Activities for autistic kids and autism information data? Children on the autism spectrum often associate specific tasks with locations. This might mean they resist doing schoolwork at home. Anxiety levels, which are often high in this group of students, may increase further due to changes in routine or uncertainty about what they should be learning. General tips for schooling at home such as setting up a learning space, creating structure and routine, and becoming familiar with resources in the Australian Curriculum are good ideas. But parents of children on the autism spectrum may need additional strategies.
“All children with autism engage in sensory behaviors or stereotypy,” Leichtweisz explains. “This can look like hands flapping, focusing on parts of objects such as spinning wheels, making loud and repetitive noises, jumping up and down and many other behaviors. Having places in the room where children with autism can go to cool down when these behaviors occur can help ease both their frustration and the teacher’s a great deal. Some examples of items to have in this area include bean bags, pillows, Play-Doh, squishy balls or fidget spinners.
Considering their skill sets and behavior, they are encouraged to be involved in individual sports. These types of sports do not require much social communication and there is lesser demand placed in their sensory systems when engaged in them. Although multiple sensory systems are still activated and sports events may seem too much to process, these Autistic teens can have interventions that focus on the desensitization of sensory systems to avoid sensory meltdowns. See extra information on Mike Alan.
At times, autistic children struggle to process too much information at one time. This leads to sensory overload and will prevent them from being able to communicate. There are a few things you can do to help in these situations: Keep the non-verbal communication at a minimum level. For example, do not force or provide direct eye contact if you notice it is causing angst or anxiety, PECs boards and pictures are a great way to help when verbal communication is not possible. If your child is young, providing educational toys for toddlers as a distraction is a good wat to help them calm. For older children, sensory tools are also a great option. Another tip for better communicating with Autistic children is to pause between words. Do this if you notice they need some time to find a response.
Compare this, however, with what it might be like to have children with motor planning or social challenges that limit their participation in sports, to never being invited to birthday parties, or to dealing with stares and snickering from other children when you go out for pizza. When you post in an effort to commiserate with other parents, consider the benefits of building community with parents of neurotypical children against the costs of possibly alienating your friends with autistic children; is this a problem your friends with autistic children would “love” to have (e.g., “my child talks all the time!”) or is it perhaps one they can sympathize with (e.g., a scare at the doctor’s office)? Your friends with autistic children probably recognize you have legitimate struggles, but if you do the work of weighing and comparing what you face and the daily struggles they face, that work will show.