Playing Laughing And Learning With Children On The Autism Spectrum

Praise for the first edition: `An approachable and practical edition that will be welcomed by parents and carers alike. I know how hard it can be to find 'How to' resources for parents. Well here is a gem.' - Children, Young People and Families Parents of young children newly diagnosed as on the autism spectrum are often at a loss for ideas about how best to help their child. Playing, Laughing and Learning with Children on the Autism Spectrum is not just a collection of play ideas; it shows how to break down activities into manageable stages, and looks at ways to gain a child's attention and motivation and to build on small achievements. Each chapter covers a collection of ideas around a theme, including music, art, physical activities, playing outdoors, puzzles, turn-taking and using existing toys to create play sequences. There are also chapters on introducing reading and making the most of television. This updated second edition contains an extensive chapter on how to use the computer, the internet and the digital camera to find and make resources and activities, and suggests many suitable websites to help parents through the internet maze. The ideas are useful both for toddlers and primary age children who are still struggling with play.

This book is not just a collection of play ideas; it shows how to break down activities into manageable stages, and ways to gain a child's attention and build on small achievements. Each chapter covers a theme, including music, art, physical activities, playing outdoors, puzzles, turn-taking and using existing toys to create play sequences.

Presents a series of games and activities that parents and teachers can use to develop and enhance the social skills of young children with autism spectrum disorders.

Learning through play is a well-established principle that underpins much educational practice, yet it is often overlooked in association with children with autistic spectrum disorders. This book considers the wide-ranging benefits of developing play and taking it into drama with these children. The authors demonstrate how to implement such approaches via a highly practical, structured developmental framework, within which participants may gradually learn to be creative. They also discuss the psychology and pedagogy of autism in relation to play and drama and connect them to everyday learning situations using a wealth of examples. This accessible approach to play and drama can offer a powerful, memorable, integrating way forward for children with autistic spectrum disorders - and enjoyable, fun opportunities for teaching and learning.

Bryna Siegel gives parents of autistic children what they need most: hope. Her first book, The World of the Autistic Child, became an instant classic, illuminating the inaccessible minds of afflicted children. Now she offers an equally insightful, thoroughly practical guide to treating the learning disabilities associated with this heartbreaking disorder. The trouble with treating autism, Siegel writes, is that it is a spectrum disorder--a combination of a number of symptoms and causes. To one extent or another, it robs the child of social bonds, language, and intimacy--but the extent varies dramatically in each case. The key is to understand each case of autism as a discrete set of learning disabilities, each of which must be treated individually. Siegel explains how to take an inventory of a child's particular disabilities, breaks down the various kinds unique to autism, discusses our current knowledge about each, and reviews the existing strategies for treating them. There is no simple cure for this multifarious disorder, she writes; instead, an individual program, with a unique array of specific treatments, must be constructed for each child. She gives practical guidance for fashioning such a program, empowering parents to take the lead in their child's treatment. At the same time, she cautions against the proliferating, but questionable, treatments hawked to afflicted families. She knows the panic to do something, anything, to help an autistic child, and she offers parents reassurance and support as well as sensible advice, combining knowledge from experience, theory and research. For parents, autism in a child is heartbreaking. But it need not be overwhelming. Bryna Siegel offers a new understanding, and a practical, thoughtful approach that will give parents new hope.

Looking Back and Laughing is a refreshing and honest look at life through the eyes of a parent with a child on the autism spectrum. Full of hysterical, heartbreaking, and almost unbelievable stories of everyday life, Stephanie wrote this book to grieve the loss of the childhood and life that she had expected for herself and her son. Full of learning moments, as well as lessons to take away, this book was written as a way for her to heal. It is hard to see how far you have come when you haven't yet processed the craziness that you find yourself in at that moment. You can feel the love that she has for her child in every word you read. Every child with ASD (autism spectrum disorder) is different, but they also have a lot in common. Join Stephanie and her son, Javier, on their emotional, yet surprisingly inspiring and real-life journey while they look back and laugh at how far they have already come.

What do you do when a three-year-old with autism falls on the floor kicking and screaming? How do you communicate with a child who looks away and flaps his hands? Who can help if you suspect a child in your class has autism? Preschool can be overwhelming for a child with autism. Autism affects how a child communicates, behaves, and relates to others. Teachers need to know what they can do to help children with autism reach their full potential. Teaching Young Children With Autism Spectrum Disorder is a straightforward, easy-to-understand guide to working with children who have autism. It explains the major characteristics associated with autism and helps teachers understand the ways children with autism relate to the world. Each chapter offers specific strategies for teachers to use, including setting up a proactive preschool environment, helping children learn life skills, managing behavior, helping children with autism communicate, encouraging children with autism to play, helping them to get along with others, and working with families. Teaching Young Children With Autism Spectrum Disorder helps teachers connect with all children in meaningful ways, allowing children with autism to learn and grow. Putting All the Pieces Together: Understanding This Puzzle Called Autism From Hand-Flapping to Obsession with Routines: The Way Children With Autism Relate to Their World Planning for Success: Setting Up a Proactive Preschool Environment Learning Life Skills Misbehavior or Missed Communication: Managing the Behaviors of Children With Autism Signs, Symbols, and Language: Helping a Child Communicate Inside Their Own World: Encouraging Children With Autism to Play Building Social Skills: Getting Along With Others Lights! Camera! Action! Sensory Integration and Autism We're All in This Together: Teaming Up With Families.

Taking an innovative approach to autism and play, this practical text focuses on the particular form play and friendship takes for children with autism and their peers. Autistic children have clear preferences for play, with sensory-perceptual experience remaining a strong feature as they develop. Play and Friendship in Inclusive Autism Education offers a framework for supporting children’s development through play, with step-by-step guidance on how to facilitate the playful engagement of children with autism. Up to date research findings and relevant theoretical ideas are presented in an accessible and practical way, highlighting what theory means to ordinary practice in schools, whilst focusing on practical knowledge in autism education. Split into five chapters, this book covers some of the main issues surrounding inclusive education and play: discourses and definitions of play the difference between play and playfulness autism, play and the inclusion agenda in education the nature of sensory-perceptual experience in children’s play cultures effective ways of supporting children’s friendships. With practical guidance on how to support children with autism through play, this book will be essential reading for teachers, learning support assistants, SENCos and play workers, as well as professionals working in an advisory capacity. Students studying courses that cover autism will also find Play and Friendship in Inclusive Autism Education a valuable resource.