Outdoor Adventures

With the local schools closed for a minimum of two weeks due to the coronovirus pandemic, we are making the best of things.  One thing we are enjoying is some outdoor time.  We are blessed to have a yard that allows us to get some sunshine and exercise safely.

Some safety tips for outdoor play: 

1) Don’t leave children with autism unsupervised.  

2) Consider putting locks on your gates of elopement (running away) is a concern.

3) Be mindful of water; children with autism are drawn to water and could potentially drown, even in standing water.  

4) If your child has difficulty with transitions, you could use an object schedule or picture schedule to get them back inside.  Example of an object schedule: handing them a piece of a favorite toy to bring back inside (where the rest of the toy is located). Example of a Picture Schedule: hand them a “go inside” picture to match to one that you have inside. 

5) Join your child where they are.  It could be playing nearby, rolling a ball interactively, or engaging in pretend play.  Don’t worry so much about what level they are on...instead, have fun!