How to increase self-help skills: dressing, bathing, feeding, sleeping, bladder control, etc.

Author: Dr. Joanna Kossewska, Danuta Wolska and Andrzej Wolski (Cracow-PI)

In some cases, it is said that parents should become co-therapists of their children, and for this reason, home should become a continuation of school. Others, on the contrary, consider that parents do not have to get involved in the most academic aspects. Anyway, it has been proved that the fact that parents act as active agents in their child’s treatment is something very beneficial for the affected child and for parents themselves, since parents develop self-efficiency feelings and a greater knowledge and control of their child’s behaviour.

One of the basic rules concerning the revalidation of autistic children is introducing them into certain temporal and spatial structures. This will allow further therapeutic intervention.

“Structurisation” consists of four elements. The first one is the “structurisation” of the space in which the child acts. The rooms and spaces of education of the child should always be the same. The child should have his/her own working environment (table, chair, etc.). The equipment of the room should be fairly plain and stable, at least at the beginning. As progress is made in the revalidation, the child’s acting space can be enriched with new elements. We must however not forget to introduce each element with the child’s cooperation. We should allow the child to get acquainted with the new pieces of equipment or decoration.

“Structurisation” of space also includes constant places for meals, the child’s own locker for personal belongings and a cabinet for toilet articles in the bathroom, and his/her own shelf and hanger.

The second element of “structurisation” is the arrangement of time.

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