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I put together a list of questions to ask about the 11 year old autistic boy I am interested in adopting. Please look it over and add anything I left out! :thanks:
Self-help Skills:
1. Is he toilet trained? Does he bathe himself thoroughly or does he need help/ supervision?
2. When he gets hurt or feels ill, what does he do?
3. What self-help skills does he need assistance with (shoe tying, brushing teeth, etc.)?
Emotional Self-regulation
1. What does it look like when he gets frustrated? What aggressive behaviors has/ does he demonstrate?
2. How does he handle conflict with peers?
Academics
1. What are his best and most challenging school subjects?
2. What grade levels does he test at in various school subjects?
3. Can he write his name? Does he require any hand-over-hand help with any school tasks?
4. Has he been exposed to music or art? Cooking? Imaginative and social play with peers?
Safety
1. What does it look like when he is being unsafe?
2. Can he cross streets independently? Does he understand traffic signals? Is he ever unsafe in public?
3. Does he ever "bolt" or wander away? If so, how frequently?
4. Does he require inside door locks (on a front door) to prevent nighttime escapes?
Occupational Therapy
1. Does he see an OT? Why or why not?
2. What methods has he been exposed to with regards to emotional self-regulation, identifying feelings, communicating (PECS, etc.) and asking for help or a break?
3. Does he have any sensory seeking behaviors, i.e. light touch or tickling, smelling or tasting objects, self-injurious or stimulatory ("stimming") habits, etc.?
4. Does he have any sensory avoidance behaviors, i.e. loud noises or music, being touched in a particular way, sensitivity to heat or cold, aversion to certain foods?
Diet
1. Is he on a special diet, such as gluten free? Does he have any food allergies? What are the effects of any allergies?
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Ask about devices/items he may have... for example, I have a weighted blanket to help me calm down, I wear earplugs full-time (given by a doctor) and dark glasses most of the time, and I have a Medical ID bracelet.
Ask how to de-escalate a sensory meltdown situation... I can't be left alone (in case I stop breathing), I need to be in a small, quiet, dark place with just one other person, and holding me very tightly against your body helps. However, some autistic kids FLIP if you touch them during a meltdown.
Ask about violent vs. nonviolent meltdowns. Mine are nonviolent... I just shut down and curl up in a ball and lose my ability to communicate. In very rare instances I will scream, but I do not kick, thrash, bite, or otherwise hurt others or hurt myself. What about your kid? That's an important thing to ask.
ROUTINES!!! Routines are the end-all-be-all of autistic life. We MUST have our routines. So, figure out how many of his current routines you can incorporate into your life now. And, until your home and schedule become routines for him, expect a LOT of behavior.
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