Often we seem to get so caught up in the everyday caring for the basic needs of autistic children that we forget they like to just have fun. There are some wonderful activities and games that serve the purpose of providing therapeutic value, improving motor skills, developing sensory stimulation and encouraging social interaction. Playing selective games with autistic children can provide all of these important benefits, and at the same time add a happy outlook toward life. Parents gain a better understanding of their child's needs through these activities. This is not a scientific observation, but a personal insight into my experience in Ryan's world. You see, Ryan has sensory integration dysfunction. I appreciate the value of the places we sought to take him in order to seek stimulation for his sensory system and to encourage the development of social skills. Children with autism can play selective games that can provide all of these important benefits and at the same time add to a happy outlook for child and parent. Ryan's condition includes weak muscles and it gets a bit tricky to stimulate, but not over stimulate his sensory system to the point of being detrimental.To the autistic child, probably any child, SAND AND WATER are their best friends. Of course, the place that comes to mind right now is the beach. Don't forget the sun screen, a swimsuit, an umbrella, a small shovel, a pail and toys to bury and dig up. It's amazing what can be accomplished with these natural elements. In the back yard, fill a sand box half full of sand and add water until it forms little puddles and let them play in it. Let's talk about playgrounds. Look for a playground with deep sand around each of the swings, slides, merry-go-rounds, and rides. It's fun to burrow in the sand and enjoy the sensation. The therapist pointed out to us that it was good for him to get in the swing and have us twist and then let go. The spinning motion was a wonderful experience for him. The merry-go-round gave him more of the spinning motion, which he needed. Also another benefit of the merry-go-round was the pushing and pulling of a heavy object. The slide gave his skin a good brushing as he slid down it. Of course, he would have to climb back up to the top in order to go down again, which strengthened his muscles. The bouncing and rocking motion on the springy animals added another beneficial reward. The benefits just go on and on and the best part was that he was having fun. Later treats were enjoyed at the picnic table.A different source for sensory therapy is a discount dollar store. We visited there on a regular basis. It is the type of store that encourages handling, touching and choosing. Sometimes we would spend two hours there. To teach the value of money and the ability to choose, I would give him a dollar. As we shopped, he could put anything that interested him into the basket, but the rule was that he could only purchase one thing with the dollar I gave him. Since everything was a dollar, the only difficult thing was to learn to make choices. He soon began to think not only of himself, but he would think of things his sister would like to have.Fast food places with playgrounds inside are perfect areas for autistic children to go and play. The first time we took Ryan, he had just begun his year of therapy and was very cautious about going up so high. He did not like for his feet to leave the ground. However, he was brave and observed the other children climbing so he climbed to the very top and froze and would not come down. My husband had to climb through all the maze and bring him down. We thought he would never want to go back, however, we were wrong. The next visit he climbed all the way to the top and finally slid down the tunnel to the floor. He would repeat this many times. It gave him much needed confidence and provided the necessary sensory therapy. Observing the other children in action encouraged him to participate. Another benefit was totally unexpected. Ryan did not like to be touched by others. It was very threatening to him. Soon, during all the activity with all the children he began to get accustomed to being touched and soon began to be more comfortable around others. A word of caution, close supervision is a must here, because some children may play a little rough. We always took time out to eat something and enjoy the social aspect of the trip.I have not named all of the activities available, but if you know of some different ones, please feel free to leave that information for others. Take time to watch the video. Enjoy!Until next time,Meredith
Autistic two-year old child expelled from nursery school! Sound extreme? We were totally unprepared for this. The teacher called us aside one day and asked that we remove the child from nursery school. She explained that he was disturbing the other members of the class and she also had complaints from the other parents. To us it meant that children with problems outside the normal range of behavior were not accepted.Well, that was the last straw. A call was made to the pediatrician explaining what had happened and an appointment was scheduled with the doctor for an evaluation. The pediatrician had always been of the opinion that the child he had known since birth was within the guidelines of normal. The nursery school experience convinced him to take another look. Fortunately for us, the doctor was experienced with autism, as his daughter has aspergers syndrome. This time he spent an hour alone with the child and came to the conclusion that perhaps he might have aspergers syndrome. We were devastated. The doctor consoled us with the fact that he was high functioning. He followed up by giving us the name and phone number of a child psychologist who was experienced in determining between the different types of autism.An appointment was made for the initial evaluation. The doctor explained that two sessions would be required; the first with the child and his caregivers, and the last one with the child alone. The cost of the evaluation at the time seemed very expensive, but looking back on it, it was the turning point in all our lives. If you are considering what to do for a child you suspect has autism, I highly recommend that you first turn to your pediatrician and then follow up with a child psychologist who is trained to recognize the specific symptoms of all of the aspects of autism.The day of the first evaluation arrived. We feared the worst, and hoped for the best. A second visit was scheduled. At the conclusion of this session, she sat down and talked with us and told us that he did not have asperger syndrome, but instead was suffering from sensory integration dysfunction. She wisely recommended that we read a book, The Out of Sync Child. I confess that as I began reading the book, it was difficult to put it down until it was finished. It helped me recognize the symptoms of sensory integration dysfunction, but best of all, it taught me how to begin helping the child cope. More importantly, there was hope for improvement. The psychologist also recommended that we start immediate physical therapy at a children's center. We called and scheduled him for an evaluation. They verified his diagnosis and scheduled him for regular therapy treatments once a week to be adjusted as he progressed. Since the parents both worked, I went with him and was privileged to witness each visit and his response. I must admit that I was not a believer at first. I just couldn't connect physical hterapy and an improvement of his behavioral problems. Well, was I ever wrong! He began to improve with each visit and at the end of a year we were able to discontinue the treatments.Please feel free to share this article with others. Just go to the bottom of the page and click on comments. That will bring you to a place where you can send it to a friend or leave your comments or request available resources .Until Next Time,Meredith
