World Autism Awareness Week and Tips on how to 'play' with children with Autism

It's a shame that I've just realised that the past week was World Autism Awareness Week for 2015. The actual week is from the 27th of March until the 2nd of April. Children with Autism have a special place in my heart for as a special needs teacher, I've had the honour, challenge and pleasure of working with many students with Autism.

While they all were labeled Autistic, they were by no means all alike. I think we so often hear about or read about what Autistic children/adults are supposed to be like that we forget to just look at the individual before us. I personally have made a note to not read a student's reports when they are new to my class, just for this reason! I want to get to know them for who they are before my mind is set up to assume what they are like from test results and specialists comments and reports. Don't get me wrong, I think these tests and reports can shed a lot of light on the individual's needs and abilities but no one is ever exactly like what these tests can make them out to be. Are you the B+ or D you got on your Maths test in 1997?

 If you read through the literature on Autism you'll find Autistic individuals are often described as being uncomfortable with giving eye contact, needing a regular schedule, having problems reading social cues and unable to show affection etc. But then I've had students who would look me straight in the eye while telling me about a topic that interested them. Another student was the most huggable child I ever met and loved being cuddled and giving cuddles too or holding hands while he smiled and looked right into your eyes. And lots of my students tolerated my last minute changes to schedules without even showing a hint of anxiety about a broken schedule.  On the other hand the literature was spot on. Many of my Autistic students did have issues with eye contact, showing emotions and I must say ALL Autistic students I've met and taught have had real issues with reading social cues.

I guess my point again is that even though it is Autism Awareness Week don't get caught out thinking that all Autistic children are the same. Think of the lists of Autistic traits as things a child could 'possibly' have or struggle with. Remember that even children with Autism are individuals and deserve to be acknowledged for their individual strengths and weaknesses. Don't just assume they will tick every box on the Autistic profile list. Be educated about Autism but be prepared to be sensitive to the individual and please don't let the literature stop you from getting to know the Autistic child in front of you.

Being a blog about play I would also like to share with you some tips on how to play or engage a child with Autism to play. These tips are based on my experiences in the classroom and what has worked for me. They are not researched in the formal sense, they are very much simply based on my observations and experiences and what I find helpful.

Tip 1. Eye Contact - Let it Go!
I have to admit it took me a while to 'get over it' and felt that I was being disrespected when not shown eye contact by a student. Oh what a rude fool I was. Don't demand eye contact! If the child is not comfortable with it let it go, let them look to the side when they are talking to you or playing with you, whatever they need. We have to grow up and accept that this is really hard for some Autistic individuals and they are not doing it to be rude. Is it worth ruining a play session because of it? And NO they don't have to learn. What if you visited the planet Z and they stood on their heads to greet each other would it be fair that they made you do something so impossible for you just to satisfy their social expectations?

Tip 2. Use visual symbols and aids to support communication when playing with an Autistic individual. 
I know not all children with Autism are non-verbal or limited in their verbal abilities but the ones I have worked with were so I needed another form of communication to support them during play. I personally found Aided Language Displays, or otherwise known and ALD's, as a wonderful tool for helping students to direct or comment during play. It also helped them to make requests and let me know their preferences.

Here is an example of an ALD for playing with bubbles.

As you can see the ALD has symbols which students can point to to say something related to bubble play. This is a simple board with only 12 cells but a child can still ask for more bubbles, comment on the size and amount of  bubbles, express surprise 'wow' or let their play partner know when something has gone wrong with the 'uh oh' symbol. I has all sorts of ALD'S when I was working as a teacher. There were ones for playing with blocks, cars, game boards and they really helped my students express themselves during play.


Tip 3. Be thoughtful about the types of games or play you try to engage an Autistic child in.
The games I found my students liked to play or were able to keep up with were simple games that had a set and predictable process or set of rules. For example, board games where a dice is rolled and then a marker is moved across the board were the most successful because the child knew the procedure and it was predictable.

Wait, take turn, roll dice, count and move marker, stop, wait for turn. Do this until my marker reaches end. 

Bingo in all its forms was also a favourite because again there was a simple and predictable process and set of rules.

Wait for number to be called, match number if I have it, put marker on it, stop, wait for next number. Shout Bingo when I have all numbers covered. 

Games that were more difficult to get students to engage in were ones that required imagination and spontaneity because of the difficulty they had reading social cues and being able to think laterially. For example I wouldn't ask them to play Mama's and Papa's unless we were working from a pre-written scrips that they learnt. For if I said "there's no food in the fridge and baby is hungry" the Autistic children I worked with would not take those cues and suggest we go shopping for example. I would have to direct the whole play by saying things like "baby is dirty let's wash her" and with the child procced to wash the baby. 

A list of games my students enjoyed were playing with bubbles, cars, blocks, water play, Bingo, simple board games like snakes and ladders, Trouble and dominoes. 

Tip 4. Don't assume that it's not play if it doesn't look like play to you.

Bec Oakley writes in her article  about Autism and play something that really struck a note with me and that illustrates my point. "We consider it odd behaviour for a child to bang his shoe on the floor repetitively, yet applaud the child next to him for doing the same thing with a rubber hammer."

Don't stop an Autistic child doing something you think is not play and try to direct them to something more socially acepted as play. Throwing scarfs in the air and letting them fall on your face can be the best game an Autistic child feels he's ever played. (or a toddler for that matter) Join the child at their level, get right in if they are happy to let you and throw those scarfs in the air yourself. Somethimes simple sensory experiences are what Autistic children like best as play. I would only recomend that you redirect or stop play if it is in itself dangerous or causing damage to property, equipment or to others. In fact you might do well to set up different sensory experiences for such children. Just look online for sensory games or crafts and you will find plenty of ideas.

Anyway I hope you've enjoyed this post and the tips. Again they are very much based on my expeirences and not on specific research. And next time you celebrate Autism Awareness Week remember to be aware of the individual as well as the spectrum.

Happy Autism Awareness Week and happy playing.