When working with children who have autism, it is very important to find the right place to work. Recently, one of my clients and I went to the Kid's Empire. In this place, it is good to work on:
- communication skills (the child interacts with their peers),
- physical skills (climbing different stairs and objects and handling obstacles)
- trying new things (in addition to traditional slides and balls, there is the opportunity to walk through different labyrinths, play small soccer, and ride down large slides).
For instance, in this particular case, the child has weak arms and avoids leaning on them, grabbing something, and pulling themselves up. I suggested that the mother participate in the exercise. I provided supervision for the mother and the child. The mother, together with her child, climbed through the circular labyrinth from one tier to another. The mother showed the child how she did it; the child imitated her movement; plus, when the child needed help to pull themselves up to the next level, the mother gave them her hand, which they grabbed and pulled themselves up.
By the third tier, the child was already climbing without their mother’s help. Then, the child went through this labyrinth again three more times without their mother, under my supervision.
I attached the video of what the circular labyrinth through which the child climbed looks like.
NOTE: before taking a child to exercise in such places, you need to understand how the child receives and processes information. In this particular case, within eight months of therapy, it had already been established that the child observed other people before taking any action. The child has good achievement abilities: if they have set a goal for themselves, then they will go towards this goal (do the exercise) until the result is achieved. The child knows how to take a break and rest during the exercise if they feel that they need to take a break. The therapist, in my person, established a good rapport with the child, and for eight months, we worked on their ability to listen to and follow instructions. Only after consistent therapy, in this case, eight months, two hours per week, can practical training be conducted in a public place.
P.S. This post is in no way an advertisement for an entertainment playground for children. The main goal is to share practical skills for working with children who have autism and other developmental disabilities.
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