Rainy Day Activities

If you are in the northern part of the country, your kids are probably feeling the effects of being stuck inside.

We spotted a great article over at The Savvy Source that had some really great ideas for keeping children amused.

One of the activities is making slime. Who doesn’t love the feeling of that slippery goo sliding between their fingers? It’s a wonderfully textural way of appealing to the sense of touch. If your child has sensory issues, he or she is likely to decide to touch the slime at some stage because their curiosity will get the better of them.

You might also like to try making a masking tape race track. We spotted this beauty on a Facebook post. Whoever would have thought that masking tape could solve so many problems? Of course, you need to be careful of the surfaces of your furniture or floors but masking tape comes off very easily. This sort of track has hills and valleys and crevices – perfect for little vehicles to navigate.

In some states, school has not yet begun so why not spend your rainy days helping your child prepare? The Shoe Lacing Puzzle will teach your child how to tie shoelaces all ready for the big day.

I hope these ideas help to keep your child amused during these wet and dull days.

Computer Applications for Special Needs

The latest tool to help people with special needs is the app. There are many apps out there with new ones seemingly entering the market each day.

Not all apps are created equal however and some are not even worth the time they take to download. However, for those who like anything hi-tech and are interested in the apps suitable for those with special needs, here are a few of our favourites.

1. Anyone who has communication problems or development delays will benefit from the First Then Visual Schedule from itunes.apple.com. At just $10.49, it prompts the child to follow their usual schedule with visual tools to help lower anxiety during transition periods. It is available for the iPad and iPhone.

2. Similarly, iPrompts also uses prompts via the use of visual images. It has a countdown facility so that the child knows how much time is left before the next task is to be done. This is a little more expensive at $49.99 so be sure to assess it before you purchase.

3. iReward at just $4.99 is a clever app which shows the child how many times they have to do something to receive a reward. This is great for reinforcing behaviour in individuals who are difficult to teach.

There are many apps on the market which help teachers, professionals and parents to track the behaviour of children with special needs. These are great for those who forget to keep journals, or for those who just don’t have the time. The general idea then is that anything that happened in between doctor’s visits or specialist’s visits will be tracked and analysed correctly.

Take advantage of these tools because for the most part they are inexpensive and children take to them naturally.

Educational Puzzles

Puzzles are a great way to educate children just with the general matching, sorting or problem solving involved to complete a puzzle. Add to the mix the variety of puzzles available on the market today and you can essentially pick a puzzle to suit your child’s learning needs.

Whether your child is at the early stages of learning or looking for more complicated challenges there seems to be something for everyone. From colour matching to number learning, alphabet pairing to opposite fun – no educational stone is left unturned.

Our favourites include the Australia puzzle, left and right puzzle, shoe lacing puzzle and the wooden fractions puzzle. Subjects like geography and math are given new life and simple obstacles for children such as tying shoes and learning the difference between left and right can be made easier to understand.

When doing puzzles with children, parents have a natural tendency to want to help their children complete the puzzle. Try and resist this temptation and let them solve it by themselves if they can. If they ask for help then by all means give them a hint. You can certainly teach them relevant puzzle skills such as grouping colours or shapes that may go together for ease.

Start with simple puzzles and graduate to more difficult ones, once you feel your child is able to progress. This will allow your child to get the most fun out of a puzzle – after all – who says education has to be boring!

Autism in Poetry

Parents cope with their child’s issues in different ways. One of the most expressive of them is the writing of poetry.

I read this poem and it resonated with me so I want to share it with you. I hope you enjoy it as much as I did.

My Child

When people laugh,
they don't see the hurt;
But I do.
It's MY CHILD…

When people speak
such unkind words,
they don't see the pain;
But I do.
It's MY CHILD…

When people turn away
Because they don't understand,
I do.
It's MY CHILD…

So many tears,
so many broken hearts,
they don't feel;
But I do.
It's MY CHILD…

A simple smile,
just one kind word
could ease the hurt.
Oh, don't they see;
I do.
It's MY CHILD…

Please understand
My fervent plea;
Think before you speak.
It could be YOUR CHILD…

Written by Fran Sanzone

There are some wonderful and unique autism poems at Child-Autism-Parent-Café. I encourage you to go and read them.

Seasons Greeting

Christmas With The Autistic Child

Christmas can be a hectic time for the average family but with an autistic child in the home, it can be even more difficult. As parents you will have to prepare a little differently.

Your home will be filled with colourful lights and decorations: the cooking smells will be different and many visitors are possible at this time of the year. Your child might not easily cope with some or all of these changes to routine.

The best way to prepare is to begin well in advance for that all important day. Put up a big board and write on it what will be happening and when. As a family, check the list each day and work out what comes next. This will help prepare your child for change and at the same time, keep the rest of the family on track at this busy time.

Put Christmas baubles in jars around the home so that the child can see them at every turn and get used to them. Do the same with the lights too so that they get used to the colours. A little at a time is a good rule to go by.

On Christmas Day at meal time, have your child’s usual favourites on standby in case they refuse the new dishes. It is enough for them to get through the new routine without having to try different foods as well. Also, stagger the gift opening so that they are not overwhelmed with too many toys, etc. If they stop playing with one then move it out of sight until they finish with the next one.

The general idea is not to overwhelm the child if possible. Get some more tips from Stuart Duncan so that you can be fully prepared for a great holiday and minimise the chances of your child becoming upset.

Autism Affected Children Being Bullied

Children who are on the autism spectrum are sometimes the subject of bullying by their peers. Often, children with this syndrome display exceptional levels of intelligence and it is this that other kids seem to find terribly disturbing. Of course, when kids see something out of the norm they will pick on it without exception. However, the victim will have no way out and usually doesn’t understand why it is happening.

Schools are also left with a worrying problem because parents of autistic children will complain, and rightly so. Most schools have introduced support systems for children on the autism spectrum and this has helped to minimise the amount and impact of classroom bullying. It hasn’t wiped it out completely, but that probably amounts to changing human nature.

The question is what impact does this bullying have on a child on the autism spectrum?

For parents of these kids who are being victimised, a US site called ianproject.org has set up an online survey where parents across the world can write down what has been happening. Also on this site, parents can interact with other parents and share tips and advice on their next best move.

The survey is open for parents with children between six and fifteen and is meant to give a clearer picture of what is going on in schools today. It is only open for a couple of months so those who want to participate should do so at the earliest opportunity.

"That will provide some hard evidence for parents who are going into a principal's office and trying to say this is not just this little thing that happened here with my kid. This is something that is a pattern that is happening everywhere. These children are especially vulnerable."

Every voice counts so if you have something to say, go and say it.