Activities for autistic teens and guides for parents? Children on the autism spectrum will face unique challenges as they learn from home during the COVID-19 shutdown. These children process information and learn in different ways to their peers. They may find it more difficult to independently complete tasks and struggle with managing their time. They are also more likely to have difficulty in writing tasks or ones involving high amounts of language and communication with others.
“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.
Who said that stacking could only be for the little ones? Well, let the stacking be improvised! The rules of the game could be tweaked to accommodate the specific need of these Autistic teens. Adding dares and conditions should do the trick! This tabletop game would immediately turn to a physical exercise if these rules are added. A good book is still a man’s best friend regardless of their age. It is a good pastime activity wherein one could find a good spot with proper lighting to concentrate well on the book. If your teen is interested in fiction books, he/she could try reading this Percy Jackson series. It is available in paperback or Kindle. Other book series can be found in Amazon as well. Find additional details on Mike Alan.
When it comes to improving communication with an autistic child, they need ample opportunities to learn. While your child may not be able to verbal express themselves, they do want to communicate with you. Make sure to take the time to talk with them, every chance you can. During conversations, be sure to take pauses in the moments that they would typically respond. Make sure though not to try to force communication during times of distress.
Parenting challenges are a frequent topic of social media posts. They have the potential to build community around the shared difficulties and worries of raising a child. They can also unintentionally alienate, isolate, and exclude your friends with autistic children. To be clear, this shouldn’t be a competition of “who has it worse,” and it isn’t possible to always “get” or account for the experiences of your friends or family members with autistic children. But a good guideline for posting about your own parenting problems is to consider a taken for granted factor that comes with the difficulties of raising neurotypical kids. For example: managing after-school schedules, being pulled away to birthday parties on weekends, or taking your children out to dinner can all involve legitimate frustrations.