ACTIVITIES FOR AUTISTIC CHILD

What Can Parents Do?
WHERE TO START
Read Help Your Child to Learn and pinpoint the immature areas in your child's development by answering the list of questions in each of the early chapters.

Take your child for any obviously needed assessment suggested in the book - but only one at a time.

Explain to your child what you have found so that the blame for failure can be taken off the child and on to the obstacles to his learning.

Use only positive words of encouragement and acknowledgement of their gifts.

Encourage gifted areas so that they can have the recognition for some special achievement.

The movement sequences as described in What Can Teachers Do? can easily be done at home, if necessary. They are fun and it is not hard to get your child to cooperate. It is especially good if the whole family does it together.

Fun Learning Activities:
Blowing whistles
Blowing ping pong balls
Clapping rhythms
Animal walks
Rolling on spine, arms around legs like a ball
Knuckle bone juggling

Rubbing parts of own body and identifying them eg left knee, right ear
Drawing letters on the back of student in front who then guesses what it is
Hugging yourself as hard as you can
Eye tracking - moving eyes to different places in the room on command
Tai chi twirls and slaps
Chewing
Tracing the figure eight (lying on its side) in the air

Standing on one leg with eyes closed
Tapping alternate feet while poking tongue out on opposite side
Tapping a balloon from student to student, every alternate student etc.
Playing 'Simon Says'
Drumming

Any fun thing! The students can be asked to suggest a lot more.

We have also added some additional suggestions for fun movement. See Suggestions from our Occupational Therapist Veronica.
VIDEO MOVES - ADDITIONAL MOVEMENTS TO
MOVE TO LEARN DVD/VIDEO

Controlling Nausea
Stand a good distance from a wall and do slow "push-ups".
Strong muscle work with arms, shoulders and neck also dampens down nausea.

Aeroplanes or Back Extensions
Keeping the arms flexed, the neck shoulders and upper back develop strength for hand skills and writing.

Curl Ups
By also strengthening tummy and neck flexor muscles children's trunk muscles, balance and sitting posture will better develop. This is a good activity to calm and centre children.

Rock and Roll
In addition to rocking backwards and forwards on hands and knees, rocking sideways and around in circles, both directions provides stronger shoulders and wrists and also builds up the muscles in the hands to develop the arches of the hand. This assists more versatile hand grasps.

Cat Stretches
These are good for stretching and relaxing the back and neck muscles and mobilising the spine.