***Fun Sensory Games for You and Your Child

I’ve been learning more and more lately about how many of our children with autism are affected by a disruption in their sensory systems. A lot of our kids are simply overwhelmed a LOT of the time. Their bodies do not process their environmental cues the same way other people’s do, and so it’s often like a traffic jam going on inside their little bodies.

All of this confusing array of information coming at them at once can send them spiraling over the edge at a moment’s notice – leaving them disoriented and confused, or, more likely, screaming for help. Luckily, I was fortunate to be invited to attend the 12th International Symposium by the SPD Foundation last week in Austin, Texas. It was there that I was reminded again that it’s so important to simply slow things down for our kids, and show them how to play with us, and one another.

And I’m not talking about video games either. I’m talking about simple, fun, interactive games that teach or remind our kids how to have fun. It seems like in the daily barrage of doctor’s appointments, school meetings, behavior therapies, and nutritional interventions that a lot of us forget how to just chill out and play with our kids.

Carol Kranowitz, author of many books including The Out-of-Sync Child, was one of the wonderful speakers at the Austin conference. She talked specifically about this very issue and about how easy it can be to have fun with your child. As she was talking and offering suggestions for entertaining play, I was furiously writing out notes of games I wanted to try with my son. I thought I might share a few of them with you, too:

• Follow the Leader – have your child copy your moves. Then, once they get the gist of it, you can change it up and go forward, backward, sideways, or eyes closed. The key is to get moving!

• Simple calisthenics – like marching in place, arm circles, toe touches, windmills. If you do this to music, it will engage them even more. There are some wonderful music CD’s available on the Future Horizons website. My favorite is “Jumping Jellybeans”, which features a band singing nursery rhymes to rap. It’s awesome!

• Treasure Hunt, playing the “hot and cold” game. Buy some inexpensive trinkets and hide them in your house or out in your backyard. Then play the hot and cold game to help your child find them. You can make up fun rules like, once he finds all five of the trinkets, he gets to ring a bell or gets a tickle or a piggyback ride.

These are just a few simple ideas of fun things to do with your child. The key is to get up, get out and get moving. The more old-fashioned, the better (i.e. think – Frisbee, hop scotch, croquet, horseshoes and hula-hoops). Once you get your imagination moving, the sky’s the limit! And don’t forget that it’s okay (and encouraged) for you to have a little fun too!