Spring 2023 Newsletter

Begin Now to Prepare for Easter and Passover

If you are hosting family gatherings for the holiday, you can plan ahead to ensure all of your guests will feel welcome in a safe environment. Deciding on menus and activities ahead of time will help to make your time together more fun. Additional tips on how to prepare your home and plan activities can be found HERE.

Here are some activities to try when interacting with your grandchild:

Social Skills

1. Board Games with a Twist

Boost children’s social skills and manners through this compelling twist of checkers, mandala and chess. Children will learn to respectfully communicate with their opponents, wishing “good luck” or “good game.”

2. What Would You Do?

Build and enforce your children’s social skills through your rendition of “What would you do?” Families can create scenarios and discuss the appropriate responses to the situations.

Sensory Activities

1. Sort the Snacks

Make math fun! Give your grandchild multicolored snacks to sort by characteristics and colors. Teach counting, subtraction and addition by rearranging the food.

 2. Vegetable Paint Stamps

Engage in your grandchild’s touch and sight through these homemade stamps. Cut some vegetables and provide them with a cup of paint. They can dip the vegetable slice into the color and press it on the paper.

Calming Activities

1. Calm Down Drawer

Fill a drawer with toys that can neutralize overwhelming emotions. If your children are stressed, give them sensory toys to make them feel at ease.

2. Calm Down Cards

If your children struggle with strong emotions, create these calming cards to help them self-regulate.

For more activities please visit: Waterford.org

Autism Advocacy

The purpose of National Autism Awareness month is to raise awareness for the autism community. Many organizations sponsor events during April to increase

understanding and support for families affected by autism. On April 2nd, World Autism Awareness Day, thousands of landmarks, buildings, homes and communities will light up their buildings and businesses blue.

Check to see if there are any local events in which you can participate to increase advocacy and support in your community.

Family Guidebooks Available Online

The Organization for Autism Research has excellent guidebooks, manuals and booklets for families that are written by experts and supported by research to help families. The following guides are available for downloading:

• A Guide to Safety
• A Parent’s Guide to Research
• A Guide for Transition to Adulthood
• A Parent’s Guide to Assessment
• A Guide for Military Families
• Navigating the Special Education System
• Autism, My Sibling and Me
• Life as an Autism Sibling: A Guide for Teens
• Brothers, Sisters, and Autism: A Parent’s Guide to Supporting Siblings