The playground can be a fun outing for children on the autism spectrum and offers many benefits.
As long as playgrounds have existed, children have begged to go. If your child is autistic, he may or may not have verbal skills to ask, but many benefits await at the land of swings and climbing equipment.
Sensory
Autistic children crave certain kinds of intense sensory input. Teachers and therapists talk about sensory integration activities. Those are simply activities that provide specific, concentrated sensory experiences that help autistic children interact more effectively with their world.
What sensory integration activities are at the playground?
A child may swing for hours (just a phrase, although sometimes it seems true) and high enough to alarm her most daredevil sibling. Why does she do this? One reason is the vestibular input. She is more keenly aware of gravity, balance, and where her body is when swinging.
• Climbing
Climbing, too, offers a similiar sensory benefit: feeling of pull (gravity) and development of balance. Sam, who is autistic, climbs without fear of falling from the highest height. There is an added reason that climbing is appealing. It can provide a separation from others.
A Place to Hang Out
Playgrounds offer a place to just be - with or without others. Children who are autistic are attracted to that even more than some other children.
Why are autistic children likely to climb (and stay) to the highest point or "hide out" in a play tunnel? Although many children on the autism spectrum enjoy climbing because of the vestibular aspects (awareness of gravity, sense of body placement, etc.), they may also climb to separate themselves from others at the playground.
Social Skills Children on the autism spectrum do find social interaction difficult. What will happen if your take your autistic child to the playground? You WILL SEE other children and caregivers. The playground is fun, but it is also a great chance for small doses of interaction with people.
Encourage simple conversation:
- Hi. How are you?
- My name is -------. What is your name?
- Do you want to swing?
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Note: All children in this article are fictitious and represent general characteristics of the disability. Activities represented here are ideas. Parents (not the author) are responsible for choosing an appropriate activity for a particular child and for the consequences of that activity.
© 2006 Lynn Moore No portion of this article may be copied or distributed without the written consent of the author.
