10 Great Activities For Autistic Children

Sometimes trying to come up with activities for autistic kids that will be fun, educational and not cost a lot can be a struggle. So it's reassuring to know that there are a number of possibilities out there, it's just a matter of finding some that will appeal to your child's personal tastes. The following are examples of popular activities for autistic children between the ages of 7 and 11.

Indoor Activities:

- Singing - autistic children gain a number of benefits from singing. Children who are non-verbal can hum, make sounds, or play musical instruments such as whistles, tambourines, drums, kazoos, or small keyboards. Repeating sounds, making up new tunes, or even learning educational lyrics can be very useful for helping kids to learn and may also provide them some much-needed sensory stimulation - the same they would get from yelling, only more pleasing to the parental ear! Mimicking one another's notes and tunes can be an important social experience that encourages interaction. Experiment with different sounds and different types of music to find the ones your child enjoys and responds best to.

- Funny Sounds - making and mimicking funny sounds can be a laughter-filled social learning experience for autistic kids and their parents. Children enjoy the sensory outlet and repetition element of this game. You can try writing down a number of different animals or items on different pieces of paper and whichever you choose you have to make the appropriate noise.

- Castles - building castles out of just about anything can be a great deal of fun. The type of building "blocks" depends on the motor skills of the child. It can range from plastic or wooden alphabet blocks to large "Lego" or "Duplo" style blocks, or even playing cards if they're manually dexterous.

- Safe Emergencies - these games are educational based but can also be fun to. They involve enacting the right procedures for what to do in an emergency event. This includes what to do in case of fire and other urgent situations. The important part of these games is to build a calm routine around them.

- Simple Board Games - Begin with simple or basic board games and increase the difficulty level as your child gets older and learns how to work with the rules of the games. Many board games are enjoyable activities for autistic kids because they are relatively predictable and provide a routine. They also encourage turn taking, but make sure losing is never a big deal, it's just an outcome. Otherwise they may associate negative emotions with the game and refuse to play.

Outdoor Activities:

- Simple Childhood Games - think back to your childhood and the games you used to play. For many children there's no reason why they can't take part in basic childhood games. As long as they are not too socially complex, many autistic children can have a lot of fun playing games such as tag or follow the leader. Keep in mind that the best activities for autistic children don't require them to keep close or extended physical contact with other people. You may want to make sure that you stick to games that focus on your child's unique skills to add comfort and confidence to the playing.

- Organized Sports - many children enjoy taking part in organized sports like any other children their age. Aim for sports that allow them to take part without too much sensory stimulation and that doesn't require lots of equipment. Golf and baseball are good activities for autistic kids, whereas sports such as tackle football may not suit.

- Water Balloons - autistic children can often benefit from various sensory stimulators and water balloons can fit the bill. Tossing them about, or holding and squishing them can be lots of fun. This also encourages children to play with others when it comes to games such as "hot potato" - tossing the water filled balloon to one another pretending it's a hot potato.

- Skipping Rocks - if you are fortunate enough to live near water and your child is responsible around water, skipping rocks can be a great way to have fun and use arm muscles, encouraging the development of motor skills. If you have a swimming pool that is large enough, you can try skipping plastic floating disks instead.

- I Spy - whether trying to pass the time in the car or sitting in the yard, this game is a great way to learn colors socially interact with others.

These activities for autistic children are a great way to have fun, learn important lessons, and develop basic social skills without spending the earth.

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Anxiety and Autism in Childhood

Most autistic people have some kind of social anxiety. This is a list of some of them:

Don't like making eye contact: This can be for a number of different reasons. One of the main reasons I've heard though, from autistic people, is that they have trouble looking into someone's eyes because they cannot predict what that other person is going to do and that's scary. Another thing that I've heard an autistic person tell me is that when he looks into someone's eyes, he feels as though the other person is seeing straight into his soul and it makes him feel very uncomfortable. Some autistic people simply look away from the person talking to them because they can only focus on one or two senses at a time and for him to be able to listen to the words being spoken to him, he has to avert his eyes or close them altogether so he can concentrate on what is being said. It is not a sign of disrespect and is in fact a sign of great respect because the autistic person is doing everything he/she can to communicate.

Don't like being in public places: Autistic people have trouble sometimes going out into public places because they cannot control their environment. Out in public places like a department store for instance, the autistic person feels like he or she is having stimuli violently thrown at them. Most people can block out background noises of the checkout stands beeping or muzak playing overhead or of other customers chatting. This may not be so for the autistic person. Instead of being able to focus on what their friend is saying and letting the rest of the noise fall away, he hears EVERYTHING THAT'S GOING ON REALLY, REALLY LOUDLY AND ALL AT THE SAME TIME! It can be quite unnerving to have to go through that. This can sometimes be remedied by wearing headphones but these cannot be worn all day long or their sound sensitivities will become even more pronounced.

Don't know what to say in any given situation: Most autistic people, for reasons unknown, do not pick up on the subtle nuances of non-verbal communication. This means that they are missing out on about 80% of human interaction because only about 20% of our communication has to do with our language and what it actually means. The rest has to do with body language, facial expressions, tone of voice, inflection and unwritten social rules such giving others their own personal space. For the autistic person, these things have to be taught, almost as if from a text-book, the way you or I might study arithmetic or language arts. Some autistic people do not even pick up on verbal communication at all, and many of those who do have trouble expressing it properly. This can cause a lot of anxiety when he or she is trying desperately to communicate and can cause frustration when they are not able to.

These are a few of the reasons that autistic people have so much trouble in social situations. When dealing with an autistic person, it's best to use patience and understanding. If there is something that he or she is doing that really bothers you or seems inappropriate for the situation, the thing to do is to tell them exactly what it is they are doing that's weird or wrong and why. Then tell them what is appropriate in that situation instead or when it would be appropriate to continue that behavior. Be kind about the way you correct them because it is highly likely that the autistic person either really didn't know how to handle that situation or they forgot. It may seem rude to do this at first, and in most social circles, it is but when dealing with an autistic person it is best to be open and honest.

Autism is a very interesting, though tragic disorder but the more you educate yourself, the better you will be at working with these fascinating people. Tips to Help your child's anxiety

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