Going Out Into the Community With An Autistic Child

By Pamela Downing/Special to The Herald

Connie was a runner and a fast one at that. The problem was, Connie loved to run all the time.

It was scary when Connie would take off from her dad in the school parking lot. Fortunately, she would run right into her classroom at school. But it was another story when the 8-year-old would run into the street as the family was leaving the grocery store. Her mother, Linda, was absolutely terrified her daughter would get hit by a car.

One day while shopping at the local hardware store, Connie took off around the aisle that was full of bright lights and lamps. Linda ran frantically after her. There were so many aisles, it was impossible to spot her. When Linda finally did see the girl, she began to laugh and run off again.

Linda finally found a clerk and asked for help. The man ran to make an announcement, so they could stop Connie. Store security finally caught the girl, in the garden center. She was just about to leave the store.

That was enough for her mother.

Linda called the child’s new teacher to ask what could be done to help stop Connie’s constant running. The teacher said it was very important that the family continue to take Connie out into the community. However, the teacher knew they would have to learn how to take the girl into public situations.

For the short term, they might consider using a harness on the girl if they had to take her somewhere. The teacher also knew that a therapy dog might be exactly what Connie needed.

However, the first step, she told Linda, was for the school to help her work with the child on how to go outside in unstructured situations.

As a new student in that teacher’s class, Connie would be exposed to "community based instruction." In such a class, they literally practice how to behave in public situations. That includes eating in restaurants, shopping in stores, sitting in movie theatres and, in some cases, even going to get a haircut.

Each child in the class learns how to act and how to go out in public, with social stories, role playing and lots of visuals.

The families then can follow with a similar format that the school is doing. Going out requires lots of practice at different locations before it becomes a routine.

Social stories are a wonderful tool to help children prepare for a new experience.

When changing the routine at home, children often do not know what is expected of them.

The program Writing with Symbols is an easy-to-use typing program that actually talks as the words are typed. The program places pictures on each word written in a sentence. (www.donjohston.com or www.mayer-johnson.com)

For a very young child, short, simple sentences with actual visuals can be very effective. Most children require practice, with brief easy trips. Initially, go to a store for a very short period. Plan ahead. Gradually lengthen the time spent at a particular store, but do not go for long periods until the child is ready.

When walking with a child who has autism, try to never let the child pull away from your hand. If that does occur, and if you are able, immediately take the child back to the car. Let the child understand the behavior is not acceptable. That may include visuals such as a sad face and loss of a preferred reward.

Another consideration is a therapy pet. Pets, especially trained autism service dogs, are a wonderful help for children who wander away from home or for those who have difficulty in public situations.

Next week: Pets for Children with Autism

Pamela G. Downing, a special education teacher, can be contacted at downpamg@aol.com or (956) 761-1419.