Following a routine can be hard.
Starting a new routine can be harder.
Constantly changing routines can be the hardest.

What if constant change becomes routine? A moment where the same becomes a challenge. I will be the first to tell you that I have not set a good example in commitment to routine. Especially when it comes to blog post. So on behalf of everyone inside and outside of AutismWorks, I'm sorry.

So I am working on it. New routine! More posts. I have learned that blogs can be good sometimes. Now onto the new routines in general. What can we do to get back into the new routine of things? Because I can tell you from experience, I tend to think in patterns. Do you or anyone you know think similarly? You're not alone on it.

Look. I get it. New things, deep hesitation, that feeling of messing up on the first attempt, mixed feelings; Especially towards new experiences like getting that new job, living on your own, or getting to know and see a new person more often than usual...

When folks ask me how I think, I say I think in patterns.

Little known secret, I have always been so fascinated with patterns. What kind of patterns? Any kind of pattern of course! You see them in clothing, in houses, in food, in business practices and so on.

It all started back in kindergarten when I was given a book that was all about patterns. For example, I remember the pattern that goes “shirt, pants, pants, pants, SHIRT, pants, pants, pants, shirt” then it asks what comes after “shirt”? It was an easy simple exercise in understanding patterns and I really enjoyed those activity books involving them. The answer was “pants” in case you were wondering. As I’m typing this, I began to realize that I am more into jeans than I am with shorts or long johns.

Speaking of pants, just recently I have found a brand of jeans with my name on it which is “Tyler”. I didn’t hesitate to buy a pair because I needed new jeans anyway. This...

Understand the Needs of Your Child with Autism

Learning how to understand the needs of your child with autism is essential for their future success.

A child with autism builds up a tremendous amount of frustration because they are not understood. This frustration is intensified if they are not able to communicate verbally. Alternate methods of communication must be established to reduce or eliminate frustration in your child with autism.

Learning how to interpret patterns of eye movement, gestures, noises, and other physical and auditory cues allows you to begin understanding nonverbal communication. Each child with autism is different, intuition is your best resource.

Spend time looking for the underlying non-verbal communication. Realize that your child with autism is doing his/her very best to communicate with you.

Tyler's Notes:

The way things worked at the house was that my parents wouldn't know what I needed. The solution to that was that they tried everything they...