Autism Activities

Many children with autism have a well-documented interest in trains, enthralled by their motion and predictable patterns. They tend to prefer trains to planes because of their back-and-forth motion, in contrast to the variability of flight…

One thing I've learned over the last fifteen years of raising my twins with autism is the power of being oblique. After one son bombed out of a series of social skills classes, I felt like I may as well make a little pile of money and…

When I recently took my fifteen-year-old son with Asperger's to his weekly therapy session, I was thrilled when he was offered the chance to participate in drum therapy. Instantly, I recalled the days when he was a toddler throwing a…

Meditation is as old as the hills. Now, some researchers are conducting new studies into its benefits. Richard Davidson, a neuroscientist at the University of Wisconsin, has used high-tech imaging tools to examine the brains of Buddhist…

Parents of children with autism are painfully aware that recess time can be the worst part of their child's school day. The piercing sound of the bell signals a time of loud, chaotic activity that is in and of itself difficult, but the…

In our modern society filled with stress, getting “back to the garden” is a good idea for everyone. According to a 2010 report released by the Royal Horticultural Society (RHS), teaching gardening to special needs children and young people…

Last week, one of our authors posted an article about some sensory challenges her child experienced while on a trip at Disney World. With these types of issues common for special needs guests at theme parks, San Antonio-based…

Summer can be a time of stress for a child with autism and parents are mindful of not wanting their children to lose ground educationally over the long break. Reading is an important element of the summer structure and you'll want…

By now, we've all heard that iPads can be very helpful to children with autism, allowing them to communicate desires and feelings in ways not otherwise possible. Gone is the keyboard and mouse as the child now has direct control over the…

Many autism families would like to be able to attend church, but have given up on that possibility due to the obvious stress and strain of their child having to sit still for an hour (or more) or properly behave in a children's ministry.…