What can a parent do? Follow through with the therapy directives given to them from the school and the private therapists.
Aside from that, keep routines. Have the routines and schedules visible. Idealy, you’d laminate them. That way, the can use the visuals daily. He can use a dry erase marker to cross off what he’s accomplished, or circle what still needs to be completed.
One other idea would be for you all to learn and then help him utilize a catasrope scale. The catastrophe scale in a REBT therapy book under the “catastrophizing” chapter.
Basically, you have to keep putting your logic to work for you by asking yourself where each event is from 1 to 10 on the catastrophe scale:
An example of a one on the scale: You dropped a piece of chocolate on the floor…Do you eat it? (That’s what your mind’s dilemma is)
a five would be a family member has to fight an illness, but will survive it….or has been in a car accident but will pull through
an eight is a family member will die of a life threatening illness
a ten is an event of epic proportion (tsunami, earthquake, tornado) striking your town/block/home/family
It works best if you make the scale personal to you. That way you will be able to recall it, and employ it quickly every moment you need it.
This is a strategy used for therapy for most autistics/ADD brain types (neuro-atypicals).
It is vital that he learns how to better utilize the brain process he lives with. It is important that he understands his family is there to support him while he learns to utilize these methods.