Autism Soccer: A Baby’s On the Way!

Having another child will not be easy, but if you did it once, you can do it again.

You watched your children grow and gave them love in the process, now they’re old enough to understand most of the things that happen in the house: Dad’s job and how he ends up tired after a long day, Mom’s hard work and her responsibilities at the office. Your kids are also aware of their ASD, and they keep on dealing with it. You start to think that this might be an opportunity for them to take care of their little brothers or sisters, so you decide to talk it out with your kids and see how they’ll take it.

Having a baby will bring more responsibilities for the members of the family; looking after the mother will be the priority now and most of the attention will go towards that baby. Besides, there’s a thing that needs to be worked on: your kids and how they’ll feel about this matter. They might not find this a good idea and be mistrustful about it, mostly because the attention towards them won’t be the same like it used to be.

Special needs children are very straightforward when being in confidence; your kids will probably speak their mind if the baby subject is brought up, you must listen to how they feel about this and try to make them see the bigger picture of this decision. Here’s some advice on how to prepare them for what’s to come:

Explain: It’s not like they’ll be left out or forgotten because of the baby, let them know how much they mean to you and that nothing’s going to change that feeling. Deep inside, they may be a little jealous, but they actually want to have a little brother or sister to play with.

Make plans: Encourage your kids to do things for the baby; like looking for names for him/her, buying clothes and setting up a room for the baby.

Communication: Let them talk to the baby through your belly, it may seem silly but this way of communication is proven to work. The baby is actually hearing (not clearly, but a dim voice) what you’re saying. This kind of bonding helps your kid and the baby for when he/she finally arrives.

Preparing for a new member can be quite a challenge for all the family members, and even more to your kids, but if you properly set things up for both the baby and them things won’t be so difficult in the future. Let your kids have some time for themselves with his usual activities, like the ones the people of Autism Soccer offer. They have the best team, ready to help your kids grow practicing sports!