The National Autism Association wants to highlight the importance of your at-risk child wearing personal locator devices and medical ID bracelets. I came across one of their articles and thought it important to share. If you’re the parent of an Autistic child and you don’t think you could ever get them to comfortably wear a wristband, NAA is here to help. Here’s the tips they mention on their blog:
- Start with a comfortable wristband that is not tight on the child’s wrist and wear one on your own wrist as well.
- Place the wristband on your child for just 30 seconds, offer enthusiastic praise, and then remove it.
- Continue to use this technique, slightly increasing the time worn each time.
- Use rewards or motivating reinforcements (favorite toys, snacks, activities) to encourage your child to wear the wristband. It may also be helpful to use a timer or show a visual countdown so your child will know when the wristband will be removed.
- Be consistent – this process could take days or weeks
- Use Social Stories or pictures to get your child acquainted with the wristband.
- Have other family members wear the wristband (if possible, adhere an image of your child’s favorite character to the top of the wristband).
- If color options are available, give your child a choice of which band they’d like to wear, “red or blue?”
- Use first/then to prepare your child — “First we put on the wristband, then we (list preferred activity).”
If you’re interesting in learning more on this subject and many others related to Autism, check out The National Autism Associations (NAA) terrific blog.
