Instructions For Parents With Individuals With Autism

Autism is a disorder in the development of the nervous system from an early age and persists into adulthood. Individuals with Autism usually show characteristics such as no eye contact, to disturbances in social communication. In some cases, Autism can also be diagnosed at the age of one, but it tends to be rare. In some cases that tend to be mild, the diagnosis of Autism may only be detected after the individual is an adult. This is usually seen from the individual's lack of ability to establish increasingly complex social relationships, as adults, which tend not to bother before.
Also Read: Challenges from Large Families of Children with Autism

For parents who have children with Autism, it is certainly not easy to accept the child's condition when they first get a diagnosis. But parents must be able to work together, grow together, and learn to provide the best intervention for a promising future for their children.

There are several principles that parents can apply to children with Autism:

• Take responsibility as the head of the family
• Become team builder
• Look for as much information as possible to educate yourself to become a voice of advocacy for children
• Proactive to talk and ask for help from experts when needed
• Remain critical of the information obtained

Siblings of your children who have Autism generally also face their problems. They often need more help understanding their emotional reactions to life. Some of the following things may be experienced by children:

• Young children do not yet understand the difference in behavior from their siblings. It's normal for them to be confused by their siblings' behavior with Autism. Therefore, parents need to provide an explanation that is appropriate for their developmental age from an early age.
• They may feel jealous because parents pay more attention to children with Autism, so they will have less time.
• Because of this jealousy, children can get angry because of injustice, especially if their siblings with special needs are not given the same consequences if they make mistakes.
• They are ashamed of their friends when their friends behave negatively towards their siblings with Autism.
• Can feel stressed because they don't get a good response from their siblings with Autism. 

Suppose parents have more than one child, as described above. In that case, there are several ways for parents to continue to support the other children:

• Other children need to understand what Autism is and what is going on with their siblings. Speak nicely. Maybe you can go through a book so that these siblings understand Autism.
• Help your child to play and build relationships with their siblings diagnosed with Autism. Parents can do many things about this, such as teaching their child how to get the attention of their siblings with Autism. Remember to give praise if they can all play together.
• Parents can also find outside groups that can help build friendships between siblings, such as community https://www.instagram.com/jakartasibsclub/ which is a community, support group for brothers and sisters of individuals with autism spectrum in Jakarta and other cities.

Feel free to contact the professionals if your parents experience something like this. The earlier parents realize if their child has Autism, the better. No matter how challenging and problematic your child's behavior is, it would be best to have free days from the routine of caring for your child with Autism. Between mothers and fathers, it's good to be actively involved in parenting so that when mothers are tired, there are fathers who can help care for them. As parents, being a leader and team builder is crucial so that all family members are actively involved. During breaks, it only takes some days. It can take a moment to take ablution water and pray to calm down or take a bath for 30 minutes.

Finally, you as a parent also need to take care of yourself, not only your child. Tackling Autism isn't like a sprint; it's a marathon. Long-term work. You, as a parent, have a duty to yourself and your child to be healthy and happy. Do whatever it takes to achieve this.