Caregiver Certification: Learn Skills To Care For Your Child With Autism
As a parent or family caregiver caring for your child with autism, you know it can be complex to manage everyday home care while thinking about the future and what else your child may need.
Whether you’re part of the group of experienced caregivers or new caregivers, a caregiver certification program can eliminate the stress of worrying about “What else?” and “Is what we’re doing okay?”
You don’t have to be a professional caregiver to receive certified caregiver training.
In this article, you’ll read about:
- What you can learn in a caregiver certification program
- How you can make the time to prioritize a training program
- What your next steps could be
Did you know that you likely have time leaks in your day? Finding those time leaks helps you prioritize tasks like self-care and personal development. This is ultimately what will lead to better days for you and your child in your caregiving journey.
Learn Skills To Improve Your Care
As a caregiver, you already handle daily responsibilities with care. You might be wondering what else there is to know from a training program. Is there a point in becoming a certified caregiver? Let’s take a look:
Managing Behaviors
New caregivers and experienced caregivers alike face challenges with managing behaviors. Behaviors are commonly a form of communication. For example, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) explains that children with autism commonly have challenges with communication skills. This can make a child feel frustrated and unheard, especially if they have no established ways of telling you what they need. Children with autism that are yelling, hitting, biting, or running away, may actually be trying to communicate a desire or need for care.
In caregiver training, you learn skills like:
- Investigating the cause of behaviors, so that you can address needs directly.
- Self-regulation and co-regulation strategies that help de-escalate behaviors.
- Communication strategies that meet your child’s needs. For example, using simple, clear sentences or non-verbal communication tools like visuals, communication apps, or signing.
Improving Social Skills
Social skills can be challenging for a child with autism1. As their caregiver, you play a key role in helping them practice their social skills in a safe environment.
In a caregiver training program, you learn:
- How to identify challenges with social skills, so that you can practice them at home.
- How to use social stories and toys to demonstrate and practice social skills.
- When it’s okay to teach the consequences of not using some social skills like sharing, leaving personal space, or turn-taking. For example, if you’ve asked to have a turn in a game for the third time, and they continue to say no, it’s okay to say, “I think I’d like to play on my own now since I was really hoping I could have a turn to go first too.”
Advocating In The Classroom
Your child may have different needs and abilities that should be supported in the classroom. Unfortunately, not everyone is as inclusive and understanding as they should be.
A caregiver certification program helps you:
- Understand your child’s rights. For example, your child should have the support, resources, and accommodations to access the school curriculum.
- Understand what an IEP is and how to advocate for the support your child needs in an IEP meeting.
- Implement communication and advocacy strategies to ensure your child is included, respected, and supported.
Helping With Personal Care Tasks
Some children with autism may have developmental challenges that make it difficult to complete personal care tasks like brushing their teeth, getting dressed, or bathing. Other children with autism may be capable of completing the tasks; however, have challenges with motivation or regulation when it comes time to do them.
A training program can teach you:
- How to create a routine. Having a stable routine can help reduce challenging behaviors and improve adherence to completing personal care tasks.
- How to provide hands-on help with tasks like bathing or brushing teeth.
- Tools and equipment to use to make personal care tasks easier. For example, electric toothbrushes or handheld showers can increase your child’s independence.
- How to identify sensory sensitivities and address sensory needs that may be impacting your child’s ability to complete personal care tasks.
- How to set up the environment for success. For example, making it safer or more enjoyable for your child.
Emergency Planning
Parents of children with autism commonly wonder what will happen when they age or if they experience an emergency that leaves them unable to be a caregiver anymore. Who will take care of them? Will they be okay? How will they receive the quality care they need?
Planning ahead for an emergency will keep you and your child prepared and reduce the worry of “what if?” A training program will walk you through:
- What to consider during an emergency
- Creating an emergency plan
- Basic first aid
- Gathering information and resources for your child
Tips To Free Up Time For Caregiver Training
It’s true that you’re already busy. But, investing time to prioritize learning new skills will save you more time in the long run and reduce feelings of burnout and stress.
You might not have realized there are ways to lighten your daily load.
- Use tools and automation. Consistent routines, smartphone reminders, and automatic delivery systems for things like medications, are all ways to improve time efficiency and reduce your mental load and to-do list.
- Prioritize tasks. No one can do it all. Those to-do lists are endless; especially when providing home care. Remember to prioritize tasks and be realistic about what you can do in a day.
- Say no. If a task, person, or commitment takes up too much of your time, put yourself and your child first by saying “no”.
Free up time to do the things that matter. Growing your toolbox by finding ways to make your day easier will not only help you feel better but also optimize your care for your child.
What Are My Next Steps?
A caregiver certification program solidifies your knowledge, skills, and confidence as a family caregiver of your child with autism. Completing training that was created by experts in the field can ensure you’re no longer wondering, “What else can I do?” when it comes to your child’s care.
If you’re interested in taking your care to the next level, consider what type of training program may be right for you. What are your training requirements? You may want specialized training specific to your child’s diagnosis, a program that is free of charge, one that’s offered virtually and on-demand, or one that features live, in-person classes. Maybe you want a super certification bundle that offers a certification exam to solidify and demonstrate your new learning and skills.
Interested in your personal and professional development as a caregiver? Check to see if you have free access to Trualta’s caregiver training programs.
References
