A small research study done in France indicates that a pet can help a child who has an autism spectrum disorder to develop his or her social skills. It appears that the timing of the pet’s arrival into the family needs to be when the child is younger, rather than older, for best results. According to the Mayo Clinic, kids who have autism tend to have difficulties in three crucial areas of development. They struggle with social interaction, language, and behavior. One of the things that can help a child who has an autism spectrum disorder is called Applied Behavior … Continue reading →

Children who have been diagnosed on the autism spectrum tend to have difficulties understanding and appropriately responding to social skills. Frequently, this is something that needs to be specifically taught. One way to do that is with Social Stories from the Gray Center. It isn’t easy to teach social skills to kids who have an autism spectrum disorder. There aren’t a whole lot of tools out there to help parents and educators teach these kinds of skills. Often, a lesson on social skills involves role play inside of a special needs classroom, or filling the correct multiple choice answer on … Continue reading →

Need a summer activity that is fun and for kids with sensory issues or who are on the autism spectrum? Pump It Up Playgrounds have teamed up with Autism Speaks to create a special jump time that accommodates children with those special needs. There might be one near you! Your child might be spending part of the week attending a Summer education program. Often, the school day in the Summer is shortened by a few hours, compared to how long it would be during the regular school year. Some school districts have will Summer programs that only last a few … Continue reading →

Many children who have autism have a great deal of difficulty decoding and understanding social cues. Learning how to understand a facial expression or tone of voice often requires a lot of practice. The Center for BrainHealth in Dallas has been using digital avatars to help autistic children improve their social skills. In our society, it is very important to have adequate social skills. A lot of the communication we do as humans is non-verbal. Our facial expressions change to indicate what emotion we are feeling. The same sentence can mean completely different things depending on what tone of voice … Continue reading →

A 2008 study by Temple University found that sensory integration therapy helped children with autistic spectrum disorders to display fewer autistic mannerisms such as repetitive movements or actions and highly structured interests. In fact, 91% of parents of children with autism have found sensory integration methods of treatment more helpful than traditional treatments. They found their children to be reaching more of their goals and progressing in areas of social behavior and functional motor tasks. One particular group, KidSense, is taking this information and running with it. The group, through sponsorship and private donations, is building sensory playgrounds for children … Continue reading →

Most neuro-typical children love to be “helpers,” and they make very good teachers to their peers. As a parent, the more exposure your child has to other kids his own age, and the more age-appropriate interactions that take place between them, the better. I once read an article which suggested that play dates for developmentally delayed children should happen at least four times a week. That can be difficult to arrange. However, if your developmentally delayed child has siblings, cousins, neighborhood playmates, or other children who are willing to regularly “play” with him, you’ll be doing him a great service … Continue reading →