Tip of the Week for October 1st, 2012
Playdates...Yay or Nay!
Now that the school year is back in full swing, activities such as playdates come up. For many students with autism these activities are challenges due to sensory and social skills challenges. While parents just want to see their child included in fun activities, the activity may not be a fun activity to the child with autism. As much as the child does want friends and is interested in other children, being overstimulated or not knowing the "rules" to a playdate can be confusing to the child with autism. There are ways however to minimize the stress around these activities and make a playdate an enjoyable activity for your child.
- Start small when planning events.
- Choose 1 child to have a playdate with.
- Plan in advance so that you can prepare your child for the upcoming activity.
- Preparation for the playdate might be a social story, a video of a past successful playdate or role playing what your child might do.
- It is also a good idea to keep the time relatively short for the first few playdates. This will allow your child to have success without becoming overwhelmed.
The more success a child has, the more fun he will have at the next playdate!
Book of the Week: School Help from the Alaska Library Network (ALN)! ALN is a group of libraries who have gotten together to bring all Alaskans some useful web-based resources. BrainPop is a new resource that is worth a look as we settle into a new school year. There are version for students in kindergarten to third grade, for students in fourth grade and up, and for students whose primary language is Spanish.
Click on this link, then choose Resources for Students.For the password, you can call 800-440-2919, or call Anne.
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