Children and teens living with autism can benefit from a structured and disciplined routine at home. One with clearly defined rules and set time frames for each activity. Disciplining is an essential part of that routine when negative behavior happens. Discipline for teens with autism can be a positive experience that helps them learn correct behaviors in public and at home. Autism parent resources are available to teach parents healthy ways to discipline their children living with autism.
At Camp Worth, the goal of our autism parent training program is to help you better understand your child’s needs. Therapists will work with you to teach you healthy discipline techniques that will help your teen living with autism thrive. If you need support for your teen with autism, such as autism parent resources, reach out to our Camp Worth team today by calling 855.915.2545 or completing our online form.
The Importance of Discipline for Teens with Autism
Discipline is essential for any child to teach them about right and wrong behaviors. For teens living with autism, discipline is a vital learning tool. It can teach them appropriate behaviors at home, school, and social settings like holiday parties and gift-giving. Discipline can be a positive experience with the proper training and practice.
Healthy disciplining of your teen living with autism can help them by:
- Learning appropriate behavior for different scenarios
- Refining play skills and how to behave around new friends
- Improving how to express their feelings and emotions better
Discipline for teens with autism cannot be a negative experience. If you use anger or violence while disciplining, you will only worsen their behavior and reinforce negative behavior. At Camp Worth, our autism parent training program can help teach you how to create positive discipline for your children living with autism.
Healthy Discipline Tips for Teens and Children with Autism
Discipline for children with autism is not scolding or yelling at them. That will only enforce their harmful behavior as they pick it up from you. Disciplining your children with autism should be a positive experience where you reward desired behavior and ignore unwanted behavior. Some tips for healthy discipline include:
- Praise and rewards – When you praise your teen with autism for desired behavior, they want to continue this as it makes you happy. Seeing you happy makes them happy, and they will want to repeat the desired behavior. Be specific with your praise and show them how proud it made you. You can associate positive praise with a favorite activity, toy, or treat for children with limited language skills.
- Setting clear rules about behavior with consequences for each – You can use discipline to help reinforce rules and time limits. Teens with autism thrive on structure. And the more you stick to that structure, the better. Create positive consequences for sticking to a routine like getting ready for school on time. If they finish early, they can play before leaving for school. If they don’t finish in time, they do not get to play.
- Coping with unfamiliar situations – Unwanted behavior can come from being in an unfamiliar situation and not knowing how to act. Setting clear rules and consequences for their actions in familiar settings gives them the coping skills necessary to act accordingly in unknown settings. For instance, spending the holidays in a new place or meeting new friends and relatives.
Camp Worth’s Autism Parent Training Program
At Camp Worth, we offer an autism parent training program to help parents with teens aged 11-17 years old. Parents and the whole family will learn many skills while in our autism parent training program, such as:
- Solving day-to-day problems
- Improving coping skills
- Managing negative behavior
- Enhancing communication skills
Find Support for Healthy Discipline for Teens with Autism at Camp Worth
When you enroll in the autism parent training program at Camp Worth, you will learn these skills and more to help your teen living with autism lead a more independent life. For help with discipline for teens with autism, reach out to our Camp Worth team today by calling 855.915.2545 or filling out our convenient online form.
