Parenting A High-Functioning Autistic Toddler

By Obie Ighodalo-Eromosele

Discover how you can give your autistic child the love, support, and guidance they need – in ways that work for you.

Do you get embarrassed whenever your kid acts out in public?

Do you feel guilty for being embarrassed, even though it's no one's fault?

Has it gotten to the point where you're wondering if it will ever get better?

If you feel like you're failing at raising your autistic child, you're certainly not alone.

According to the World Health Organization, 1 in 100 children around the world has autism… Which means that millions of other parents understand the daily struggle of raising a toddler with high-functioning autism.

The non-stop meltdowns... The moments of social embarrassment… The empty void where fun and laughter used to color your days.

Ever since your little one got diagnosed, all you seem to notice is how tired and worn out you feel.

But it's not the tantrums that make parenting an autistic child so tough… or even the mounting medical bills…

What's tough about raising a child with autism is the fact that no matter what you do, it seems like there's nothing you can do to help the little person you love so much.

It's realizing that the life you'd been looking forward to for so long has completely vanished… only to be replaced by an endless uphill battle… one you can never win.

But that all changes now.

Because instead of relying on cookie-cutter techniques to help your child calm down, you can use this sympathetic guide to come up with your own holistic and integrated approach to raising your little one. Inside, you'll discover:

20 simple activities that make use of your child's senses to help them develop a variety of social, communication, and motor skills

Why autistic children are more prone to sensory overload – and how they can use their hypersensitivity to boost their focus

8 essential tips for building a lasting and loving bond with your child

How autism affects each of the different senses… and how this can help you decode your child's behavior

Helpful insights into why high-functioning autistic children like lining things up and sorting objects

How to help your toddler manage their stimming

7 fun ways to improve your child's motor skills while making memories together

The relationship between creativity and autism – and how you can help your child explore their own artistic outlets

And much more!

You may feel like you've tried everything before… but the truth is, you can't rely on just one type of therapy or training to support your child's development. When it comes to raising an autistic toddler, you need a well-rounded strategy that's tuned to your child's needs.

And that's exactly what you're getting with this book – a holistic approach that doesn't just help your child cope with their autism, but also helps you find and build on their natural strengths and talents.

The result? You'll feel more in control as a parent, and forge a closer relationship with your little one.

If you're ready to start feeling like a proud parent again, then scroll up and click the "Add to Cart" button right now.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Obie Ighodalo-Eromosele
• Release date: Aug 1, 2023
• ISBN: 9798223020240

Book preview

Introduction

What would happen if the autism gene was eliminated from the gene pool? You would have a bunch of people standing around in a cave, chatting and socializing and not getting anything done. –Dr. Temple Grandin

Being a parent of a neurodivergent child is a never-ending job. Becoming a parent is a huge responsibility on its own. You are the sole provider and caregiver for a whole human being until they become independent and can take care of themselves. That’s a huge task for anyone, and no one really knows what the right way is to bring up a child these days, because everyone is just doing their best.

Having a toddler who is neurodivergent comes with an array of unique challenges that are hard to imagine during those nine months of anticipation. Nothing can truly prepare you to be a parent of a toddler who needs more than most, may not hit the milestones, or has different needs than neurotypical toddlers. It’s all so new and all so scary when you are first faced with the reality of life as the parent of a special-needs toddler.

Here you are, in the depths of it, trying to figure out what to do and how to do it. This parenting thing can be so overwhelming. Whether it’s making sure your child has their comfort plushie with them at all times, or their noise-canceling headphones on in public places, or cutting out the tags from all their clothes; it’s way more than the average parent considers. That feeling of regret, shame, and fear when you know your child is on the verge of a meltdown in public, or when you can't figure out why your child is stimming, or when you feel like you're doing something that's causing them anxiety.

When these thoughts, feelings, and situations keep occurring you can’t help but question whether you are a good parent or not. You probably have days when you feel like you really don’t know what you are doing. Nothing can compare to the days when society judges you and your child blindly without considering that they are autistic or that you are simply doing your best in that moment. Helplessness is an emotion that plagues you as the parent of a neurodivergent child, but it doesn’t have to always be like this.

You have ways to help yourself and your child. This book can be one of the tools you need to gain the skills you may currently lack. You may need more information about your child’s diagnosis or their possible symptoms that need managing. This is a great first step to educating yourself and helping your toddler develop some great coping mechanisms. This book provides nine ways you can work with your autistic toddler and help them gain some valuable skills. There will also be some tips you can include in your daily routine to make things more manageable for everyone.

The information in this book was gathered over a long period of time, consulting a large variety of sources and analyzing research across the world regarding high-functioning autistic toddlers. Research and consideration of your individual needs were taken into account to produce an objective and helpful book. These details have been proven to provide the best results, since solutions, strategies, and practical answers are of the highest priority. By the end, you should have the skills to address and deal with your toddler’s needs while understanding their condition. You will be able to help your toddler communicate effectively and gain significant social skills, thus helping them gain some independence, confidence, and coping mechanisms for a more fulfilling future.

The author is a health care professional who has had extensive experience with all types of toddlers. She often encountered toddlers who weren’t typical and who left her wondering how she could help them. Soon she found herself working with toddlers who had different disabilities, and she developed wonderful empathy for these toddlers and their families. She hopes to help parents find ways to connect and become more involved in the direct care of their toddlers. Through acknowledging, accepting, and getting involved, she hopes parents have a more fulfilling relationship with their autistic toddlers.

This culmination of research, writing, and experience has led to this incredibly curated piece of work. Twelve chapters of understanding to be found, tips to be used, and activities to be done with your toddler. You are about to become enlightened and find ways to help your toddler without leaving the comfort of your own home. Your family's journey is just beginning.

Chapter 1: High-Functioning Autism (HFA) Spectrum Disorder

Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is a neurological and developmental disorder that affects how people interact with others, communicate, learn, and behave. Although autism can be diagnosed at any age, it is classified as a developmental disorder because symptoms typically appear in the first two years of life.

According to the Centers for Disease Control (2018), one in every 44 American toddlers has autism. Autism manifests itself in a variety of ways, the majority of which are caused by a combination of inherited and environmental factors. Autism spectrum disorder patients have a wide range of learning, reasoning, and problem-solving abilities, ranging from extremely skilled to severely disabled.

Some autistic people may require a great deal of assistance in their daily lives. Others may require less assistance and, in some cases, be able to live independently. Autism can be caused by a variety of conditions, and it frequently coexists with sensory sensitivity issues as well as medical conditions such as gastrointestinal issues, seizures, or sleep difficulties.

Autism symptoms typically appear around the age of 2 or 3; additional developmental problems may also be present. According to the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke (2022), early intervention helps autistic people achieve their goals later in life. The American Psychiatric Association coined the term "autism spectrum disorder'' in 2013 after combining four distinct autism diagnoses.

Individuals who interact with people who have ASD believe that someone can be high-functioning on the spectrum of any condition. Even social media has evolved into a platform for accurate portrayals of how the majority of autistic people, particularly teenagers and young toddlers, live in our culture and communities.

What Is High-Functioning Autism?

It can be difficult to know how to raise a child with HFA, given the difficulties that people on the autism spectrum already face. When you can't get private care, the information you get as a parent of a toddler with autism is all you have. This is why it is critical to become acquainted with the nuances of HFA toddlers’ characteristics. Knowing your toddler's spectrum disorder allows you to develop specialized skills and tactics to help them grow into a better version of themselves.

Before the age of three, early speech and language development has been shown to be severely delayed. This has been used as the primary indicator of high-functioning autism by psychologists. The first of three types of autism, level one, is known as high-functioning. This demonstrates a person's ability to speak, read, write, and manage daily responsibilities such as dressing and eating. Regardless of the symptoms, their behavior has no discernible impact on their academic, professional, or interpersonal relationships.

Children with high-functioning autism are typically brilliant, social, resourceful, and talkative, despite having fewer visible symptoms of the disorder. For the purposes of this text and comprehension, we'll refer to this type of autism as high-functioning. It has been questioned whether describing people as high-functioning or low-functioning in the same sentence is appropriate.

The first step is to understand HFA and how it affects your toddler. Autism spectrum disorder includes high-functioning autism. Each autistic child is unique, and their symptoms can range from mild to severe. The term high-functioning autism is relatively new. However, it is not a recognized medical diagnosis, and many people are still debating whether it can be used to define a subset of autism, specifically those who can talk, read, write, and manage basic life skills without much assistance. They are capable of surviving on their own.

This is not to say that toddlers with high-functioning autism do not face problems or obstacles. Because each child is unique, it is impossible to generalize a single experience and apply it to every family or child. It is critical to be aware of how your toddler may interact, react, and express themselves in order to avoid comparing them to texts or articles.

In fact, symptoms that make doing routine activities complex or difficult are common in toddlers with high-functioning autism. One of the most difficult issues they face is social interaction with others. Given the importance of social connections in reaching developmental milestones, this may be cause for concern. They may also struggle with motor skills considered essential for high-functioning toddlers, such as writing. These are undoubtedly assumptions that may make it difficult for your toddler to engage and learn as intended.

Some toddlers with high-functioning autism may have co-occurring conditions such as anxiety, attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), or depression. These conditions are not always caused by autism; rather, it is more likely that they are inherited or that stressful situations have