Autistic children often enjoy sensory toys because they help them feel calm and engage their senses in a positive way. Sensory toys can include weighted stuffed animals, fidget toys, and putty. When looking for a toy for an autistic child, keep in mind their interests and their developmental stage.
Many autistic individuals, myself included, turn to objects such as stuffed animals for comfort and to regulate our emotions, particularly anxiety. Stuffed animals often provide a sense of security and sensory regulation, which helps many autistic adults feel grounded in our bodies.
For many people with autism, for example, hoarding is a way to manage stress or anxiety. Collecting objects can be comforting and calming.
Sensory toys help children with autism relax, focus, and calm down to a scenario or event. It helps them grasp objects with decreased dear and discomfort, ultimately helping them play naturally. Futhermore, sensory toys help develop social learning skills like negotiating, planning, and sharing.
Autistic kids and adults tend to do very well in socializing with cats, dogs, horses, etc. Interacting with animals brings out more advanced socialization skills, which they can then use, to some extent, with other humans.
Stuffed animals.
When we're young, these are all objects we may have enjoyed, and even dragged around with us wherever we went. They bring us comfort, security and familiarity. For many kids on the spectrum, these items also fulfill a sense of routine and order we naturally crave and need.
Children on the spectrum often play act like various animals:- commonly cats and dogs. While parents / teachers may be bewildered by these behaviours, often the child just wants / needs to explore their environments from the perspective of a cat or dog = usually wanting to eat, move and sleep like the animal.
It is common for some children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) to have very limited play skills. This can mean that a child plays with only a few toys, plays in a repetitive way or doesn't play with toys the way most kids do.
However, they look up to the mother or caregiver for social referencing and hover around or cling to the caregiver. Children with an ASD are not vigilant and do not look up to the caregiver for social referencing. They may not cling to the caregiver, although go up to them for succor.
LEGO building toys are extraordinarily popular among children with autism. They offer a simple, predictable, repeatable activity that can be accomplished alone without outside help. They are also part of a system of toys that look and work in similar ways.
Children with ASD often need a hug, just like other children. Sometimes they need this much more than other children. But some children don't like to be touched. Respect their personal space.
Why hoodies? Many autistic people experience sensory input like light, sound and touch more intensely, and wearing a hoodie with the hood up can help to block out uncomfortably loud sounds or bright light.
Autistic people might also become attached to objects (or parts of objects), such as toys, figurines or model cars – or more unusual objects like milk bottle tops, stones or shoes. An interest in collecting is also quite common.
Summary. While many people with autism may appear to lack empathy and sympathy, it is not the case for all people with autism. For those who struggle with displaying appropriate empathetic responses, the reasons may relate more to social communication issues than a lack of underlying emotional response.
Although this can sometimes feel challenging, it is important to recognize three very simple factors that every person with ASD needs: safety, acceptance and a sense of competence.
It is easy to see why many children with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) are captivated by water. The number of stimuli associated with water hits all the senses!
Be Generous With Rewards: Be encouraging and praise the child after finishing each task or for good behaviour. It is important to appreciate the child's effort and often reward the kid with extra playtime or treats they like. Keep informing the child that you are proud of his or her good behaviour.
Strategies to consider include distraction, diversion, helping the person use calming strategies such as fiddle toys or listening to music, removing any potential triggers, and staying calm yourself.
Many autistic people experience hypersensitivity to bright lights or certain light wavelengths (e.g., LED or fluorescent lights). Certain sounds, smells, textures and tastes can also be overwhelming. This can result in sensory avoidance – trying to get away from stimuli that most people can easily tune out.
There are other brain disorders that mimic autism symptoms, like ADHD and anxiety disorders, including selective mutism. Autism can be misdiagnosed as another disorder with some shared symptoms.
They usually prefer to play alone and have challenges working together with others. Various types of therapy are available to help kids with autism and their families to play together and build relationships.
Many autistic children and adults have a special bond with dogs. Through our experience of training dogs for autistic children we've seen the amazing difference dogs can make.
Cats' preference for subtle social interactions may make them more appealing to autistic children, a new study has found. To celebrate National Cat Day, we take a look at how the traits that cause some to describe cats as aloof might also make them good pets for children with autism.