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.
Summer Activities For Children On The Autism Spectrum
Summer is the perfect opportunity to have fun with your grandkids while helping them continue all the great skills they honed during the school year! Here is a list of ideas to help you do that while keeping sensory overload to a minimum…
- Host a character day – this is like a movie day but your grandchild dresses up like their favorite book, movie or TV character and then spend the day watching or reading about that character.
- Plan a scavenger hunt outside – check out these sensory scavenger hunt ideas on Pinterest.
- Create your own sensory activities like coloring lima beans.
DIY Sensory Activities for Kids
Summer is the perfect opportunity to have fun with your grandkids while helping them continue all the great skills they honed during the school year! Here is a list of ideas to help you do that while keeping sensory overload to a minimum…
- Host a character day – this is like a movie day but your grandchild dresses up like their favorite book, movie or TV character and then spend the day watching or reading about that character.
- Plan a scavenger hunt outside – check out these sensory scavenger hunt ideas on Pinterest.
- Create your own sensory activities like coloring lima beans.
DIY Sensory Activities for Kids
- Create a regular routine with specific types of activities on specific days and track everything on a calendar that everyone can see! Check out this article 82 Summer Activities for Families with Special Needs that outlines ideas for Safety Sunday, Make Something Monday, Time to Read Tuesday, What’s Cooking Wednesday, Thoughtful Thursday, Somewhere Fun Friday, and Social Skills Saturday.
- Set up an arts and crafts station – just line up the paint, glue, glitter, paper and see what happens or plot out some specific crafts like Balloon Paint Stamping (filling up balloons with water and tapping them into bowls of different paints to print on paper or clothing).
- You can get a free Access Pass for the National Park Service which is your ticket to more than 2,000 federal recreation sites. The pass covers entrance fees and day use fees at national parks and national wildlife refuges. It’s available for U.S. citizens or permanent residents with permanent disabilities. Download this federal recreation sites and find out more on their website here.
Summer Travel Tips
- Take a picture on your phone before you leave home so if lost, it will be easier to identify your grandchild and the clothing worn that day.
- Pin identification information and your cell phone number to the back of your grandchild’s shirt.
- Check the airport layout and find out how far you will have to go… and plan ahead how to accommodate to get there on time.
- Pack extra medication – pack double of anything important and keep one set in the checked bag and one set in your carry-on bag.
- Check to see what perks you have as a rewards member or cardholder to see if you can get lounge access or any other perks that will help you.
- Download your grandchild’s favorite calming music or games to play while you’re waiting for your flight at the airport… and on the plane.
Great Apps for Summer
A great app from the Center for Autism and Related Disorders. Camp Discovery is broken into assessment, learning trials and mini-games that serve as a reward. The app also tracks your child’s progress and allows the parent to personalize the experience. Find out more here.
Endless Reader
Endless reader combines visual and audio learning with fun animations that allow your grandchild to read and put together the “sight words” that are so important for early reading. After the animation, your child can move the letters into the word to spell it, and as the letter is moved, the app reinforces the phonetic sound of the letter. Find out more here.
Five Little Monkeys With Nothing To Do
Join the Five Little Monkeys in this interactive book app as they prepare the house for Grandma Beesie’s visit! Explore pictures, learn new vocabulary, and personalize the story with your own narration. Find out more here.
Model Me Going Places
- This app helps children learn appropriate behavior for various community locations. Find out more here.
- Helps kids understand how others are feeling, making eye contact and developing social skills. Find out more here.
- Helps teens and young adults learn basic money skills. Find out more here.
Smart Fish: Frequent Flyer
Helps kids experience what it’s like to fly including packing, going through security and boarding the plane. Find out more here.
Detecting Autism in Toddlers
Frequently grandparents are the first family members to detect that their grandchild may have developmental issues. These “Red Flag” behaviors from the Autism Navigator website are currently identified as early signs in children who are at risk for an autism diagnosis.
Social Communication
- Limited use of gestures such as giving, showing, waving, clapping, pointing, or nodding their head
- Delayed speech or no social babbling/chatting
- Makes odd sounds or has an unusual tone of voice
- Difficulty using eye contact, gestures, and sounds or words all at the same time
- Little or no pretending or imitating of other people
- Stopped using words that they used to say
- Uses another person’s hand as a tool (e.g., putting parent’s hand on a jar for them to open the lid)
Social Interaction
- Does not look right at people or hard to get them to look at you
- Does not share warm, joyful expressions
- Does not respond when someone calls their name
- Does not draw your attention to things or show you things they’re interested in
- Does not share enjoyment or interests with others
Repetitive Behaviors & Restricted Interests
- Unusual ways of moving their hands, fingers, or whole body
- Develops rituals such as lining objects up or repeating things over and over
- Very focused on or attached to unusual kinds of objects such as strips of cloth, wooden spoons, rocks, vents, or doorstops
- Excessive interest in particular objects, actions, or activities that interferes with social interaction
- Unusual sensory interests such as sniffing objects or looking out of the corner of their eye
- Over- or under-reaction to certain sounds, textures, or other sensory input
Finding the right Toys for Kids with Autism
A great video form CBS New York
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