Connecting With An Autistic Child

Connecting With Autistic Child

If you are wondering about connecting with an autistic child in a meaningful way, this article offers information that can help. Along with providing advice on how to build a relationship with an autistic child, you’ll find valuable insights into matters like autism and expressing emotion and ways you can show an autistic child how much you love them.

Get to Know Your Autistic Child

Connecting with an autistic child can feel like an uphill challenge, especially if the child is nonverbal or shows little interest in interacting with others. Even autistic children who are considered high functioning can seem standoffish or unwilling to form an emotional connection. The first step in opening up a relationship with an autistic child is learning about them and embracing who they are. 

To begin, make an effort to :

  • Understand what bothers them. Is the autistic child you’re trying to connect with hypersensitive to touch, sounds, light, tastes, smells, or colors? Any one of these sensory experiences can cause them to turn away from your efforts to form a close bond. It can even result in a meltdown. If you’re going to have a meaningful connection, you will have to create a safe space for them to express themselves. And that means enjoying time with them in an environment that doesn’t trigger an outburst or cause them to shut down. 

  • Communicate clearly and simply. Children with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) often have difficulty with nuance. They don’t relate well to flowery language, overuse of adjectives and metaphors, or anything other than plain speaking. Keep your sentences short and make your point quickly and efficiently. When talking to an autistic child, brevity wins the day. 

  • Keep your ego in check. It can be easy to interpret an autistic child’s disinterest as insulting or hurtful. Don’t. How they react to you has absolutely nothing to do with you. Your autistic child’s brain works differently than a neurotypical brain. There’s no point in getting your feelings hurt when the child in front of you has no understanding of why you’re reacting negatively to their behavior or inability to express their emotions in a way you can easily interpret as affectionate.

How to Show Love to an Autistic Child

Autistic kids crave love and positive affirmation just like any other child. Some ways you can express your love include:

  • Adjust how you communicate your feelings of love. If your autistic child doesn’t respond to spoken words of affirmation, share your feelings through another means. Photos, videos, and short written phrases of affirmation may be a better way to communicate how special your child is to you. 

  • Spend quality time with them. Autistic kids are constantly confronted with directives and expectations. To show your love, share your time. Spending quality time with your child can be as simple as sitting with them in some kind of parallel play or imitating their actions. Just being there with no rules or expectations is a gift an autistic child will gladly receive. 

  • Physically connect on their terms. Some autistic kids love a tight squeeze. Others enjoy gentle touch. Some don’t want their personal space invaded but enjoy other types of sensory experiences like splashing around in a pool. However your child likes to be touched, share that experience with them. 

Express Your Love With the Help of Autism Specialty Group

Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) isn’t a one-size-fits-all diagnosis. And your autistic child isn’t going to embrace a one-size-fits-all strategy when it comes to relationship-building. At Autism Specialty Group, we focus on helping autistic children with all aspects of their lives, including building relationships with family members, teachers, and caregivers.

To learn more, contact us today or call 305-676-1924.

Autism Specialty Group