COPING UP WITH CHILDREN HAVING AUTISM: A PARENT’S GUIDE

Autism in the terminology refers to poor communication (speaking, gesturing, listening, any mode of communication to get the message across to other people) socialization (how the individual fits into a group like the family, friends or community). Autistic children suffer from a complex neurological disorder performing repetitive behavioural actions and have difficulties in interaction. Parents often find it difficult to manage autistic children primarily due to ignorance, lack of information and knowledge on this subject. Parents of autistic children must first accept the bitter truth that their children are different from others. They need to be patient with them, invest more time and develop mutual understanding which can make their lives better. The fact that autistic children are difficult to handle when compared to other children is true. Parents of children with developmental disabilities (autism or intellectual disabilities) are more susceptible to stress and have a greater burden of adversity than other parents. Thus, having a deep knowledge on this subject and proper guidance would help them in the long run. If autistic children are aided with a good mentor, they can be easily integrated into the society. The present paper attempts to provide parents of autistic children with proper structured understanding on this subject and awareness to take up additional responsibilities of handling an autistic child and manage them more effectively.