Routines can be the backbone of day-to-day life for anyone and particularly
true for children with autism. Creating a consistent daily schedule is
essential for children with ASD to thrive and cope in any environment.
Many children have difficulty when faced with new routines or frequent changes
of routine. Routines can help your child adapt and transition to even the
slightest change. What may seem natural to a typically-developing child
may present an array of challenges for a child with autism. These may
include:
Visiting a new place, whether a park, store, or doctor
Transitioning between activities or tasks
Tasks out of order, including a different mealtime
Trying new foods
Visitors, whether planned or not
Leaving your house
Cancelling an activity, even if due to illness
Implementing ABA strategies will help your daily routines tremendously.
Positive reinforcements will provide priceless motivation as you begin to
introduce your household’s daily routines. It can be as simple as rewarding
your child’s behaviors or completions of tasks with a sticker chart.
Reinforcing your child’s routines can help them reduce their reliance on
them. Through proper training by highly-skilled professionals, you and your
family can learn how to create effective routines while incorporating
individualized ABA strategies across all their natural environments.