Strategies for working with Our Autistic Children

Using Pictures in the photo frames

Before we go to a new location I find photographs of the location to build a 'social story" that explains the new location.

Example: 

We were invited to a birthday party at ChuckECheese- a place that is likely to cause an overload to a child with autism.  I went to our local ChuckECheese and took pictures of the front, entrance once inside, the tables, games, bathroom and more. I placed these in a Word document and showed them to our son. I could have used the magnets as well, but he did not need it in this case.  We chose to go to ChuckECheese the week before, on a very quiet Sunday evening, and he had a blast. It was almost empty and the perfect opportunity to try it out before the craziness of a party!  

I was told about Safeway's online resources. Within the Safeway website (see below for links and resources) you can get pictures of food items that you need to pick up at ANY store.  I have done this to help my son "help me" shop for a specific list of items.  He loves helping and the images help him focus on the task, not the sensory overload of a grocery store. 

Safeway's web site:  Safeway.com

1. Click on the "STORE" link in the upper left side of the window (see images below for a visual example of the sequence)
2.  You might need to enter your ZIP CODE to get to the next part. If your zip code says you can't shop online, find a major city's zip code and enter that.This brings you to the next window where you can choose to SHOP BY AISLE.
3. From there choose "SHOP BY CATEGORY" and select your choices. 
4. I chose JAMS and came up with a long list of jam choices that included the PICTURE!
5. Download the image (usually it is just a CNTRL+mouse click and "save as" and give it a good name. Save it to a location that you can later find on your computer! 

                                    

How to find images online using Google's Image Search!  You can easily find images for most items from grocery shopping, stores, facilities, etc by searching using the Google search engine.  To learn how to effectively use Google's search engine to find IMAGES, please go to this Google Image Search tutorial page.   

With the Google Images Search you can easily locate pictures of stores, products, etc.  Here are some that I use for going to our local grocery store and pharmacy. 

      

How can images such as these help an autistic child be better prepared for going out on errands or to a new location?

When we first learn language we learn by associating pictures with words.  An autistic child can easily be overwhelmed with new ideas, sounds and other sensory loads.  By seeing an image of WHERE they are going, it can help them organize and prepare for the event and remove one of the sensory stimuli by having the child be familiar with the image prior to the visit.  This is the basis of social stories...  I will write more about this later. 

Stackable Magnets for "on the road" help

Be it running errands, picking up groceries, or a daily schedule, I have found a tool that my son LOVES!  It is a set of stackable magnets that fits my needs & can hold pictures or paper with words on it!  He is now almost 6 years old and does not want 'pictures' because he can read and wants to read words just like the big kids! 

My needs for a lasting tool: 

1. Are FUN and colorful for my son!
2. Are strong and hard to break 
3. Stackable and easy to change the order of the stack. 
4. Cleanable- can be wiped, spilled on, etc. 
5. Easy to change-out the words/pictures within the frame.  

I found with with Umbra's "Lynka" 6-pack of bright colored magnetic frames. I found them at Bed, Bath & Beyond's frame department. They were on a rack in the back corner of the department. I can't locate them on the BB&B website, but I have located some other resources.

• Umbra's web site: LINK to Umbra 
• The Fridge Door web site: Link to Fridge Door 
• The Art Store Online: Link to The Art Store (search for "Lynka"), Lynka Magnets at Art Store

  

I start with placing the magnets on the Fridge and going over the list of events BEFORE we leave. Depending on my timeline, I have my son pick the order of events and make the stack with the first event on the TOP and the last event on the BOTTOM of the stack.  As we go from place to place we move the top magnet to the BOTTOM of the stack.

I now have created ONE magnet that says "DONE" on it. It is the last one in the stack. My son LOVES being able to move that magnet to the top once we are finished with our tasks.

We are now using these tools in new ways.  Read my next posting to see how we use them in the grocery store!  (I own 2 sets of the magnets! One is used for the SEQUENCE of our errands or tasks, the other is for grocery shopping, etc!).    

RESOURCES FOR USING MAGNETS:

• Download THINGs-TO-DO.doc  for making 'cards' to place in the frames (pictures work GREAT using the MS Word Template)!  You will need to trim the paper a bit, but it should fit! 

• Download THINGs-TO-DO.pdf

If you email me PDFs of anything you have created, I will attach them as well!  

Below is a picture of the magnetic frames in the original packaging! 

Autism Resource: Creating Solutions

Wonderful summer vacation- no school, days playing in the yard, riding a bike, swimming in a pool!  Sigh...

That is not quite how our summer vacation works at our home.  Autism shapes our son's perspective concerning the change of schedules.... be it the weekly schedule, daily schedule, visiting relatives, running errands, or anything else.

I am sharing some resources and tools that might help alleviate the 'unknown' and help the child with autism cope with CHANGES and CHOICES.