Question:
What is safety awareness?
Safety Awareness
One of the most important factors to consider in the community setting is safety. Many children with autism are not fully aware of their surroundings. They also have difficulty with body awareness (the relation of their self to their environment). Cars and steep hills do not feel threatening to many children with autism and they often do not understand the rules when it comes to crossing the street or entering and exiting buildings. Many individuals with autism also like the sensory feedback they receive from running, especially with the added sensation of being outdoors. Drilling the individual with autism on issues about safety awareness is crucial when embarking on community outings. The drills typically involve a lot of physical and verbal prompting to help the child understand what is expected. Rewards and positive reinforcement are important when engaging in safety awareness drills. It is a good idea to save very special treats for the safety awareness drills. The child does not receive the same treat in other settings. Bringing that specific treat into the community setting will help the individual with autism make a strong connection to the powerful motivator. For example, a therapist or parent may want to focus on the command "stop" and they want to associate that command with chocolate chips. The drill would include an image of a stop sign, the verbal cue "stop" and the sign for stop as well. When the cues and pictures are used in the community setting with the presence of the reward, the individual with autism is more likely to attend and follow through.
Autism Frequently Asked Questions
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