The following information is not meant to diagnose or treat and should not take the place of personal consultation, as appropriate, with a qualified healthcare professional.
See your doctor if you notice any of the signs and symptoms of ASD in your child, or if you're concerned about your child's development. It can also be helpful to discuss your concerns with your child's nursery or school.
Autism, or Autistic Spectrum Disorder, refers to a range of developmental conditions that affect how an individual perceives the world and interacts with others.
Learn more about Autism in our handy guide, available here.
At Kids Konnect, our preschools have special resources and tools available to help teach children with Autism.
Our dedicated team of teachers and support staff can offer guidance to parents and are knowledgeable about different approaches to teaching children with Autism and learning difficulties.
Did you know that April is World Autism Awareness Month?
To help raise awareness, in this blog post we’ll be discovering 3 things preschools can do to help children living with Autism.
All children have unique learning needs and children with ASD are no different.
It can however be useful to provide a highly structured environment for children with Autism.
Children living with Autism often crave an organized environment and tend to thrive academically when these surroundings are upheld.
At Kids Konnect, our preschool days help to establish clear routines and rarely deviate from a predictable schedule.
Additionally, we also make sure any lesson plans in our STEAM focused and play-based curriculum are clearly structured so that your child’s learning outcomes are accomplished.
BONUS TIP: For times of the day to try a new activity with your preschooler at home, click here.
Art and craft activities that involve the senses can be an interesting way to focus your child’s attention, improve their self-expression and limit anxiety.
On the whole, we find that children with Autism flourish during sensory-based activities as they spark an interest in exploring their immediate environment.
Despite this, children with Autism can be over, or even under, sensitive to certain sensory stimuli.
Distinct textures, such as grainy sand particles or smooth silky ribbons can seem overwhelming at first.
To keep their learning process comfortable preschools can take care to ease children with Autism into new activities by avoiding triggers and encouraging open dialogue surrounding likes and dislikes.
Children with Autism can find it difficult to start conversations and answer questions properly.
Facial expressions, gestures and other non-verbal cues can also be confusing.
Older children may also struggle to maintain eye contact and read the body language of their peers, caregivers and teachers.
It can therefore be useful to be as direct and literal as possible when communicating.
To help children process long strings of speech such as directions, instructions can be broken down into steps, and teachers can use short sentences and simple vocabulary.
Need help talking to your child? Our tips can help.
Don’t be afraid to ask your preschool teacher if you need guidance.
We are always reviewing new techniques to help children with Autism and learning difficulties thrive.
In recognition of World Autism Awareness Month, keep your eyes on the blog for more Autism related topics throughout April.