Summer is the season of flip-flops and dripping ice cream cones, of long, lazy days at the beach, and heated baseball games. It’s the season where schedules are looser and spontaneous activities and outings are often the norm.
However, for the parents of children with ASD, summertime can be especially challenging. The change in the child’s daily schedule, lack of a regular routine, as well as travel to unfamiliar places and spending time with extended family who may not understand autism, can all be triggering for the child.
好消息是，只要计划得当，您仍然可以和孩子一起享受暑期时光。以下五条建议可以帮助您和您的孩子度过一个平静、放松和超级有趣的暑假。
- 创建每日日程表
学校放假了，您的孩子可能不知道如何充实自己的时间。对于不善于自娱自乐的孩子来说，空虚的日子可能会让他们一触即发。
Avoid this and keep your child—and yourself—happy by creating a daily schedule for summer days. You can do this together with your child or work on it alone, being careful to fill time slots from wakeup time until bedtime. Allow for free play in small intervals throughout the day and build daily behaviors, such as brushing teeth and showering, into the schedule as well. If your child will be receiving therapy in the summer, be sure to incorporate these sessions into the schedule as well.
When your schedule is complete, hang it in a prominent place where your child can reference it as needed. You may want to hang more than one copy around the house, such as sticking one up on the fridge, and another on the wall in your child’s bedroom. If your child is too young to read, use pictures to show activities on the schedule instead of written words.
稳定的日常作息时间会让孩子更容易适应暑期松散的日程安排。
- 在计划活动和旅行时评估孩子的能力
Before you make any definitive summer plans, take an honest assessment of your child’s abilities and threshold of tolerance. It’s likely not a good idea to challenge that tolerance during your annual vacation or at the family reunion weekend. Instead, try to choose activities and trips that your child can easily handle. Consider hobbies and interests that your child would love to explore during the school months. Look for ways your child can build on those interests during their expanded free time in the summer. Finally, when planning activities and trips, avoid those that can cause sensory overload and upset your child.
- 认真准备旅行
Day trips and longer getaways are a fixture in the American summer. As a family with a child on the autism spectrum, you know that things will be a little different for you and that a change in your child’s surroundings can be triggering. These tips can help keep things calm on trips:
- 让孩子提前做好准备 在出发前，与孩子谈谈这次旅行，让他们知道会发生什么。如果可能的话，给他们看看目的地的照片，这样他们对新环境就不会感到完全惊讶了。您甚至可以为旅行日或多日假期制定一个日程表，让孩子知道在整个旅行期间应该做些什么。
- 提前致电您的目的地，了解他们是否能满足任何感官方面的需求。 Let them know you have a child with autism and share your child’s specific struggles. Some venues will agree to lower the music for a child with auditory sensitivity. Some airlines allow a child with ASD to board the plane before takeoff so they can explore their new surroundings.
- 带来舒适 家里的小慰藉，如最喜欢的毯子、泰迪熊或感官玩具，都能让您的孩子成为一名快乐的旅行者。
- 制定紧急备份计划。 确保为旅途中可能发生的任何情况做好计划。带上您偶尔会用到的镇静药物。带上孩子的照片，以防他们走失。如果您的第一选择对您的孩子来说是一场灾难，请考虑另一个出游方案。
只要计划得当，您就可以和全家人一起享受一次愉快的旅行。
- 提前与家人沟通
If your summer plans include visits to or from extended family members you don’t see often, it’s best to communicate with them in advance about your child’s specific needs and behaviors. For example, you can let them know your child is most comfortable seated on their own chair as opposed to squeezing together with their cousins on a bench. You can tell them that your child prefers not to be hugged or kissed and let them know that you will be bringing your own food for your child, if relevant. The more you communicate in advance, the less room you’ll leave for meltdowns and misunderstandings.
- Don’t neglect practicing academic, social and behavioral skills
School is out, but that doesn’t mean it’s time to neglect your child’s schoolwork. Make sure to build time into your daily schedule for summer homework, or for practicing schoolwork in another way, such as through an educational app or online game. Similarly, it’s important to incorporate time for any “therapy homework” your child may need to do at home, such as practicing social and behavioral skills they’ve learned in therapy.
有 ASD 谱系儿童的暑假可能会与神经畸形儿童家庭的暑假有些不同，但只要调整期望值并提前做好计划，您就可以与全家人一起享受一个愉快的暑假。
