While baths are famous for their unique soothing effect, children with autism often find this activity challenging for a variety of reasons.
Children with autism have difficulties connecting different stimuli to the same experience, making water very exciting. There are so many switches in the brain being activated simultaneously, that it's no wonder children with autism are fascinated.
Many children with autism are drawn to water for its calming, sensory experience. In fact, a 2015 study[1] found that children with ASD enjoy swimming significantly more than children without ASD. And while water can present a safety concern, water play and swimming also offer several benefits for children with ASD.
Many children with AS will refuse to shower or to brush their teeth. Although caregivers may initially believe that these responses are due to laziness on the part of the child, in many instances refusal to engage in personal hygiene activities results from sensory issues encountered by the child.
Developing self-care skills such as washing and personal hygiene can sometimes be an issue for autistic people. Sensory differences, such as a heightened sense of smell or touch, can make washing an uncomfortable experience.
Maintaining personal hygiene can be problematic for someone with autism. It might simply be that they don't understand the importance of personal hygiene or the social implications, and need reminding to have a shower, brush their teeth, wash their clothes etc. For some, there are also sensory issues to consider.
Combine activities
Some examples might be letting your child bring Legos or a Barbie into the bath. Maybe your child can use cups and spoons to play kitchen in the tub. Let your child color or paint in the bath. They make bath friendly paints, crayons, and markers!
There are some autistic characteristics that can lead to difficulties with learning to use the toilet (Wheeler, 2007; Coucouvanis, 2008). Some of the language and communication around toileting can be confusing. They may not understand what you are asking them to do or could take things very literally.
Newborns might feel insecure in the bath. They might not like the change of temperature or the feeling of floating. Older babies and toddlers might be afraid of the noise of the water draining or of slipping under the water. They might not like having their hair washed or getting water or soap in their eyes.
Autistic children are often strong in areas like visual, rule-based and interest-based thinking. A developmental assessment or an IQ test can identify autistic children's thinking and learning strengths. You can develop autistic children's skills by working with their strengths.
Summary. Children with autism play differently than those who don't have autism. They often like to repeat actions over and over and line up objects, rather than playing pretend. They usually prefer to play alone and have challenges working together with others.
Children with an ASD are not vigilant and do not look up to the caregiver for social referencing. They may not cling to the caregiver, although go up to them for succor. However, some cling to the caregiver because of extreme anxiety.
Children with ASD often need a hug, just like other children. Sometimes they need this much more than other children. But some children don't like to be touched. Respect their personal space.
There is a higher incidence of bedwetting in children with Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASD). affect sleep. schedule of their bedtime routine that may include two trips to the toilet (see below), and social stories about what to do if their bed is wet when they wake during the night or in the morning.
The average age in which a child is successfully toileting was 3.3 years of age for children with autism in comparison to 2.5 years of age for children with other developmental disabilities (Williams, Oliver, Allard, & Sears, 2003).
For some children on the autism spectrum, this can involve overwhelming or otherwise unpleasant sensory experiences. Common examples include the loud flush of the toilet, the feel of a cold, hard toilet seat or an unsteadiness on the toilet seat that leads to a fear of falling in or off the toilet.
Children with ASD find it difficult to adapt to change and tend to want to hold on to learned and familiar behaviour routines. For this reason, it is very difficult to get the child with ASD to move on from very early learned behaviour that going to the toilet means performing in a nappy.
Children with autism mainly produce one sort of laughter — voiced laughter, which has a tonal, song-like quality. This type of laughter is associated with positive emotions in typical controls.
Hobbies such as collecting stamps, playing cards or board games, drawing and photography can also provide opportunities for enjoyment, as well as increased self-confidence and motivation individuals on the spectrum.
Science fiction and fantasy are often of great interest to autistic people. Depending on their interest levels and abilities, people on the spectrum may learn every detail of a particular "universe," write their own stories, watch and rewatch movies, read comics, attend conventions, or even make their own costumes.
A closer look, however, reveals that a bath may be more complicated than it seems on the surface, explaining why bath time can be overwhelming for kids on the spectrum. It is quite common for children with autism spectrum disorder to be unwilling to engage in activities related to personal hygiene.
(ASD). There are many reasons why it can take a long time. Many children with ASD learn to use the toilet at a late age. Most children with ASD learn to urinate and have bowel movements in the toilet later than other children (Tsai, Stewart, & August, 1981).