For children who have autism spectrum disorder (ASD), changes in routine can be distressing.
For instance, a child might become upset upon going to an unfamiliar place such as a doctor’s office, doing a certain activity at a different time of day, or even eating a new food.
If you want to minimize the stress that your child feels upon encountering changes to his or her routine, there are a number of strategies that you can try.
It tends to be helpful to introduce changes gradually
If you will be taking your child to a new school, for example, you might visit the school a few times together at quiet times of the day so that your child can get used to the new environment.
Many children also appreciate having a daily timetable
A daily timetable tells them when each different event of the day will happen. Incorporating new activities into this timetable can help your child acclimate to them.
