 50 minutes at a time. With the first ten minutes required for clearing out what he was involved in before, studying for an hour at a time should be more than enough.

Ask him to take hourly breaks between topic and subjects that he needs to concentrate on. Let him expend some of the pent up physical energy during these breaks. This is something that is necessary for boys to be able to focus.

Before study time begins, help your son in organizing the tools that he requires for completing a project. Otherwise he will be wasting time in sharpening pencils, filling up pens with ink and looking for the stuff and lose track of what he is doing.

Allow your child to decide how much he wants to accomplish in a given time. Keep a subtle check on whether he is meeting his own targets. Every target achieved is a feather in his cap and let him boast about it. This will also help in keeping him motivated.

The biggest villain of the piece is distraction. And you may have an active role to play in reducing environmental distractions when your child is trying to concentrate. Reducing or changing your own television viewing times to suit your son’s study schedule and ensuring that there your child’s study area is clean and comfortable are some of the aspects that you may need to ensure.

Ambience can help a lot in improving concentration in your child. Sofas are designed for relaxing and beds for sleeping and not for studying. Get your son a study table or a desk and a straight chair. Place it in a room that is neither too hot nor cold. Extremely high or low temperature will not let him concentrate.

Promising a reward at the end of a study period after the child has achieved the self-set target may also work productively. The reward should not be monetary in nature but something that the child likes to do and looks forward to. An exercise like this also brings alive the concept of delayed gratification in children – something that they are not born with.

From kindergarten onwards attention spans of children should increase by 3 to 5 minutes every year. Most of the times, the child will attain this ability on his own. Your help may appear to be inconsequential at first but remember that to reach a distant destination you have to take small steps first. Parental help in improving concentration is that first small step that your son may actually be in need of.

Reference:

http://www.indiaparenting.com/intelligentchild/data/002.shtml

http://ezinearticles.com/?Increase-the-Attention-Span-of-Boys-With-These-Tips&id=908517

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Bringing up children is not only a matter of love and being a nice parent. Extreme love and patience can actually be harmful for the child, especially if the child is aggressive, attention-seeking and rowdy. There is a need to discipline children after a certain age and sometimes a stern attitude may be required.

Children decode verbal and non-verbal signals in various ways. They also express their feelings in different ways. Children with a passive temperament are likely to withdraw, behave indifferently or indulge in self destructive activities if they are hurt. On the other hand, active and impulsive children are more prone to indulge in aggressive and sensation seeking activities.

While active children are more susceptible to aggressive behavior, absence of proper of nurturing is likely to bring forth the characteristic more strongly. There are certain things that you have to learn to avoid while nurturing children, especially active children.

Verbal as well as non-verbal messages or cues play an important role in conveying to children that certain behaviors are not acceptable. In families where these are missing, both parent and child tend to hide their frustrations. Ultimately, this leads to parents meting out physical punishment which further aggravates the aggressive behaviors in children.

Children usually tend to give out signals when they are up to mischief. This may be in the shape of roughish looks, stamping of feet, a clenched fist or simply a scowl. A warning look from you or a simple statement that an anticipated action is not allowed should be enough make them back off.

An active child who cannot resist impulsive behavior will at least give you some warning of what is coming next. This is the time for you to assert yourself more strongly.

Consistency is another thing that you should keep in mind while handling assertive children who get angry quickly. Parents do not like to be nasty to their kids but being nice to them all the time may not be the best thing that you can do for your child. Exploding suddenly when your tolerance level is crossed can leave the child perplexed and confused.

If you have to check a particular behavior, make sure that you do it every time you see your child about to indulge in it. And most importantly, do not feel guilty about scolding your child. Remember that your interactions you’re your children provides an important feedback that will eventually veer them away from sensation seeking and impulsive behaviors. Such a change in impulsive behavior will also increase concentration.

Aggression eventually affects child concentration because aggressive behavior and anger leaves the child with a lower capacity to focus on anything else. Lack of parent-child interactions and an inconsistency in behavior can lead to confusion and misinterpretation.

Reference:

http://life.familyeducation.com/behavioral-problems/aggression/40420.html

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How to mediate bullying behaviors associated with the disorder

A new Swedish study says that children with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) are nearly four times as likely to become bullies. Conversely, the February issue of the journal of Developmental Medicine and Child Neurology states that children who now exhibit ADHD symptoms had a ten-fold chance of having been a prior target of bullying.

The study’s co-author Dr. Anders Hjern, professor in pediatric epidemiology at the University of Uppsala in Stockholm, says the results show the importance of paying attention to the interactions between children with ADHD versus healthy children. It might explain whether it is the ADHD children who are causing difficulties, or rather if they are acting out as a result of the bullying.

The bullies often need extra attention in other areas of emotional health, as well. Depression is a likely condition linked to aggressive behaviors. In addition, the high probability of being a prior victim of bullying could also be a contributing factor to violent or hostile behavior now. However, treating the symptoms of ADHD will not help the bullying behaviors, as behavioral-modifying drugs are in a separate classification than those which address symptoms of ADHD.

Studies further elucidate the grim reality of the prevalence in schools- up to 30% of students report regular involvement in bullying, particularly in grades 6 through 10. On a positive note, shedding light on the problem may facilitate schools and parents to practice a more active role in controlling the problem.

There are steps you can take to help resolve this issue. Consider the following ideas:

If you suspect your child is the problem:

* Have your child evaluated for ADHD. While symptoms can show as early as three years old, typically a child must be at least seven to distinguish between abnormal behaviors versus typical for that age range.
* With the proper diagnosis, you can then research symptoms, how to cope, and treatment options. Be sure to consider natural and homeopathic remedies, as they can provide effective, safe relief without side effects.

If your child is being bullied:

* Speak openly with your child about his or her encounters at school. It is often the “weakest” child being picked on. Encourage him or her to develop social skills to appear stronger and more self-confident.
* Have your child discuss the bullying with peers. While it may be embarrassing, your child may learn he or she is not the only one being picked on. With this knowledge comes power, as your child can group together with others. Bullies will likely leave a pack alone and find an easier target.
* Never confront the bully’s parents directly. Leave the matter to the school to handle, as you have no idea the consequences of those actions for the child, says Patrick Tolan, director of the Institute for Juvenile Research at the University of Illinois.
* Encourage other parents to take action. A single parent can be seen as an annoyance, but a group is harder to ignore and the school will be more likely to interfere and enforce disciplinary action on the bully.
* If all else fails, consider moving your child to another school. While the initial emotional impact of uprooting your child can be upsetting, the long-term effects from incessant bullying can be much worse.

Related Natural Remedies:

* BrightSpark - Aids in concentration, mental focus, and helps control tic disorders and anger outbursts.
* Focus Formula - Promotes concentration, memory and ability to focus attention without distraction.
* Brain Tonic - Aids in cognitive processes including concentration, memory and attentiveness.
* K-OK Kiddie Calmer - Helps reduce nervous exhaustion, specific fears and phobias in anxious children.
* Tula Tantrum Tamer - Helps reduce tantrums, soothe fiery tempers and reduce frustration in young children.

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When parents send their children to an after school program, they take it for granted their child will be safe. However, since the number of children participating in these activities has increased and considering the world we live in, it is necessary to look into safety issues our children may face when out of the house.

Children are vulnerable when they are outside the classes. While going or returning, they should know the safest route to take.

Many kids hang out with their friends just after these classes. Find out ‘danger zones’ from your neighbors and make the children aware of these and show them several alternate routes to and from school.

The child needs to know how to handle emergencies. It is better to discuss various scenarios with your child, telling her what she should do in case the class is suddenly canceled. Show her the first-aid kit at home and make sure she knows whom to call in an emergency.

Pre-arranging with several neighbors on your child’s routes to and from school, home and their after-school program to be a ’safe house’ in case of an emergency can save your child’s life. Make sure your child knows where these homes are and that they are safe zones for her if she would need one.

Post any important contact information in a place which is easily accessible to the child. If the child will be alone at home, discuss a few unexpected things with her. Tell her to use the safety chain in addition to the normal door locks ALWAYS.

Rely on your neighbors and friends when needed. Let your child know who can be contacted at times of emergency. Ask your child to check in by phone. Above all, always tell the child to be in a group. Visiting toilets all alone or going home via isolated streets must be avoided.

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In a world that is slowly but surely turning away from books and getting glued to monitors or television screens, the importance of developing a passion for reading cannot be overlooked. Reading is a habit and should be established when the child is relatively young. What can you do to foster this habit?

Enroll your child for reading classes:

There are many well structured after school reading classes that aim to draw the children to books. They help kids with diction, idioms and phrases. For young children, these classes can be fun with animated characters and pictures. Illustrated picture books, rhymes, silly songs and pretend stories all attract the young child. Use creativity to capture the child’s vivid imagination.

Pique your child’s interest:

If your child has a favorite character, pick a series of books that features this character. For my son, it was Spiderman. Thanks to friendly neighborhood spidey, my son latched on to comics fairly early in his childhood.

Build a home-library:

A skill like reading cannot be learnt in isolation. Do not leave all the hard work to the after school program. Pick up books that you think your child will like. The Internet is also a rich resource of reading games that will attract little children to the fine art of reading.

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When a family member is diagnosed with autism, there is a vast amount of information teaching parents how to cope with an autistic child, and there is also information for parents about dealing with an autistic child’s different behaviors. However, there are fewer learning tools for those who have an autistic sibling, even though this is a very stressful situation for brothers and sisters of an autistic child. The following tips can help children cope with an autistic sibling.

Sometimes parents are so involved in preparing themselves and their autistic child for the transition ahead that they forget that their other children must also deal with the new situation. Often, siblings of an autistic child may feel the new situation acutely. They may feel neglected by parents or jealous of the autistic child who is now receiving more attention.

Also, they may find their peers constantly teasing them about having an autistic sibling, which can lead to more stress. This may lead to behavioral issues, with the sibling acting out and becoming a