A child with autism will often times find it difficult to manage working through a task. The reason for this is because he/she can’t process all components of completing a task: problem>process>solution. Doing the steps and understanding the solution are very difficult for Danny. Sometimes, Danny will believe he has the right solution and feel frustrated because the solution is incorrect.
First, Guide your Child Back to the Task at Hand
If your child is having trouble with understanding the solution, guide him/her back to the steps. Going through the steps slowly and gradually will enable your child to reach the goal of the solution. If your child is overwhelmed create a tool kit that can be accessed. In the tool kit you could have a card for taking breaks, a card for taking a deep breath, and perhaps playing a game.
Next, Walk Through the Steps by Modeling
Modeling a task is so important because then you are providing a compass for your child to view and practice. In the above video, I modeled the way he should complete the problem, and then later he follows through by moving to the next task. So, Danny is able to follow an example, which wasn’t always the case. Modeling, showing going through the steps while doing are so important to relieve frustration. You may notice he writing with a crayon. I do not push Danny to use a pencil at this point. The goal is to get him writing and thinking through the task, so I do not get caught up in the details of using a pencil.
Mom's Guide to the Autistic Universe 