Hi everyone!  I just wanted to make sure you know I have a pinterest page that is FULL of games you can play with your child to work on social goals. There are lots of ideas to spark your own creativity or give you something easy to do.  Make sure to modify them to include your child's motivation and goals.  Let me know if you need any help.  Happy Playing!

https://www.pinterest.com/katrinakramlich/autism-learn-through-play-game-ideas/

Need some help thinking of pretend play ideas to work on attention span goals with your child?  I sat with my own daughters and came up with a list of ideas to try.  Feel free to comment below with more good imagination games!  Happy playing!
 
Imaginative Play Ideas
 

• Rocket ship to space
• Explore new planets/aliens
• Scuba diving – explore underwater
• Detective, find clues to a mystery
• Grocery Store
• Circus
• Build a snowman/ snowball fights
• Knight fighting dragon, rescue princess
• Veterinarian
• Doctor
• Cooking Show
• Zoo
• Landscape designer
• Playground designer
• Fashion Designer/ Fashion Show
• Beauty Spa (Nails, Massage, Shave?)
• Time Machine – Dinosaur time
• Farmer – milk cows, sheer sheep, collect eggs etc.
• Pilot
• Riding on a river in amazon
• Hunting
• Sports
• Olympics
• Eskimos, ice fishing
• Mermaids
• Rockstar – band
• Learning to drive
• Pet store
• Abominable snowman/ Monsters
• Treasure Hunt
• Pirates
• Wizards, make a potion or spell book
• Fishing
• Planning a party, having a party
• Holidays
• Hair stylist
• Dentist
• Dancing with the stars
• Catching butterflies
• Library (organize and check out books)
• Going to a museum or starting a museum
• Gardening
• Going to an amusement park
• Going to beach, swimming
• Super Heroes
• Firefighter
• Policeman
• Godzilla (building small towns and destroying them)
• Being Giants
• Being Tiny people
• Wizard of Oz
• Any stories from books or TV
• Going to India
• Going on an African Safari
• Being an early American Indian
• Camping
• Making a map of the neighborhood
• Car wash (for small cars) or a big pretend car

 

More and more parents of children with autism are realizing that in order to get the kind of child centered therapy with the gratifying results they've dreamed of they have to take matters into their own hands.  Schools and therapy centers unfortunately do not have the time, resources, or dedication to make as much of an impact as caregivers can at home.  So, how does one go about starting their own home play based therapy program?

1. Commit to trying a home program out.  (Making the decision and following through is one of the most powerful things you can do.)
2. Find a place in your house that you can work with your child. (A quiet non-distracting room is best, but playing with your child is the most important, don't wait until you have the perfect room.)
3. Designate a time that you will play with your child 1 on 1, uninterrupted. (This is the hardest part, if you can do this, you can do a home therapy program!)  It's simply about making your child the priority for that time, decide to wait to do the dishes, turn off the TV, ignore facebook and your emails and give your child your undivided attention for at least 30 minutes.  
4. Go play!  When you are playing, focus completely on your child.  If your mind wanders to something else, acknowledge it, but then go back to focusing on your child.  Really play for the benefit of enjoying and learning about your child.  What makes them laugh, what makes them pause, what makes them back away?  Try to be responsive and respectful.  I often think of this type of play as "the golden rule", play with your child as you would have someone play with you.   If they seem to enjoy what is happening, keep going, add even more goofiness!   If your child is unresponsive and seems as if they aren't into the interaction, back off and find a way to enjoy what they are doing with them (or the same thing across the room) until them become interactive again.  Being respectful of your child's verbal or non-verbal no is just as important as the interactions themselves in creating a relationship.  Be easy on yourself, "dance like no one is watching," and reconnect to the give and take of childhood play.  (Here are some easy go to games to try - tickle, balloons, bubbles, chase, horsey rides, or even better play something you know your child loves such as reenacting Star Wars)  Start with one idea and just add on more and more as you play.

That's the basics!  There are many more advanced techniques and lots of different types of developmental play based approaches to look into that have different ways of requesting and working on skills.  I find all of them have benefit, the key is to try them out and see which one works for your child.  Each child is different and will respond in different ways.   I really find that the more in tune you are with your child, and the more fun you are having and not worrying too much about goals, you will find ways to model the skills you want to teach and your child will pick them up naturally.

 You as the parent know more about your child then anyone, and because you love them and already have a relationship with them you are the perfect person to help them develop their relationship building skills in a supportive environment which is key for many children, especially those with autism.  I guarantee that the time you spend with your child in this way will be worth it to you and them!!!!!  I know that you have what it takes and all the resources you need to be successful in your home therapy program. If you find yourself looking for a little more guidance, an ear to bounce ideas off of, or a burst of inspiration. I am here for you.
 
Best wishes and Happy Playing!
Katrina

Hi everyone!
One weekend I had the opportunity to do an outreach in a very sweet family’s home. They ran an amazing program and they had a fantastic and non-distracting playroom. They also had many wonderful floor toys including a swing, 2 crash mats, many variety of therapy balls, a big foam filled crash mattress, tables, chairs,blankets, and a trampoline. When I first walked in I thought, oh fun, so much to do. As I began to play with their sweet boy and moved the objects around to best facilitate interaction, I began to have a different perspective – this is a lot of stuff! In my first session I spent a lot of time moving big toys around just to have space to play.

I have seen this happen many times and occasionally it happened when I worked in professional playrooms. We get so caught up in the opportunities of the toys we forget how distracting and invasive they can be. The playroom in an integral part of a play based therapy as it is a non-distracting environment. This is so that we (people) can be the most exciting thing in the room. When too many toys get in the way, their presence alone may be too stimulating. On my outreach after we cleared out the majority of the big toys, the boy (who initially rarely left his post next to the wall) began to move around the entire room and interact with me more. Also, it was much easier for me to quickly move things in the room depending upon what game we played.

As far as your playroom I would design what your floor toys are around your child’s motivations. In one professional playroom I worked in they typically had a table and stool that are the height of the child, 2 therapy balls (one for you, one for your child), a slide (for younger children) and a small trampoline. Then depending on the day or the child we adjusted that. If we needed more room, we  put the balls on the shelf and the trampoline standing up or in the bathroom. If it is a child who needs big input we will bring in a crash mat and take out something else. There is nothing that can not be moved. Then if we want to play a particular game we bring in other big objects JUST FOR ONE SESSION and then we bring it out again.

I’ve got many more suggestions for playrooms, so watch out for future blogs, and leave a comment or question if you have one.

Have a great time playing!
Love,
Katrina