Tips of the Day - Eating Out

• Before eating at a fast-food restaurant, go through the drive-thru and eat at home.
• To help your child practice sitting at the table at a fast-food restaurant, go through the drive-thru and eat in the restaurant.
• To keep your child seated at a restaurant, sit him in a booth close to a window and sit beside him.
• Bring a special activity bag that your child can play with only at the restaurant.
• To help your child with waiting, set a timer so she knows how long she has to wait.
• To teach your child to wait for his food at a fast-food restaurant, have another adult sit at the table with him while you order. Once your child is comfortable with this arrangement, have him wait with you at the counter for your order.
• Watch your child when walking through a restaurant to make sure he doesn’t grab food off other people’s plates.
• Before going to a restaurant, practice ordering with your child; let him give the order when he has it memorized.
• To teach your child that we exchange money for things we want, have her give the money to the cashier.
• When making a purchase, have a child that knows math calculate the change.
• When going to a pizza parlor, first order over the phone but eat the pizza at the restaurant, sitting where your child can watch the pizza being made. Next time, order at the pizza parlor and sit where your child can see the food being made.

_{*Tips taken from "The Child with Autism Series" by Kathy Labosh}