About the Do's and Don'ts... When it comes to parenting, I have always believed that the most important thing is to listen to your heart, or your intuition (whatever you want to call it). When it comes to raising autistic kids, this becomes even more important. All too often parents get caught up in the race to make their kids seem more "neurotypical", or "higher functioning" (a terrible term, I find!). Parents start to listen to psychologists and therapists and teachers who tell them what their kids should be able to do, what their kids should not do and when their kids should be able to do certain tasks. It can be overwhelming.
But even without this noise from the professional world, we all get caught up in the struggles of daily life sometimes. We get stressed and we don't feel connected to our inner wisdom. It happens. We're human. It's great to have a list of things to do or to avoid, especially during those times.
This is where this book can help you. Read it, maybe even read it with your kid and if your kid wants to, discuss the points made. Use it as a starting point (and it's a good one) and then adjust it to your unique circumstances.
Specific things? There's the point of always giving your kid a fair warning before having to quit an activity or having to go somewhere. This is so important, as it is highly confusing, frustrating and upsetting to be out of control. Sometimes it even helps to have a signal. My kids like to set a certain timer together with me. It gives them control. When we lived in a small village in France, the church bells would ring every 15 minutes, so we used the bells as a signal (be careful with noises and sounds though). Choose what works for your kid and your family.
Enjoy this book! Don't get rigid. It's a great list of things to do or not to do. Make it your own.