How to Gain an Autistic Child's Trust

Working with autistic children can be difficult for a variety of reasons, but many of these challenges can be overcome by gaining the child's trust. The benefits are twofold; not only does the child become more open to working with you, but also valuable bonding and learning occurs that provides you with a much better understanding of their personality. Consider these suggestions to gain the trust of a child with autism.

Instructions

• 1

  Get to know the child's interests. Many children with autism are incredibly smart and enjoy puzzles and games they can play on their own. Others may enjoy small trinkets that they can hold on to or keep in their pocket. Ask questions like you would any other child, such as what their favorite movie or game is.

• 2

  Stay calm and quiet. A child with autism may become overstimulated quite easily. Sudden loud noises, too much background noise (radio or television), large groups of people and general chaos can have the child hiding quickly or covering his ears to escape the noise or chaos. Make sure he knows that if he is ever scared or overwhelmed, he will be safe with you.

• 3

  Sit with her. Obviously not all autistic children are the same, but as with any child, they sometimes (or oftentimes) want to play by themselves. Simply sitting with her while she plays and not disturbing her shows that you are interested, but won't break into her comfort zone without permission.

• 4

  Gradually increase interaction. As the child becomes more comfortable with you, begin to ask more questions or make more friendly demands.

• 5

  Observe physical reactions. Ask him to hold your hand, give him a hug or rub his head to see how he reacts to physical contact. He may be perfectly fine with it or he may become instantly defensive. Don't push this. Also, allow him to hang on to any security items he may have. Many autistic children find comfort in holding onto a particular object throughout the day.