Pitchrate | 6 Ways to Nurture Curiosity in a Child With Autism

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Connie Hammer

For more than twenty years, Connie Hammer, MSW and PCI Certified Parent Coach has been energetically guiding frustrated, lost and confused parents to achieve their parenting hopes and dreams with her amazing skills. As parent educator, consultant and coach, Hammer is passionate about supporting pare...

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The Progressive Parent, LLC

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Expert

Published:

09/21/2011 06:43pm
6 Ways to Nurture Curiosity in a Child With Autism

Along with motivation, curiosity is the one of the best and most direct paths to learning new things. Encouraging curiosity in children is a crucial role parents need to play in developing their child's intellect. Children will stay curious as long as they are allowed to explore, discover and ask questions. It's that easy!

If your child is non-verbal and unable to ask questions remember that there are many ways to be curious. Never assume that a child cannot learn just because he can't articulate a question. Every child's level of curiosity will be unique.

Young children tend to show their curiosity in various capacities. Children with good communication skills may be verbally inquisitive and their constant questioning, the "whys" and "why not's", can drive you nuts! This is when parents need to practice patience.

Other children on the spectrum explore their world more quietly because their ability to communicate is challenged. But as parents pay careful attention, they are able to notice what catches their child's fancy and build on it.

Your autistic child, verbal or not, may be curious about many things on her own but depending on where she falls on the autism spectrum this exploration may become hyper-focused, excessive, repetitive and cause her to escape from the world around her. Sometimes this is a coping skill kids on the autism spectrum will use when sensory overload occurs.

In situations such as these it is important to remember that curiosity and exploration becomes much more functional when it is interactive. Steering your child's curious mind in a positive direction by joining in with him will not only expand his cognitive intellect but his ability to socialize as well.

Regardless of your child's abilities, discovery and learning is most pleasurable when it is shared with someone else. A young child's learning is reinforced when it is experienced with a loving caretaker who offers a positive comment or gesture.

When exploration is pleasurable it reinforces additional attempts to learn new things and prepares a child to become an active life long learner. Repeated curiosity ensures mastery of new skills, builds confidence and increases self-esteem along the way, which leads to a sense of security for more exploration.

If you want to reinforce curiosity in your child in order to encourage an internal motivation for life-long learning, here are some helpful tips:

1 - Be patient with questions. "What for?" "How come?" and "Why?" can seem like a broken record at times but this is a sign that your child is internally motivated to understand his world and how it works. Providing a quick and simple answer will often satisfy your inquisitive one. Sometimes, it is effective to turn the tables and ask your verbal child, "What do you think?"

When the timing is not favorable for a litany of questions to be asked, such as bedtime, it is time to set some boundaries with a reply such as, "Our time for questions is over and we need to keep the others for tomorrow. It's time for sleep now."

2 - Give your child voice. If your child is non-verbal or challenged with language why not bring the questions to her. As you and your child experience your day together, find opportunities to formulate questions that will make her think - questions that you think she might ask if she were more able to. After a short pause, verbalize possible answers to your question.

Any simple task or even a common household item such as a window screen provides an opportunity for posing questions that will stimulate brain cells to make vital connections. "Why do houses have screens?" "What would happen if they didn't have them?" etc

3 - Create new adventures from everyday experiences. Make being outside an enticing learning experience. A walk in the park can be transformed into a treasure hunt or scientific laboratory that is ripe for promoting new learning. A child who explores their natural environment benefits from using all five of their senses, which stimulates brain development in more ways than one.

4 - De

Keywords

the progressive parent llc, connie hammer, aspergers, autism, education, parenting
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