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Thursday's Health Report: How to help children with autism transition into summer break
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BATON ROUGE — The transition from school to summer break can be challenging for some students.
But for those on the autism spectrum, changes in routine can be overwhelming.
“When we're thinking about individuals or children with autism, the hard thing about summer break is that you know, kids really love structure,” Dr. Bianca Brooks, Clinical Psychologist at the Marcus Autism Center, said.
Experts say parents can help their child adjust, by creating a visual or picture summer schedule with day to day activities. If you are going on vacation, plan ahead. Prepare the child for different sights, sounds or smells. Watch a YouTube video or try role playing.
If you know there will be long lines where you are going, bring items that can help occupy them.
"Kind of having a little bit of like a Mary Poppins bag or a bag of tricks to kind of make that time a little bit more like fun and structured,” Dr. Brooks said.
For children with sensory issues, headphones and sunglasses are often key items to have ready when you leave the house.
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