The primary responsibility of parents is to take good care of their children. If you want to make sure that your children grow up into mature adults, disciplining them is one of the ways to teach them the ways of living.
Children with special needs require your guidance, much like children without disabilities do. Here are some of the ways to discipline children with ADHD and autism.
Know your child
Study about the unique medical, behavioral, and psychological factors that affect your child's development. Ask a doctor or talk to a childcare team for advice on anything that you do not understand about your kid. After knowing what to expect of your child, set realistic behavioral expectations.
Be consistent
All kids benefit from discipline. Little ones who have special needs respond well to discipline and structure, but parents have to be consistent to make it work. You have to make standard routines and manners and then teach your children how to meet your expectations. Kids need you to be consistent so that they could predict what will happen.
See also: 8 Effective Ways to Discipline a Child Without Spanking
Define your expectations
Keep your behavior plan simple. Have your child work on one behavior before moving onto the next.
Rewards and consequences
Giving rewards for good behavior is a positive reinforcement to get the child to want to do good. Provide natural consequences for any bad behavior that they do. It means that if your child throws toys, then you take it away from him.
Offer a "substitute behavior" after correcting your child. If your child screams to get your attention, teach him to say "help me" or tap your shoulder instead. A good consequence of bad behavior is active ignoring. It lets your child know that their misbehavior would not get your attention.
See also: Parenting Hack: 5 Essential Ways to Manage Children's Misbehavior
Praise a good job
Make sure to praise and reward your child for a job well done. Children naturally want to please their parents, so when they hear praises from you, they are likely to do the deed again.
Communicate simple
Use clear and simple messages to convey what you want to say. You may have to use pictures, gestures, or role-playing to let your child with autism or ADHD know what you mean.
Make a routine
Kids with special needs respond well to a routine. They want a discipline wherein they would know what exactly will happen next. Try your best to stick to the same routine every day. Charts are a great way to indicate what comes next.
See also: Could Cord Blood Infusion Help Children With Autism and Intellectual Disability?
Trust your child
Believing that your children can do something empowers them to reach their goals. Never give up on your child when they struggle. Be patient in helping your child do his best.
Believe in your abilities
There will be days when it will be easy, and some days hard. Remember that behavior management takes lots of hard work even for children without special needs. Know that both you and your child will get through life, so do not give up.
