Spring Is In The Air

Springtime Activities For Kids With Sensory Issues

Parents of children with sensory issues start looking for springtime activities for their kids as soon as the weather starts to warm. To the rest of the world March Madness might be all about basketball, but to a family or individual affected by autism it's all about finding new ways to play and have fun.

No two people with autism are alike. Where one might love water, another might hate to get wet. Where one might like to bounce, another might prefer the feel of solid, immovable ground. Some people with autism might love the feel of squishy things rising up between their fingers or toes, while the person next to him or her might be repulsed by it. The key is in knowing what your kids particular likes and dislikes are, and then working from there.

To help make it easier, the editors of APOV on Autism are putting together lists of springtime activities recommended by APOV members. Every week through the end of April we will publish several activities per week.

Spring Activity of the Day:
Beach Tub

This idea comes from Staff Writer, Barbara Pose in Westchester, New York.

"Here is a favorite idea for warm weather for toddlers, preschoolers, and early elementary kids with sensory issues. Take a big wash tub or small kiddy pool filled with about 2 inches of sand, then add water to about 2 inches above that. Add boats, sharks, coins as buried ...treasure, etc. This is great for sensory seekers like my younger, and my sensory defensive son, who would would dig in for motivating items like coins.

If there is not too much water in the mix, sand can be molded into islands.

On a hot day, add ice machine ice bergs. This kept my kids' hands too busy to hit each other, especially with a small kiddy pool, too big and round for them to reach each other. The activity was alluring, so it drew the typical kids on the street to play with my kids.

The downside was it had to be watched closely and dumped before going inside, because of drowning hazard, and while it was a motivating enough activity to occupy them while resisting doing the forbidden, it was tempting for one of my children to throw sand balls. (But not as easy for him to do as throwing dry sand.)

I also remember having to abandon ice one afternoon because my younger wanted to throw it and the older wanted to eat it, then cried about the sand on his tongue. Still, the ice also went well often enough most of the time."

How Do You Do It?

A new Soap Box Issue

I have 6 children, 3 of whom are on the autism spectrum. Add to that, my husband is also on the spectrum with Asperger's Syndrome, and most people just stop, let their mouths drop, and can't find the air to come up with words, much less any words to say. When they do, 9 times out of 10, their first words are, "How do you do it?"  read more...