[senco-forum] autism & death

how the child has reacted and the language in which they have talked about

Basically I would not deal with it in any way differently to a child
without autism. You need to take it from the child. If the child wants to
explore it further then explore it further. If the child does not mention
it, I would still talk to the child stating that you are aware that
his..... has died. I would not use any euphemisms tho - not use loss or
passed away as he may interpret that literally.

He may very well ( or his parents may) ask for an explanation from you tho'

annie
( on holiday in a Norwegian fjord)

 I agree that speaking to the parents is a priority as they can tell you
> how the child has reacted and the language in which they have talked about
> the death.
>
> There are many helpful books and organisations - Winston's Wish being an
> excellent source of information and materials - to help all children help
> in understanding death.  I'm not sure I agree that no-one should mention
> the death - unless the family really feel this is necessary and more
> helpful to the child.  You need to know whether the child has talked about
> it at home, whether the family are able to talk about it too.  Talking is
> necessary somewhere - either at home, or at school.  It's a balance
> between the two.
>
> This is stating the obvious probably.  But you just need to be careful
> about not mentioning it at all as this would be hard for any child to cope
> with and understand.  As autistic children are so literal, using concrete
> language about death will be vital - not falling asleep for example.
>
> I suggest looking at the Winston's Wish website. There are some beautiful
> story books to do with death, which might be helpful.  There are loads of
> activities to help a child remember and understand, in positive ways.
>
> Good luck
>
> LJ
>
>
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