Activities For Children With Autism

Here we give suggestions for different activities for children with autism, a condition that affects the ability to communicate and social interactions.

Activities for children with autism can alleviate the difficulties that come with this disorder. Children on the autism spectrum have difficulty communicating and interacting with others. It is very important to work with the individual child to optimize its development.

The sooner you realize that there is a problem and can offer a solution, the better the prognosis for the child’s future. Solutions can include activities, educational games and exercises that aim to help the child improve their capacity, abilities and opportunities to communicate – especially with their parents.

In this article, we will look at some different activities for children with autism.

What you need to think about

First and foremost, it is important to know what your child likes and is interested in. In addition, you need to know the type of activities your child is capable of, depending on their age and pace of development. It is very important that the activities are suitable for the child’s own individual characteristics. Adapt all activities according to each child’s ability.

There are two things to keep in mind when it comes to modifying activities for children with autism:

Timing. Set a specific time for each activity. For example, you can use an hourglass so that the child knows when the activity has started, and how much time is left before it ends.
Option. Give the child an opportunity to choose from several different options. With that said, the child should not always choose the same activity. Present the activities in a visual way by using resources such as image support, photographs, drawings and so on, and let the child choose what he or she wants to do.

Activities for children with autism

Activities with music

Music therapy is very popular for children with autism. Here are some examples of things you can do:

Dance and move to the rhythm of the music.
Learn simple songs and sing them together. It helps the child to work on their understanding through the lyrics. Again, you can use visual aids for certain words.
Make your own music. You can use instruments or any object that makes sound. By creating music, the child can experiment with the sounds that different objects make.

Reading activities

You should adapt this and consider whether your child enjoys reading or not. Also take into account the child’s ability to understand, interests and choose pictures that your child finds appealing. You can use:

Books with different materials: Fabrics, different textures, cardboard and so on, so your child can interact with different materials.

A book full of illustrations: This is a great way to teach your child the names of different objects. You can also use cookbooks or interior design magazines to display and name different objects.
Interactive books can be especially appealing to children with autism.

Crafts activities

In this category , we include crafts and interaction with various objects, such as crafts with clay or Play-doh, toilet paper rolls, cardboard, yarn, plastic bottles, newspapers and so on.
You can actually use whatever you can think of that might interest your child.

Games for children with autism

Imitation games

You can use play toys to make your child imitate you. For example, create a sequence that your child can copy. You can also mimic the sounds or gestures that different animals make.

Activity for mother and child with autism.

Visuospatiala games

This type of play includes puzzles, blocks and Lego, among others. In some cases , the child may need help to understand how to place the different pieces. It is very important that you constantly praise your child, whether he or she has succeeded in the activity or not.

Sensory games

Here we mean games with materials that give enjoyable sensations, such as sand, watercolors, crayons, play-doh, various fabrics… In short, everything you can think of that stimulates the senses and interests your child.

Games that teach cause and effect

This type of play helps you strengthen your child’s tolerance for frustration. We talk, for example, about games where you make things happen at the touch of a button – a light comes on, a sound turns on or off and so on.

Summary

Now that you have a list of activities for children with autism, it’s time to start using them. You are guaranteed to have fun and at the same time you help to optimize your child’s development. So what are you waiting for?