Autism has been a growing health issue and with an average of 1 in 150 children in Australia being diagnosed as autistic, children within the autistic spectrum require special care and attention. Of course, there are varying levels of severity with autism, ranging from social interaction issues to complete care, which is required with severe cases of autism.
Parental Care for Autistic Children
Of course, the parents of autistic children do whatever it takes to provide the extra care that they need and they need to have a break from this at times. That is where respite care services come in, which gives parents of autistic children a much-needed rest and with respite care services from PHASE across the Perth area, the parents can schedule the services to coincide with their holiday. It might be that you need temporary care for a day or two, whatever your needs, there are healthcare providers who have qualified carers who can assist in many ways.
School Holiday Programs
These are very popular with autistic children and parents alike, as it provides a rich experience for the child, as well as giving the parents a much-needed break. Your child can participate in exciting activities and make friends with other autistic children and with this kind of holiday, a needs assessment would be carried out by the healthcare provider to create goals for the child, with the aim of helping them to acquire essential life skills. Here is some important information to help you with caring for an autistic child.
Qualified Carers
The people who work for the healthcare provider are fully qualified to work with autistic children and all have undergone manual handling technique training, ensuring safety for your child at all times. When you are ready to enroll your child into a respite care holiday program, the provider will tailor the program to suit you and the program will be based on the child’s interests.
Special Needs Holiday Camps
These are held at suitable venues, usually farms, caravan parks and special schools, where they have all the facilities to put together an exciting program. Sports and animal welfare are high on the list of daily activities that the children can get involved with and here are a few hit activities:
- African Drum Evening
- Face Painting
- Fancy Dress Party
- Inflatable Water Day at the Pool
- Bushwalking
- Disco Night
Of course, all of the children are encouraged to participate, but never forced and there is always someone in attendance whatever the children are doing.
Working Towards Goals
When working with autistic children, each should have their own individual goals and objectives that are created by the carers and parents, who jointly work towards achievement. This really helps the autistic child to gain important social skills and with parents and carers working together, progress can be made.
Looking after autistic children is a lot more than merely ensuring their safety & well-being; here is some Australian government information about autism in general, which might deepen your understanding of this mental condition.
