Understanding Autism and Irrational Fears: 5 Ideas You Can Try Today

[Corey Blair]

The following are 5 common fears suffered by autistics, and how you
can effectively handle the situation to create a more positive
experience for your child.
1. Fear of the dentist - Many autistic children are afraid of the
dentist. This shouldn't be too surprising, considering the dentist can
be hard to take for the average person.
Understanding autism and fear of the dentist is a matter of
introducing your child to the right dentist. You need to find a
dentist who is experienced with children with disabilities,
particularly autism. If you have trouble finding a dentist with such
experience, your best option is to choose one who has compassion and a
willingness to learn.
Overcoming the dentist fear is about slowly introducing your child to
the environment. The first few visits should only consist of getting
your child to sit in the chair and the dentist looking in his/her
mouth. Furthermore, distractions such as TV can help make the process
easier to take. This process can take several months.
2. Fear of the dark - Many autistic children fear the dark because
they can't control it and fear the unknown.
To help your child overcome this fear, try a game of peek-a-boo with
the blanket, allowing your child to move from dark to light at their
control. Other methods that may work in understanding autism fears of
the dark include providing your child with a flashlight, lamp or
nightlight.
3. Fear of loud sudden noises - Loud sudden noises such as a fire
alarm or thunder, often startles and upsets autistics. Sensitivity to
sound may be desensitized through sound recording. Provide your child
with a recording of the sound that upsets him/her and allow them to
start the sound and slowly increase its volume. Having control over
the playback of sound can help the child become familiar with the
noise, allowing them to recognize it when it occurs.
4. Fear of looking at people - Many autistics don't look directly at
others. Many researchers believe this is because autistics cannot
accurately interpret expressions and emotions. Thus, autistics
generally find it disturbing to look at people's faces.
New studies on understanding autism have found that autistics respond
well to cartoons that feature trains and cars that have people's faces
superimposed on them. These particular cartoons known as "The
Transporters" have been particularly successful at helping autistics
learn about emotions.
5. Fear of socializing - One of the biggest autistic fears is
socializing. This means that it is often difficult for them to make
friends. The following are ways you can help encourage them to
socialize with those their own age:- Encourage your child to get phone
numbers of some of his/her schoolmates and bring them home so you can
make calls.- Schedule a playtime or invite another family of a fellow
schoolmate over to your home for brief interaction (2 hour limit)-
Don't rely on the friendship of only one child. Invite more than one
child over.- Ask your child what he/she wants to do when the friend
comes over. Create a list of activities so things remain entertaining.
Just remember, you need to teach your child to be flexible and accept
suggestions from others. This can take time.
The more knowledge people have in understanding autism, the easier it
will be for your child to make and keep friends.