Tips & Suggestions

Networking together, we are a vital resource for each other. Please share information you feel will help grandparents to improve their understanding of autism, interactions with grandchildren and enhance their family relationships.

Tip categories are posted on the right. Choose a category by clicking on it. New information is added frequently and we encourage you to visit often.

Plan Ahead for Spring Visits

If you are traveling to spend Spring vacation with your family, you may want to prepare your grandchild, in advance, for your visit. It is helpful to provide a visual schedule of activities before you arrive so your grandchild can anticipate the sequence of events you will share. Use drawings, cut out pictures or download them from the internet to help them understand what to expect. Put together a visual calendar of places you plan to go and activities you will share and send it to them before you arrive.

Be sure to include your picture, too.

This visual planner is a great tool for plotting out Spring vacation activities – events can be viewed daily, weekly or monthly and you can add custom images (from your phone/iPad), record sounds, and add videos for modeling.

View the app here

Raising children with Autism Spectrum Disorders is extremely challenging for parents. Your children will always appreciate your support and reinforcement. Be sure to comment about how much your grandchild has improved since your last visit and compliment their parenting skills throughout the visit.

Plan Ahead For Summer Visits with Grandchildren

MAINTAIN SCHEDULES

The biggest challenge during the summer is the change from specific routines around school to the less structured days of summer. Try to maintain your grandchild’s usual eating and sleeping schedule as much as possible.

SETTING UP A SUMMER SCHEDULE

Track upcoming summer activities in a calendar that your grandchildren have access to so they can see what is coming up and what to expect.

PREPARE IN ADVANCE

When you plan any activities, try to familiarize your grandchild with anything new or different i.e. show photos or practice the activity ahead of time.

CREATE A BACKUP PLAN

Not every day will be perfect so as holidays approach, develop two scenarios: Plan A if things go well and Plan B if issues pop up.

PREPARE FOR THE HEAT

Cook some meals ahead of time that will save time and it will keep you out of the kitchen when it gets too hot and stock up on frozen treats. Buy fans ahead of time – they are often sold out in the middle of a heat wave and try freezing your sheets!

Supporting Parents Of Children with Autism

1. Be there – sometimes parents just need someone to listen

2. Be Inclusive – include parents with their autistic children in activities you plan

3. Try not to be judgemental – it’s hard to put ourselves in their shoes with all that they need to deal with

4. Help provide respite care – everyone needs a break and parents of children with autism may not have as many opportunities to take care of themselves.

5. Learn more about autism – find out what you can about autism from reputable resources (visit our site www.ganinfo.org)

6. Keep things confidential – everyone will be different about what they want others to know but it’s just safer to keep everything confidential!

7. Become an advocate – advocate for the rights of people with autism for inclusion and understanding and against discrimination.

30 Things Parents of Children on the Autism Spectrum Want You to Know

(an article from Applied Behavior Analysis)

Sometimes our children find it difficult to communicate their challenges to us. This article addresses some of the universal issues they may experience but may not personally share with you.

t is estimated that one in 68 children are now diagnosed with an Autism Spectrum disorder, and yet, this diagnosis remains as misunderstood as ever. We simply do not live in a society that is accommodating or even accepting of those who are not “neurotypical.” Fortunately, parents of autistic children are wonderful at communicating who their children are and why. Below are 30 things those parents of children on the Autism Spectrum want you to know.

Not all autism is the same, and neither is every child with autism.

It’s called the Autism Spectrum because autism actually covers a wide scope of complex disorders in brain development. Included are Asperger’s Syndrome, “classic” autism and Pervasive Developmental Disorder, among others. The types of autism range in everything from communication skills, anxiety, social interaction, and repetitive behaviors, among other things. As with any kid, a child with autism should be treated as an individual with his or her own set of abilities and preferences.

Just because my kid doesn’t look like another kid with autism doesn’t mean he’s not on the Autism Spectrum.

As one parent wrote on the popular Autism Speaks blog, “Knowing one child with autism doesn’t mean anything really – they’re all so different. Please don’t tell me my son doesn’t have [autism] because he looks so different from the other kid you know on the Spectrum.”

Easter Tips

Go Beyond the Chocolate
For Easter baskets think about replacing candy with other items or having a mix of candy and non-candy items like stickers, balloons, squish balls, blueberries, organic fruit snacks, or money!

Practice Ahead of Time
If you are going to participate in any traditional activities like an Easter egg hunt, practice ahead of time with just a few eggs.

Bunny Talk
If costumed bunnies will be involved in any of your activities, talk about it ahead of time.

A Safe Place
Whether you’re celebrating at home or away, designate a safe space ahead of time where your child can go if they are feeling overwhelmed. Be sure to include familiar toys, games, and lovies as well as music or movie players with headphones to help calm your kiddo.

Go Natural
Skip the chemical-laden food coloring and use all natural options instead if you plan on coloring eggs. Check out this article on how to dye eggs with everyday ingredients: https://www.mommypotamus.com/how-to-dye-easter-eggs-naturally-with-everyday-ingredients/

Holiday Fun for Kids With Autism

Holidays can be challenging for children with autism AND family members when normal schedules and routines are disrupted. Being prepared with holiday activities that will keep them stay focused and engaged can be a big help! Here is a list of some fun activities and apps:

Google Santa Tracker is an annual Christmas-themed entertainment program first launched y Google in 2004. that allows users to track Santa during Christmas Eve and before through fun activities that are added daily!

Check out these resources on Pinterest under Seasons & Holiday Resources for the Autism Classroom! They have very interesting activities that can also be created at home!

NorthPole.com has a collection of activities for children and families including ways to connect with Santa, holiday crafts & recipes, and other fun stuff!

Christmas Science Activities and Experiments for Kids has some easy to set up fun activities that bring science to candy canes, Christmas trees, gingerbread men and Santa!

Merry-Christmas.com is a great site with Christmas games, letters to Santa, Christmas stories, and recipes!

Elf Yourself is a cute app from Office Depot / OfficeMax that lets you upload photos into elf mockups!

The How the Grinch Stole Christmas App is an interactive experience with animations and fun activities!

123 Kids Fun Christmas Tree App allows kids to decorate 6 Christmas trees with 130 different ornaments!