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Days Out

Daisy Doo

My little girl, 6 yrs old, was diagnosed with Autism last month. One of the things I struggle with is where to take her for a day out. She is hysterically terrified of dogs so that means that we cant to for a walk on the moors (where we used to spend every weekend), in the woods, to the beach, to a country park or even to a play ground. We've got a day in the Lake District next week and thought about a boat trip, but apparently they allow dogs. We have membership to the zoo and go a lot but due to the Crisis we now have to book but cant always get in. We've been to the cinema once and it was really difficult and she didnt enjoy it at all. I'm at a loss and need to get out of the house. 

Parents

  • One of the main traits of ASD is grossly overblown anxiety and the need for total control of any unknown situations - so the more reasons for predicting chaos, the more barriers your daughter will invent to control any situation.         The best way to 'train' her is for you to work out where the stress 'pinch points' are and design outings or exercises that only challenge one at a time - make every potential problem into small baby-steps to overcome them.

    Are you able to visit an animal shelter where all the dogs are behind bars?      You can convince her that it's totally safe - like a zoo - and maybe get a book on dog breeds so you pre-educate her about dogs and you can take it along to do 'breed spotting' and try to get her to guess the make-up of the mongrels - make it so it's a cerebral, technical challenge where she is safely separated from the dogs - and then you can gauge her reaction to the situation.      Talk to her about dog behaviour - the way they like to sniff or maybe hide at the back and bark because they are unsure or scared of her - give her the feeling of power that she actually scares these great big dogs!  Smiley        

    DO NOT surprise her with anything - make sure everything is talked through to her satisfaction and give her time so she can process all of the baby steps beforehand.       Make it fun and exciting and a puzzle to solve (the dog book) and you're more likely to get her buy-in.    Be prepared to back off a little if things move too quickly for her.

    From there, on another visit, you might be able to get her to meet the calmest, quietest puppy - and maybe she'll be comfortable with that - and she might be happy to stroke something so safe.      Talk to the animal shelter and see if they can help you.     Just remember, baby steps and no surprises.   

    You'll find this works with almost any control-issues that your daughter will create as she becomes aware of how big and chaotic the world is and how to satisfy her need to control things to make her feel safe..

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  • One of the main traits of ASD is grossly overblown anxiety and the need for total control of any unknown situations - so the more reasons for predicting chaos, the more barriers your daughter will invent to control any situation.         The best way to 'train' her is for you to work out where the stress 'pinch points' are and design outings or exercises that only challenge one at a time - make every potential problem into small baby-steps to overcome them.

    Are you able to visit an animal shelter where all the dogs are behind bars?      You can convince her that it's totally safe - like a zoo - and maybe get a book on dog breeds so you pre-educate her about dogs and you can take it along to do 'breed spotting' and try to get her to guess the make-up of the mongrels - make it so it's a cerebral, technical challenge where she is safely separated from the dogs - and then you can gauge her reaction to the situation.      Talk to her about dog behaviour - the way they like to sniff or maybe hide at the back and bark because they are unsure or scared of her - give her the feeling of power that she actually scares these great big dogs!  Smiley        

    DO NOT surprise her with anything - make sure everything is talked through to her satisfaction and give her time so she can process all of the baby steps beforehand.       Make it fun and exciting and a puzzle to solve (the dog book) and you're more likely to get her buy-in.    Be prepared to back off a little if things move too quickly for her.

    From there, on another visit, you might be able to get her to meet the calmest, quietest puppy - and maybe she'll be comfortable with that - and she might be happy to stroke something so safe.      Talk to the animal shelter and see if they can help you.     Just remember, baby steps and no surprises.   

    You'll find this works with almost any control-issues that your daughter will create as she becomes aware of how big and chaotic the world is and how to satisfy her need to control things to make her feel safe..

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