Children with autism often have a hard time at school. Certainly within regular education there are many stimuli in the school situation that can cause overstimulation during the school day. During a busy school day, your child is therefore helped with tools that help with the processing of stimuli. Products that ensure that tension can be reduced and your child feels better about himself and is therefore also able to learn.
In this article, I’ll talk about different tools to help your child with autism feel better in the classroom.
Hearing protector when making keys
In a busy environment (for example, a school classroom), it can be helpful for a child with autism to wear a hearing protector to reduce the auditory stimuli (sounds) that they enter so strongly. More and more schools are using hearing protectors in the classroom for children with autism or concentration problems. Just think about all the many stimuli of sounds in a classroom, for example: chair legs sliding across the floor, a ticking clock, children talking to each other, sounds from outside the classroom and so on… These sound stimuli come in unfiltered and therefore children with autism have difficulty concentrating or they become ”suddenly” very angry! Because of all these stimuli, children can also quickly become tired or overstimulated. Offer a hearing protector, but not all day, otherwise your ears will get used to the attenuation of the hearing protector and when the child takes it off everything will come in extra hard! It is better to select when you use the hearing protector (for example, 20 minutes for group work and 2 hours later during a test).
Weighted pillow or weighted hug to de-excite
A weighted pillow can be very soothing for a child with autism due to deep pressure. ”Happiness” substances such as dopamine and endorphine are then released in the brain that provide a relaxing and happy feeling. Depending on how old and heavy the child is, you can find out for yourself what amount of weight is most comfortable for the child with autism. Usually this is between 1kg and 4kg. The weighted pillow also stimulates concentration, which benefits the classroom as an extra! As an adult, I myself had a weighted pillow made, and this helps me to relax on the couch after a day full of stimuli and impressions.
In general, we see that the weighting pillow is mainly used by children, but that does not mean that adults cannot use it. Do you also suffer from poor concentration, are you easily distracted or can you not sit still for a long time? Then it is definitely worth giving it a try.
Both teachers at school and therapists are positive about the tool. They regularly use a weighted hug or pillow to calm children down and keep them on track.
Chewing on a Chew Chain to keep up with the lesson
A chew chain in the classroom for your child with autism, fortunately this is more and more accepted in the classroom as a tool! Children with autism often have tensions at school or have difficulty excluding stimuli. Whether they chew on everything that is within reach, such as clothing (sleeves and collar are often the target) or pens or pencils or nail biting and so on… Chewing also helps you concentrate better and exclude stimuli. So it has different purposes and is definitely worth a try! Teach your child that they chew the chew chain instead of other things and.. Above all, persevere! There are many different brands, or chewing strengths, of what they look like. At Educadora you can enjoy a buy bite chain. The ark therapeutic and Chewigem brands both meet the strict European safety requirements. These chew chains are free of BPA, lead, PVC, latex and phthalates.
How do you know which chew chain is right for your child? Read our tips for buying a chew chain.
Fidgeting toys help keep the brain active during class
Fidgeting toys such as the tangle have long been the best-known tool for children who need movement to activate their brain. And actually this is a must for everyone. How do you keep it up yourself in a boring meeting, you notice that you sit down, draw or take your pen apart. Similarly, most children benefit from fidgeting with something. For a child with autism, a fidget can not only be used to be alert, but also moving and making repeated movements is a way to reduce tension. It is a way of self-regulation, also called stimming .
Tangles and Fidget Toys are not just fun children’s toys. It is a responsible toy with a therapeutic effect. Being engaged in a tangle or a fidget toy is not only fun and relaxing, but also has many other positive qualities:
• It strengthens the visual and emotional senses.
• Helps divert attention from other stimuli.
• It improves the ability to concentrate.
• Good for the development of fine motor skills and coordination.
• Is a good tool for ADHD and autism.
• Loosens stiff hands and strengthens the hand muscles.
• Also very suitable as therapy for a mouse arm.
Clear layout of the school day with icons
Important for children with autism is the application of structure. These children do not like unexpected or sudden changes and like to stick to fixed patterns and sequences, in order to keep an overview. Helping with this are icons. Pictures that clearly show what the children have to do in which order. Convenient to use at school (but also at home). The success lies in the fact that images ‘speak’ faster and clearer than words. And it’s always a useful tool to fall back on (processing spoken language is trickier for children with autism).
You can opt for separate images per part of the day in class. At home and at school you can also offer a weekly planner to show the bigger picture such as which teacher or parent is there for the child on which day, whether there is gym at school and whether or not your child will remain. In the classroom you can announce special activities on a weekly planner such as an outdoor lesson, gym class or week closing.
Benefits of classroom icons
• Icons provide structure in time and activities. The day or actions are made clear and predictable.
• Icons help communicate. For parents or teachers: They don’t have to search for words that “catch on.” For the children: When they are full of stimuli, for example, they find support in the calm and clear icons that show them the way.
• Icons help teach skills. Where children do not feel what is desired in ‘our way of doing things’, you help your child by making it clear with pictos. For example, use the checkpad.
