Being a teenager is a difficult time, being the parent of a teenager is also a challenging time. But if your teen is autistic, this can be not only challenging but very difficult…
For a start how do you explain what will happen to their body. What resources are there available to help you, and how do you access these.
Then there is the hormonal changes, an increase in hormones can sometime trigger seizures in autistic teen’s so you will need to be aware of these. Not all seizures involve falling to the ground and shaking…This kind of seizure is not that common. A lot of seizures are noticed as absences, a blank stare, etc. if you think your autistic teenager may be experiencing seizures of any degree, however small, l you should take them along to your G.P. to be checked out.
Being a teenager is quite confusing, you’re no longer a child, with this comes the pressure of exams, growing sexuality, peer pressure, and all the other things that come with the onset of your teenage years.
At school and at home your life begins to take on new dimensions, you begin to start planning a career and mapping out a future for yourself. The teenage years are a very social time, relationships are formed and people treat you more grown up.
For an autistic teenager, this time can and will be stressful. Their friends will mature and expect them to mature with them… If your autistic teenager has high functioning autism or asperger, chances are they attend a normal school. They will have formed friendships with normally developing children of their own age.
This is where autism social stories will be of benefit to your autistic or asperger teenager, a social story can and will explain all the changes happening to their bodies as well as the changes to their friends bodies.
Why for example all of a sudden they need to use deodorant, maybe people are beginning to complain they smell…Susie might not now be happy to allow them to sniff her hair. Maybe your autistic or asperger teenager is female; a social story can explain menstruation and how to cope with the onset of periods.
Social stories will cover puberty; swear words , taking care of themselves and so much more. Autism social stories are used by many parents to help their teenager better prepare and manage the teenage years.
Parents and educators of autistic teenagers have found by using social stories they have been able to more easily explain and better manage their autistic teenagers mood swings. Autism is a lifelong developmental disorder, it does not make you exempt from developing into an adult.
Autism social skill stories will greatly improve your autistic teens understanding of, and make them more comfortable in, the changing years, as they develop into adulthood.
