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I need advice!
Iam going to babysit my cousin during my spring break vacation from school a whole week and he's Autistic.what kind of activities could I do with him while his mom's at collage?what if he has a seizer while iam baby sitting?what should I do?
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Want to answer more questions in the Domesticity category?
Maybe give some free advice about: Babysitting?
Ok first make sure that everything is away from him and if he really lashes out this may sound weird but you may have to basically site on him and hold his arms tight not too tight though ok sit on him is the wrong word ok put his legs in between yours but dont put too much pressure on his legs but enough to hold him down and then your arms are free to hold his arm down
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well, i guess i would say be nice to him, have a lil fun with him. Cept that's old and pretty much played out. Usualy when kid's moms are not around they become lil punks and you just want to throw them in a busy street. Just try your best at it and warn him. "if you somehting bad, i'll write it down and let you mom have at you" Babysitting's like watching an antique store. Kinda boreing unless you amke a game outta it... i think. well hope that helped
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Just wondering, but why did you give me a 2? Isn't that a little excessive? Not to be vain or anything, but I thought I answered your question quite well considering I've babysat for and worked with lots of autistic children and adults before. Wow, I'm really in shock.
Oh, sorry I didn't see your additional information. When I said aunt I was referring to your autistic cousin's parents. Again, sorry about that. :)
Find out what he likes. If you have a bunch of activities planned, he may not want to do any of them and be miserable the whole time. You can ask your aunt or your cousin himself about what kind of things you should do. He may want to watch a lot of TV, or just play with toys, listen to music, or do puzzles. Like with any child, he will like different things. All autistic kids are different. Seisures. It's really an awful thing to experience, but you always have to be prepared. First, move things away from him that he could hurt himself on, like tables and stuff. Don't move him. If there's something you can't move out of the way, just put a pillow over it or something. If he starts thrashing around try to hold him still as best you can. Put a cold washcloth on his forehead and use it to wipe off his mouth if you have too. Turn him sideways if he throws up. If it lasts for more than a minute you need to call 911 and get him to a hospital. Just be really strong and try not to get scared. It seems like it lasts forever, but it should all be over very soon and the chances of having to call for help are very small. Afterwards keep a very close eye on him. He'll be disoriented and my talk nonsense or accidentally hurt himself. Basically, he'll act similarly to if he were extremely drunk. After everything is over and you're sure he's alright call your aunt and let her know what happened. Stress the fact that everything is okay so that she doesn't get worried, but she does need to know. That's been my experience, but if your aunt tells you anything different listen to her. Ask her what to do too because, again, all autistic kids are different and have different needs. I know that all that probably scared you, but there's nothing to be scared about. I have a cousin with epilepsy and I used to babysit her all the time. She never had a seisure and it was a really great and rewarding experience for me to have so much contact with her. I learned a lot from her and we always had such a great time together. I wish you the best of luck and remember to ask your aunt these questions.
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An autistic child will often be inaccessible, or confined to a little shell, and they will sometimes focus on just one thing for a very long time. Depending on how severe the child's autism is, you'll want to engage in calm, quiet activities. Above all, be patient with the child - he/she may be unresponsive to thing you say and may become a little hostile for a very silly reason. Be absolutely sure that you know the child's routine because autistic children respond very well to regularity and he/she will probably be more comfortable with you taking care of him/her if you keep to what he/she is comfortable with.
Keep the phone handy just in case anything happens. I'm not sure that autistic children actually have seizures but that would be a good thing to ask your aunt. My advice, if the child starts seizing, is to clear the area of anything that may hurt the child. Do not, under any circumstances, attempt to restrain the child. Elevate their head as best you can with a pillow or a towel. Your aunt should tell you EXACTLY what to do if this could happen but those are just some good things to know.
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Well, i'm guessing you are babysitting for your aunt, you should ask her if she hasnt told you already what to do.
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