My ASD Child

The purpose of a sensory room is to waken your child's senses. Items in the room can include lights , sensory soft play objects , colors, sounds, and aromas - all within a safe environment that allows him or her to explore and interact without risk. The room also helps the child to calm down when needed - and can help those who have learning difficulties or sensory impairments learn to interact with the world around them, but in a safe environment. The child gets an unrestrained space where he can explore at his own leisure. It's most effective to create a schedule of when your child will be provided free time in this room. It's probably NOT best to give her free access to it. It's best to use the room at transition times to provide a smooth transition, or as a reward for meeting the expectations of parents and teachers. When creating your child's sensory room, be as creative as you can. There are many things you can purchase, but you can also mak...

Most kids with Asperger’s and High-Functioning Autism have a history of delayed acquisition of motor skills (e.g., hand writing, pedaling a bike, tying shoe laces, catching a ball, opening jars, climbing monkey-bars, etc.), which is called “motor clumsiness.” These young people are often visibly awkward, exhibiting rigid gait patterns, odd posture, poor manipulative skills, and significant deficits in visual-motor coordination.  For those parents of kids that have trouble with fine motor skills (e.g., handwriting) as well as gross motor skills (e.g., balancing), here are our top 10 picks for items that will assist in this matter: Ring Toss Game - Kids Quoit Games - Improve Eye-Hand Coordination and Fine Motor Skills Hundreds of Developmentally Age-Appropriate Activities Designed to Improve Fine Motor Skills Helps children learn penmanship and bolsters creativity: trace practically anything! 30 Pegs for Learning Colors, Sorting Coun...

"I desperately need ideas on how to deal with an autistic child (high functioning) who is often agitated and angered. We rarely know what will trigger him, as it seems to vary widely from situation to situation - and from day to day." All children experience anger. But, young people with Asperger’s (AS) and High-Functioning Autism (HFA), in particular, have difficulty channeling their strong emotions into acceptable outlets. Anger is a response to a real or perceived loss or stress. It results when an individual’s body, property, self-esteem, or values are threatened. Anger is often a reaction to feeling frustrated, hurt, misunderstood, or rejected. If your youngster does not learn how to release his or her anger appropriately, it can fester and explode in inappropriate ways, or be internalized and damage his or her sense of self-worth. As a mother or father, dealing with an angry youngster is inevitable. Many of us have heard our own pre-parenting voice whisper to ...

"I need to understand my son better (ASD, age 7) so we can you come up with some consequences that are appropriate and not so punitive as to remove all possibility of improvement. Please help!" If you have a youngster with High-Functioning Autism (HFA) who exhibits problematic behavior, you have probably felt like an investigator, searching for clues and seeking hidden motivations.  You may have come up with some quick and easy explanations for your youngster's behavioral issues (e.g., ones offered by parents at the park, your mother-in-law, and even by behavioral experts), but your youngster often has something completely different up his sleeve. Operating according to the easiest explanation will often make matters worse. Even though there are explanations for your HFA youngster's “bad” behavior that take some of the fault from him, the effects of the behavior are unfortunate and must be addressed. For example, your youngster may push one of his friends or b...

Below are our top picks for products that can be used to calm your child whenever he or she is frustrated, angry, over-stimulated, or about to "meltdown." However, we recommend that your child not be granted free access to these items, rather they should be reserved for those times when he or she is beginning to have strong emotions and needs to "self-soothe" as a result. Relieves Stress and Increases Focus - Bundle Sensory Twisted Squeeze Fidget Toys Set (15 PACK) Blue Weighted Compression Vest - Small (5-8) - Helps With Mood & Attention, Sensory Over Responding, Sensory Seeking, Travel Issues Sensory Sox Body Socks - For Sensory Processing Issues - Deep Pressure Simulation Body Blanket Great for Dynamic Movement 5 lb Children's (for 50lb individual) 36"x48" Navy Blue and Gray Weighted Blanket with Dotted Minkey Cover. Fall Asleep Faster - Perfect for kids with Anxiety, OCD, Stress, ADHD, Autism Spectrum Diso...