Autism and Natural Disaster

 

Planning is an important part of any family affected by autism's daily routine, but is even more important when it comes to being prepared before, during and after any type of natural disaster. The following tips to assist families with creating emergency preparedness and response plans

Hurricanes and other natural disasters can be difficult for people with autism. Disney has put a lot of video and guide for families following a natural disaster

Basic Preparedness Tips:

• Know where to go. If you are ordered to evacuate, know the local hurricane evacuation route(s) to take and have a plan for where you can stay. Contact your local emergency management agency for more information.
• Put together a disaster supply kit, including a flashlight, batteries, cash, first aid supplies, and copies of your critical information if you need to evacuate.
• If you are not in an area that is advised to evacuate and you decide to stay in your home, plan for adequate supplies in case you lose power and water for several days and you are not able to leave due to flooding or blocked roads.
• Make a family emergency 🚨 communication plan.
• Many communities have text or email alerting systems for emergency notifications. To find out what alerts are available in your area, search the Internet with your town, city, or county name and the word "alerts".

Developing a Disaster Preparedness Plan:

It is a good idea for every family to have an emergency plan in place to know what you would do during a crisis or natural disaster

Evacuating your home - some important things to remember:

• Call the Red Cross prior to evacuating to ask which shelters accommodate people with special needs. Upon arrival to any shelter, let them know your child has autism and fully explain all of your child's specific needs. Ask if there is a secure room or office where your family could stay if your child wanders.
• Remember children and adults with autism may be drawn to water. If you are facing a natural disaster with waters rising this quickly you will want to take extra precautions if you are not fully out of harm's way.
• If your loved one with autism has a tendency to wander from safety, make sure you have a multifaceted safety plan in place. This was Brad very hurricane 🌀 and what 😮 bother him the most was all the banning on the shutters and he cannot look outside along with the internet out he feels like his entire world 🌍 crashed. 

If you have any experience with this hurricane 🌀 with your family on the spectrum please let me know send us and email llivebeyondautism@gmail.com

Autism Meltdown

Many autistic people have meltdowns. The public often finds it hard to tell autism meltdowns and temper tantrums apart, but they are very different things. If your family member or the person you support has meltdowns, find out how to anticipate them, identify their causes and minimise their frequency.
 

What is a meltdown? 

A meltdown is an intense response to an overwhelming situation. It happens when someone becomes completely overwhelmed by their current situation and temporarily loses control of their behaviour. This loss of control can be expressed verbally (eg shouting, screaming, crying), physically (eg kicking, lashing out, biting) or in both ways. 

What to do 

If someone is having a meltdown, or not responding to you, don’t judge them. It can make a world of difference to an autistic person and their carers. 

• Give them some time - it can take a while to recover from information or sensory overload. 
• Calmly ask them (or their parent or friend) if they’re OK, but bear in mind they’ll need more time to respond than you might expect. 
• Make space - try to create a quiet, safe space as best you can. Ask people to move along and not to stare, turn off loud music and turn down bright lights – whatever you can think of to reduce the information overload, try it.

Anticipating a meltdown 

Many autistic people will show signs of distress before having a meltdown, which is sometimes referred to as the “rumble stage”. They may start to exhibit signs of anxiety such as pacing, seek reassurance through repetitive questioning or physical signs such as rocking or becoming very still. 

Identifying the causes 

A meltdown is a reaction to an overwhelming experience. If your family member or the person you support has meltdowns, identify what is overwhelming for them. Complete a diary over a period of time. Record what happened before, during and after each meltdown. 

triggers 

Once you have a clearer idea what may be triggering meltdowns, think about ways you might minimise that trigger. Every autistic person is different, but sensory differences, changes in routine, anxiety, and communication difficulties are common triggers

Change in routine 

Consistent, predictable routines and structure are very important for autistic people and a change to routine can be very distressing. 

For example, having to go a different route to school due to roadworks could cause feelings of anxiety, that may trigger a meltdown.

Communication difficulties 

Autistic people can find it difficult to express their wants and needs, from a non-verbal child struggling to express their need for a drink to a teenager finding it hard to express their emotions. This can result in overwhelming feelings, such as anger and frustration, 

Support the person to find ways to understand and express their emotions appropriately before they get overwhelmed, and find ways to make your own communication more easily 

Www.Livebeyondautism.com

Daily Routines are Important for Kids with Autism… AND all Kids!

 Routine for children of all developmental and learning abilities, both at home and in school.Maintaining strong social-emotional health we try to stick  to our daily routines with Brad.

• Eliminate power struggles
• Maintain consistency
• Foster cooperation
• Build the parent-child connection
• Help brad  take ownership of his own activities

How to Create Daily Routines for Kids with Autism: Stay C.A.L.M

Create

You can’t have a routine if you don’t create one. Start by identifying each task you’d like your child to complete, list them out, and organize a structured schedule. Designate when each should occur and for how long.

Alert

Creating an autism daily routine is one thing, sticking to it is another.  So stay on schedule with alerts, no matter how busy things get.

Like

A little positive reinforcement can go a long way. So be sure your child knows how much you like what they’re doing every step of the way.

Maintain

Maintaining the daily routine will likely be the hardest challenge. At least at first.But the longer you keep up a regular schedule, the easier it will be to maintain. So stay consistent.

Here is an example of my daily schedule for brad with autism who attend school.

• 6:00 AM Wake up
• 6:02 AM Drop his sister off for school 
• 6:20 AM Get dressed
• 7:00 AM Eat breakfast
• 7:30 AM School 🏫 

You can also create routines like this for your kiddos in the 

 Saturday, Sunday, no school sleep 💤 in 

Wake up whenever

Make your Bed 🛌 

Brush your teeth 🪥 

Get dressed 🩳 

schedules reinforce your family routines by making them fun 

Follow up click on the link for more 

https://linktr.ee/livebeyondautism

Bullying Prevention

 

Please read Bullying Prevention We’re all different. All unique. Yet, feeling different among peers can have a lasting effect. Words like weird, odd, strange used in a hurtful or derogatory way aren’t easily forgotten, and when combined with being excluded from lunchroom tables and social gatherings on the playground, it can have a greater devastating impact. What’s more, these words and actions can escalate to other forms of emotional or physical bullying. behavior that hurts, harms, or humiliates. Whether physically or emotionally, it can happen while at school, in the community, or online. Those bullying often have more social or physical “power,” while those targeted have difficulty stopping the behavior. The behavior is often done with intent and typically repeated.

As parents, one of the most important things we will ever do is model and teach compassion. When we model this, along with kindness and empathy, we promote understanding and acceptance of others. It’s up to us to teach our children about their peers with autism, Down syndrome and other disabilities, and how we are all deserving of inclusion, acceptance and each other’s respect.

It’s okay to feel different, but it’s not okay to treat – or be treated – differently. It’s up to us to empower our children to know and understand the difference while teaching the importance of self-love and embracing what makes us unique. Please feel free to share and check out my website for our journey click on the link https://linktr.ee/livebeyondautism

kids to go back to school

 Are you getting ready for your kids to go back to school?  Today we’re sharing our favorite first day of school tradition.It starts with these first days of school kids Picture, and an after-school treat to welcome them home from their first day of school.

Publix, for example, is running its Back to School promotions went this week and picked up a pack of  Pop-Tarts for my daughter Pringles and Quaker Bars Value Packs 

I stocked up on Quaker Chocolate Chip Bars Value Packs while they were buy 1 get 1 free. The kids love these!

After the first day of school

My favorite part of the school day is hearing all about it when they get home.  We always have to get Together in our family room on the first day, for the all the excitement.

Please share how your first day of school was by clicking on the LinkWww.Livebeyondautism.com

Signs of Autism

 

Autism is a neurodevelopmental disorder characterized by:

• social impairments
• cognitive impairments
• communication difficulties
• repetitive behaviors

Because Autism is a spectrum disorder, it can range from very mild to very severe and occur in all ethnic, socioeconomic and age groups. Males are four times more likely to have autism than females. Some children with autism appear normal before age 1 or 2 and then suddenly “regress” and lose language or social skills they had previously gained. This is called the regressive type of autism.

Early Signs:

A person with ASD might:

• Not respond to their name (the child may appear deaf)
• Not point at objects or things of interest, or demonstrate interest
• Not play “pretend” games
• Avoid eye contact
• Want to be alone
• Have difficulty understanding, or showing understanding, or other people’s feelings or their own
• Have no speech or delayed speech
• Repeat words or phrases over and over (echolalia)
• Give unrelated answers to questions
• Get upset by minor changes
• Have obsessive interests
• Flap their hands, rock their body, or spin in circles
• Have unusual reactions (over or under-sensitivity) to the way things sound, smell, taste, look, or feel
• Have low to no social skills
• Avoid or resist physical contact
• Demonstrate little safety or danger awareness

• People with autism may also:

  • Have unusual interests and behaviors
  • Have extreme anxiety and phobias, as well as unusual phobias
  • Line up toys or other objects
  • Play with toys the same way every time
  • Like parts of objects (e.g., wheels)
  • Become upset by minor changes
  • Have obsessive interests

  Other Symptoms:

• Hyperactivity (very active)
• Impulsivity (acting without thinking)
• Short attention span
• Aggression
• Causing self injury
• Meltdowns
• Unusual eating and sleeping habits
• Unusual mood or emotional reactions
• Lack of fear or more fear than expected
• Have unusual sleeping habits

• Developmental Screening

  Developmental screening is a short test to tell if children are learning basic skills when they should, or if they might have delays. During developmental screening the doctor might ask the parent some questions or talk and play with the child during an exam to see how she learns, speaks, behaves, and moves. A delay in any of these areas could be a sign of a problem.

  All children should be screened for developmental delays and disabilities during regular well-child doctor visits at:

• 9 months
• 18 months
• 24 or 30 months

• Additional screening might be needed if a child is at high risk for developmental delays due to preterm birth, low birth weight, having a sibling with ASD or if behaviors associated with ASDs are present.

  If your child’s doctor does not routinely check your child with this type of developmental screening test, ask that it be done.  If the doctor sees any signs of a problem, a comprehensive diagnostic evaluation is needed.

  Comprehensive Diagnostic Evaluation

  The second step of diagnosis is a comprehensive evaluation. This thorough review may include looking at the child’s behavior and development and interviewing the parents. It may also include a hearing and vision screening, genetic testing, neurological testing, and other medical testing.

  In some cases, the primary care doctor might choose to refer the child and family to a specialist for further assessment and diagnosis. Specialists who can do this type of evaluation include:

  • Developmental Pediatricians (doctors who have special training in child development and children with special needs)
  • Child Neurologists (doctors who work on the brain, spine, and nerves)
  • Child Psychologists or Psychiatrists (doctors who know about the human mind)