Do you have a child diagnosed with autism in your classroom, and you are not sure how to act with him/her? Are you a therapist and need some guidance in this area? Do you have a friend or relative with autism (or your own child) and would like to know how to treat him/her to improve your relationship with him/her and make you both feel comfortable?

In this article we will see a series of simple guidelines aimed at answering the question of how to treat an autistic child , in order to enhance his or her strengths, to improve his or her well-being and to learn both in the process.

What characterizes children with autism?

Autism spectrum disorders (ASDs) encompass, as the name implies, different disorders within the same spectrum. Classically, two large groups of autistic people have been considered : those with high functioning (Asperger’s syndrome) and those with more impaired functioning (the “classic” autistic). This second group is the one that, in addition to ASD, has been diagnosed with an associated intellectual disability.

In this article, we will focus on the second group, and we will mention some guidelines on how to treat an autistic child.

Before addressing how to treat an autistic child in order to improve his or her quality of life and interactions, we will look at the central characteristics/symptoms of this diagnosis, which may manifest in many of these children. To do so we rely on the diagnostic criteria of the DSM-5 (Diagnostic Manual of Mental Disorders).

We believe it is necessary to know their characteristics and their way of being (although then every child is a world, logically, and has its own characteristics), to be able to understand why we have to act in one way and not another with them.

1. Difficulties in interactions and social communication

The first characteristic of children with ASD is a marked difficulty (or deficit) in interacting with others in a “normative” manner. This translates into a deficit in emotional reciprocity (e.g. through abnormal social approaches, problems in sharing interests and emotions, etc.

2. Repetitive and restricted patterns

The second symptom is the existence of one or more repetitive and restricted patterns, which have to do with: behaviors, interests, activities, actions… How does this manifest itself? For example through stereotypes, echolalia, hitting objects, rituals …

3. Early developmental onset

In ASDs, the above symptoms usually appear at a very early stage of development (from a few years of age, in more severe cases).

4. Symptoms cause interference

Finally, the last criterion to be able to diagnose a case of autism is that the symptoms interfere in its daily life, in any of its spheres: at school, social, emotional…

How to treat an autistic child and why?

In relation to the question of how to treat an autistic child, the first thing we will say is something quite obvious, but worth emphasizing: simply, we will treat them like the rest of the children in the most fundamental way , with normality, respect and empathy.

That is, we do not have to treat them differently, but it is true that we can act in a certain way to make things easier for them (or better) in many ways; that they do not feel burdened, that they feel understood, valued, etc. We can also act in a certain way to make them feel more comfortable, and to strengthen all their potentialities.

In other words, it is a matter of bringing a “plus” to their well-being, their quality of life and their ability to adapt, not treating them in a discriminatory manner (in either the positive or the negative sense). Furthermore, it should be mentioned that many of these children can live a practically normal (or normative) life , especially those who do not have an added intellectual disability.

Thus, the guidelines we propose on how to treat an autistic child are as follows.

1. Act out of empathy

The first guideline is quite obvious and general. Thus, it is a pattern that can be generalized to all children, and even adults. Simply, it is of common sense, to treat people from the empathy.

So the first guideline comes from common sense; how else are we going to treat them? From empathy, trying to understand how they feel at all times to adapt our behaviour to each situation.

2. Anticipate situations or events

The second, more specific, guideline consists of the following: anticipate the events of the day, the changes that may have arisen …

This will help reduce the levels of anxiety that autistic children often have as a result of “not knowing what will happen” (since one of their characteristics is that they are usually quite rigid, and they need planning as well, as we will see in the next point).

3. Provide routines

Due to the characteristics of children with ASD, routines are the key to not feeling anxious about what will happen (or what will not happen), and to put order in their world and in their mind (as we will also see later on).

So you can practice this guideline on how to treat an autistic child by working out schedules and routines with him/her, for example, through a ceiling or a piece of cardboard (and have it hanging in his/her room or in his/her classroom).

4. Use alternative communication systems (if necessary)

Remember that up to 75% of children diagnosed with autism (not high-functioning autism, Asperger’s Syndrome), are also diagnosed with an intellectual disability, which can be mild, moderate or severe.

In this sense, there is a group of children who also have no language (no speech), but do have communication. That is why in these cases we must use alternative communication systems, such as pictograms , portable communicators, virtual keyboards… Everything will depend on the type of child and his or her characteristics.

5. Structure your activities

Whether you work with him/her (as a therapist, psychologist, educator…) or you are a parent or a relative, it can be very useful to structure the activities you do together.

They, in addition to needing routine and anticipation, need guidelines, concrete directives, schedules, structure, planning … That helps them to structure their sometimes somewhat chaotic mind, and their world as well.

6. Strongly reinforces positive behavior

It is also important to reinforce the appropriate behaviours, so that these increase in intensity, duration and frequency .

For this purpose, behavioural programmes (or behavioural therapy, such as the ABA method, Applied Behaviour Analysis) are very effective. These also include using behavioral strategies to reduce their inappropriate behaviors (e.g., extinction, cost of response…).

Bibliographic references:

  • Abril, D., Delgado, C. and Vigara, A. (2010). Augmentative and Alternative Communication. Reference Guide. CEAPAT.
  • American Psychiatric Association (APA) (2014). DSM-5. Diagnostic and statistical manual of mental disorders. Madrid: Panamericana.
  • Belloch, A., Sandín, B. and Ramos, F. (2010). Manual of Psychopathology. Volume I and II. Madrid: McGraw-Hill.
  • Mulas, F., Ros-Cervera, G., Millá, M.G. Etchepareborda, M., Abda, L. and Téllez, M. (2010). Models of intervention in children with autism. Rev Neurol, 50(Supl 3): S77-S84.