If you are going to a place the child has never been before, you may have to be creative when explaining where you are going. For example, if you were going to the movie theater to see a movie that maybe the child is unaware of or he/she is uninterested in, you may need to tell them you are going to eat popcorn. If the child knows what popcorn is, and enjoys eating it, it will lessen their anxiety about where they are going without lying to them.
Some other tips on movie theaters:
Autistic children already live in a world similar to a movie theater. We enjoy going to the movies because of the large screen and surround sound in a dark room, making it the ultimate experience for our senses. Children with autism, who experience sensory overload everyday, may not think this is an exciting place to be. It may be overwhelming and over-stimulating.
They may also not be able to handle the anxiety of not knowing what to expect from a new movie they have never seen, especially when going into sensory overload. We should always remember, that just because something is fun and enjoyable for us or most children, does not mean it is fun and enjoyable for Autistic individuals.
You may wonder how someone with autism who has very specific, delight from movies or television could not like to go to the movies. You may also wonder how they could ever like any video or program if they don't like watching things they haven't seen before.
This is where their unique heightened senses come in to play. First thing children with autism like is commercials. They are short...often funny in a exaggerated sort of way....catchy or have theme music or jingle. They are too short to get too much anxiety worked up about it, and don't have a plot or characters to really be concerned about. Plus, they could hear the sound from the TV in a non-confrontational way....like in the back of the house in their bedroom.
Once they have heard something at least once and realized it is nothing to be scared of, they will either LOVE it or HATE it!
We started taking my autistic son to the movies when he was about 3 or 4. Periodically, children's movies for military families would be shown for free on post, and so we liked to take advantage of the opportunity thinking the boys would really love it. But it was the opposite. Tristen, even with popcorn, pop and goodies, could not take the booming sound and anxiety of what was about to happen on screen. We spent the whole movie hiding behind the back wall and him peeking around the corner periodically with one eye. He never cared for that movie even as he got older. But we kept taking him and trying to work his way into the audience. Sometimes it would end up being a favorite movie we would later buy and he would watch and watch until the tape broke. And it got better each time we tried taking him, to where now at 15, we could go to just about any movie and he will be ok. (If it gets a little too intense, he will ask to go to the bathroom)
The purpose of field trips and outings it to help the kids to overcome their fears so they can have more enjoyment out of life and be out in public without completely melting down.
I always take the autistic child to use the bathroom as soon as we reach our new destination. It is good for them to get familiar with different bathrooms because they tend to be a scary place for them. Once they are introduced to the bathroom, I ask them if they need to go now and then to be sure they do not have an accident.
It's good to have your "bag of tricks" just as if you were taking your toddler out. Books, toys...favorites...treats and maybe even candy as a last resort.
As always, remain calm. Be respectful an courteous but do not worry about what others are thinking about the situation you may be in. Be in the moment, there to help your child.
No comments:
Post a Comment