Parents can help their children to develop social and emotional resilience by being responsive to signs of stress and knowing when to intervene. As a parent or family member of a child with Autism, you may notice that changes in routine or certain interventions by intervention professionals can cause meltdowns or increase the severity of the behaviour. While coping strategies are not just limited to children, parents can play an active role in helping their children learn adaptive ways to cope with challenges and build resilience.
What is Resilience?
Resilience is the capacity to recover quickly from difficult experiences. It is an important trait in your toolbox because it helps you cope with disappointment, failure, and adversity. And if you have a child with Autism, resilience is something that will serve them well throughout their life.
As per Autism Intervention Program children need to develop resilience skills because they will inevitably face difficult life situations. For example, children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) may struggle with social interactions due to sensory sensitivities or unusual behaviours such as stimming (repetitive movements or vocalizations). They may also have difficulty communicating their emotions or thoughts effectively, which can lead to misunderstandings or arguments with others who may not understand them as well as they should (including family members). These types of situations can cause stress on both sides, which can lead to feelings of anger, frustration, sadness or other negative emotions.
What Are the Types of Resilience?
According to the National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH), there are three types of resilience:
Emotional Resilience
Emotional resilience is the ability to deal effectively with stress and difficult emotions. This resilience helps you bounce back from setbacks and recover from disappointments. Children need emotional resilience so they can:
- Identify their feelings and label them accurately.
- Accept their emotions without judgment or criticism.
- Recognize when they feel overwhelmed by their emotions and take steps towards calming themselves down before it becomes too much for them to handle.
Adaptive Coping Skills
These are the skills that your child will use to overcome challenges and frustration in their everyday life. They are things like problem-solving, using friends as support, or researching solutions online. If your child has Autism, some common adaptive coping skills can help you identify what is going on with them:
- They might tell you how they feel instead of acting out or shutting down.
- They might use humour to make light of an uncomfortable situation or difficult task.
- They might use repetition as a way of calming themselves down when they are upset.
Hardiness
Hardiness is the ability to bounce back after a setback or failure. This kind of resilience allows people who have been through tragedy to keep going on in life and not just give up after something bad happens.
How to Develop Resilience?
Knowing how to help your autistic child develop resilience will help you better support them.
Learning About Your Child’s Individual Needs
The first step in developing resilience in your autistic child is to learn about their individual needs. It is important to understand the triggers that cause your child to become overwhelmed and how they can best be calmed down and redirected. You will want to observe them for a few weeks to get a sense of their behaviour patterns and any patterns that might indicate something like a change in routine or schedule.
Developing a Strong Relationship With Your Child
Developing a strong relationship with your child can help them develop resilience. Resilience is the ability to bounce back from negative events or circumstances. It is a skill that can be learned and developed by anyone, but it is especially important for people with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). Children with ASD have difficulties interacting with others and communicating their feelings. They may also struggle with sensory processing, social skills, and executive functioning for which an autism treatment program is made as per their requirement.
Helping Them Develop a Sense of Self
You can help your child develop a sense of self by giving him opportunities to make choices and feel like he has some control over his life. This helps him know that his opinion matters, making him feel better about himself and providing him with coping skills when things do not go as planned.
Recognizing the Strength Within Them
One of the most important things you can do to help your autistic child develop resilience is to recognize the strength within them. Even if they are unaware of their abilities, praising them for their efforts and supporting them as they try new things is important.
Conclusion
There are many different things to know about developing your child’s resilience. The key is to tailor the strategies to meet the needs and personalities of each child. Whatever strategies you choose, always keep in mind the end goal: ensuring your child has the confidence and coping skills necessary to face life’s difficulties with resiliency and success.
