Often toy libraries can be a very underutilised service in many communities… but they have a lot to offer, particularly for children with autism, aspergers or pdd-nos.

Many families say “We have so many toys at home…the last thing we need is more toys”

But let me give you a little bit of food for thought….

I saw a boy named Oli on the weekend for a session who will be going to a mainstream school next year.

He is doing really well with his play and interactions at home with his parents and his brother. This family have done an incredible job at building their relationship with Oli, helping him realise that they are heaps of fun to be around and can add so much value to his life. In fact, when I recently analysed some video footage of Oli playing with his family at home it really was not apparent that he had autism!

Yet aside from all of his wonderful progress at home his parents report that he is having significant trouble forming relationships with his peers. » Continue reading “Don’t forget about toy libraries!”

This week’s video tip is self explanatory really.

Again, this is another strategy I use regularly with my private clients that can work quite nicely.

Particularly suitable for higher functioning children with autism (typically 3-6 years old) who are up to the stage where they ‘get’ the basic meaning of situations, but who are then challenged by real life situations where they are required to interpret the complex feelings and thoughts of other people through their words, facial expressions, gestures and tone of voice, then put all of that information together to really understand a deeper meaning of a particular situation.

If this sounds like your child, then you could really benefit from this. » Continue reading “How to Improve Your Child’s Comprehension using their favourite DVDs”