Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #5295 in Books
• Published on: 2002-05-15
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Paperback
• 176 pages

Synopsis
Parents of young children newly diagnozed as on the autism spectrum are often at a loss for ideas about how best to help their child. They feel dismayed and "shut out" by their child and are often also having to grapple with language and behaviour problems. "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 it looks at ways to gain a child's attention and motivation and to build on small achievements. The use of case studies illustrates how problems of ritual and obsession can be used and redirected positively and shows how to structure play activities and overcome communication barriers by using picture cards. Each chapter covers a collection of ideas around a theme: 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. The ideas are useful both for toddlers and primary age children who are still struggling with play.

Customer Reviews

Great book with good advice and ideas for parents of young children.
I brought this book while waiting for my son to be diagnosed with what I thought might be autism. He was 2 yrs at the time and the book has provided me with loads of ideas and advice. Its written in an easy and understable format and provided some great ideas and approaches, regarding the concept of what toys to buy and how to use them.

It also gives you a guide into there world and how to try and understand it from their view point. Well worth the price I paid for it.

Therapy for the child and for the parent
For the parent or carer of an autistic child, play can be a very difficult area. It's often the area in which a child's departure from the "normal" developmental track becomes apparent - toys are not used in the way expected or not used at all, imaginative play fails to develop, and so forth. With "normal" play patterns not pertaining, how do you fill the day; how do you connect with the child; and how do you give them the developmental benefits, the life practice and the skills, that play helps to develop?

This book helps you answer those questions. The play discussed ranges from the very basic - tickle games or rough and tumble - to the more complex, such as helping to model imaginative play for the child. Processes are broken down into small, achievable steps that the child can then combine to get results you might previously have thought were beyond him/her. For imaginative play, for instance, one might devise a short, simple story and put it in book form, then act it out with models, then let the child act it out, then wait to see if they move on to acting out stories of their own invention. It's concrete, it's practical and it works. Perhaps as importantly, it's immensely therapeutic also for a parent of an autistic child: if, over the months and years leading to the diagnosis and subsequently, your child has been turned in your eyes into a medical problem or educational project, this will help you rediscover them as a child and learn again to have fun with them. Buy the book, help the child and feel yourself grow more cheerful as well.

A must for a parent of a child under 5
This was the first book I read when we suspected our child was autistic at the age of 2. By the time we got the diagnosis I had already implemented many of the simple play ideas in the book and was getting results. My son is now 4 and making good progress but I still go back to the book for more help and understanding as he moves forward. Everywhere you will read early intervention is the key, but if you want to make a start on your own while waiting for help, this book is a must. I would especially say its good for the under 5. This book shows that parents can make a differnece in a practical set out book.