looking for ideas - Autism Spectrum Message Board

beverlydsp · 08-19-2005, 08:22 AM

Hello I am new to this site. I am looking for some help. I currently work with MH/MR consumers. My job is to go to a comsumers home and pick them up and take them out for the day to give the family/caregiver a break. I currently have a 29 year old male with autism who is non-verbal I am looking for ideas of activaties to do with him at my home cause he is really not into being out in public. I am looking for any ideas from better ways to communicate to crafts. If anyone could please help me I would be most greatful, I want to make the time I spend with him a good time for both me and him.Thank You.

raskul · 08-20-2005, 07:35 AM

Hi I work with young adults. Is part of the goal to get him out into the community, if it is it can be hard at first I started by going to quiet places the park the library ect.. Also the use of pics is a great way to communicate. Does he already use them? If so try a choice board to let him pick some different activites. As for crafts I find hands on activities like finger painting sand art anything with different textures. As long as he is not to sensitive for him. Another activity I have done is cutting pictures of things they like out of magazines and making a scrapebook with them. I hope some of this will help!

DaVinci · 08-20-2005, 09:11 AM

I like the community outing idea, it's important not to isolate our children and also to expose other people to autism. The park is one of my favourites because unlike the library they can pretty much be as noisy as they like and the parents/caregivers do not get stressed out trying to calm a stressed person. Taught my boy to ride a bike and a scooter there. Basically free and some parks have extras like pools, farm animals, ponds, activities like baseball etc.Think life skills, perhaps teaching them in a fun way, nothing earth shattering. Perhaps teaching how to use a vending machine, pay phone the bus system etc. My boy likes art too and there's lots of art activity books at the library that will inspire you and bring you back to your childhood...remember this one....crayon the whole page, then paint over the crayoned page, when dry etch out picture. Tons of ideas but try to stay at his age level, no one wants to be treated as a child if they're really an adult, verbal or not.

beverlydsp · 08-24-2005, 11:29 PM

Thank you very much for giving me some ideas. Yes one of his goals is to be out in the community but he does not like to be in noisey places it has taken us 5 years to get him to leave the house to come to ours however a couple weeks ago my mom who does this same type of work and myself took him to walmart and a grocery store and he was fine with the two of us however she is not always availabe and there is not enough funding to give him two staff members even though he would excell so much more with two fo us. We do use pictures to communicate and that helps sometimes but it is hard to cover each thing so i keep adding pics each time he asks for something new even if it is once at least it gives him differnt choices. i will try the park and crafts thank you very much for your thoughts and ideas

DaVinci · 08-25-2005, 05:38 AM

Another thought, I often use my camcorder and film places I'd like to take him. This will help soften the blow and give a preview of what's going to happen. Just think of how you feel when you go somewhere new and the possible stress - the job interview, first date etc, and then multiply that by a 1000 and then you'll see how they feel. It's not just the people and the sounds(try a hat and sunglasses) but it's the fear of the unknown. The fact that he is more at ease with 2 people could be that he could use some sort of appropriate "security blanket" - carry a favourite item, stress ball, or even the extra weight of a knapsack - all may comfort him.
All the best and thank you to you and your mom for caring for our children.