Chores For a Four-year Autistic Child

Since being put on lockdown I have had my autistic son home with me 24-7. At first, I was quite upset about him being home simply because he was doing so well in his ABA program and it took so long to get to where we are today. I did not know how he would adapt to the change of being home with mom all day every day for an unknown amount of time. 

I also was worried he would regress. Regressing is when someone goes backward with everything that they have learned and obtained; he had mastered so many goals. I was worried that I couldn’t fulfill the duties that he was used to from his teachers. It was a lot of stress for me, but he adjusted well. 

I was proactive and put him into online programs where they helped me obtain his old demands and new goals. It is always a lot of work and time to change these things since there are so many loopholes. 

However, since being home and working with him there have been new victories for Antonio: 

1. He will put his dishes away and throws any leftover food away in the trash. 
2. I have him help bring in the groceries, unload them, and put them away with me.  
3. Antonio feeds the dogs. He will take the container of dog food and put it in the bowls. Then he will put the container back into the closet and close the door.
4. He puts his clothes in the hamper. 
5. This one is my favorite, he goes to the bathroom 100% on his own. He will walk into the bathroom, then wash his hands and come back out all on his own. 
6. Antonio can write his name. We are working on adding more vocabulary and writing to his goals. 
7. He initiates all the things and I LOVE IT. We work on noises, sounds, and words as often as we can. He tries so hard! 
8. He plays music and loves dancing. We work on being active as much as we can and he has grown so much with his skills. 

All of these things have been so fun and important for him to achieve. He always amazes me when he goes above and beyond. I love how hard he works and how he listens so well; I give simple commands and he implements so well. It can be hard to communicate sometimes with a non-verbal child, but we have a system in place. 

These are all huge praises for an autistic child.  Even though COVID-19 we are still able to maintain all these things, and more. I am thankful we have had this time together.