We’re definitely proponents of getting your child with ASD the therapy they need (after all, that’s what we do). But the reality is, what a therapist does with your child the occasional times they are with them is NOT enough. All therapies, and especially ABA therapy, are most effective when the behaviors and life skills taught in the therapy session are also practiced at home.
Aquí tienes 20 actividades que puedes hacer en casa con tu hijo para conseguir exactamente eso:
- Ayudantes comunitarios. Presente a su hijo a los distintos ayudantes de la comunidad a través de juegos de disfraces, libros o juegos imaginativos con Little People o juguetes similares. Enséñele a su hijo en qué consiste el trabajo de cada ayudante, dónde puede verlos y responda a sus preguntas. Para subir el nivel, puedes llevar a tu hijo a conocer a los ayudantes de la comunidad, como un bombero, un cartero, un policía y otros.
- Cita para jugar. Set up a play date with your child’s therapist, and another child and their therapist. Have the children practice the social skills and play skills they’ve learned in therapy. You can set up this special kind of play date in a public setting, such as a playground, or in your home.
- Por turnos. Haga que su hijo juegue con algunos de sus amigos o hermanos a un juego centrado en la toma de turnos. Los otros jugadores pueden servirle de ejemplo.
- Grupos sociales. Hable con su terapeuta ABA sobre la posibilidad de crear un grupo social con su hijo y algunos compañeros que tengan habilidades sociales similares. En un grupo social, el terapeuta enseñará a los niños habilidades sociales adecuadas que luego podrán practicar con los demás niños del grupo.
- Expresiones faciales. Enseñe a su hijo a identificar los sentimientos de la gente leyendo sus caras. Puede hacerlo mediante imágenes de personas con distintas expresiones faciales o modelándolas usted mismo. Haz que tu hijo nombre cada expresión adecuadamente antes de pasar a la siguiente.
- Ropa adecuada. Use paper dolls and a large assortment of paper clothing to teach your child about weather-appropriate clothing. You can show your child a picture of a specific season, such as a winter landscape, or just call out “winter,” and show your child how to properly dress the doll for the weather. When you have covered all types of weather, have your child dress the doll for a specific kind of weather on their own.
- Pequeño chef. Deje que su hijo aprenda los fundamentos de la cocina pidiéndole que le ayude en la cocina. Enséñele las normas de seguridad en la cocina, cómo medir los ingredientes, cuándo pedir ayuda a un adulto y cómo mantener los alimentos seguros y libres de gérmenes.
- Higiene, autocuidado y aseo. Enséñale una foto de un niño con aspecto desaseado y descuidado y otra de un niño limpio y bien peinado. Pregúntele por qué cree que los dos niños tienen un aspecto tan diferente. A continuación, enséñale a tu hijo la higiene, el cuidado personal y el aseo adecuados. Incluya aspectos básicos como ducharse y asearse varias veces al día, cepillarse los dientes y otras cosas. También puedes hablarle de autocuidado y aseo personal, como usar desodorante (si es apropiado para su edad), llevar las uñas cortadas y limpias y cepillarse el pelo a diario.
- Organización y limpieza. Purchase some fun, colorful bins for your child’s toys and various possessions, label each one clearly (using words for readers, and pictures for non-readers), and help your child organize their stuff. Have your child clean up their rooms on a regular basis using these bins.
- Tareas. Speak to your child’s ABA therapist about chores you’d like your child to do at home on a regular basis. Your child’s therapist can set up a chore system with your child, which you can implement at home. The therapist will help monitor the system and verify whether it is working or needs adjustments of any kind.
- Lectura y comprensión lectora. If your child knows how to read, ask their ABA therapist to practice reading during therapy sessions. In addition, you can have the therapist ask questions about the books your child reads to see if your child is following along with the book and can remember details about what they’ve read. You can do this at home too, by implementing a daily reading time for your child.
- Modulación de voces. Teach your child to speak and play at an appropriate volume by playing sounds for them at various volumes and asking which ones sound pleasant and appropriate for different settings. You can teach your child about “outdoor voices” and “indoor voices”, and explain that noises we make when inside have nowhere to go, and sound a lot louder than the same noises we might make outside.
- Deberes. If your child has difficulty completing their homework, you can ask their ABA therapist to work on this skill with them during a therapy session. Have the therapist practice skills such as establishing a time in the child’s daily schedule for doing homework, preparing supplies the child might need for their work, and how to complete their work in a timely manner.
- Información básica. It’s important for every child to know their phone number and home address, in case of an emergency. Share this information with your child and have them practice repeating it until they can say it easily.
- Espacio personal. Some children with ASD struggle with spatial awareness and may act inappropriately around strangers, often making them uncomfortable by being in their personal space. Ask your child’s therapist about helping your child develop an awareness of personal space and practice this skill at home. Model appropriate space-sharing for your child, and have them role-play with you or by using small dolls so they can truly master this crucial skill.
Therapy is an ongoing partnership between a child’s therapist and their parents. By communicating openly with your child’s therapist and practicing skills learned in therapy at home, you’ll help your child’s therapy be more effective so that your child succeed.
However, for the parents of children with ASD, summertime can be especially challenging. The change in the child’s daily schedule, lack of a regular routine, as well as travel to unfamiliar places and spending time with extended family who may not understand autism, can all be triggering for the child.
La buena noticia es que, con una planificación adecuada, puede seguir disfrutando de los meses de verano con su hijo. Aquí tienes cinco consejos para que tú y tu hijo paséis un verano tranquilo, relajado y superdivertido.
- Crear un programa diario
Con la vuelta al cole, es posible que su hijo no sepa cómo ocupar su tiempo. Para un niño que no sabe entretenerse por sí mismo, los días vacíos pueden convertirse en una catástrofe.
Avoid this and keep your child—and yourself—happy by creating a daily schedule for summer days. You can do this together with your child or work on it alone, being careful to fill time slots from wakeup time until bedtime. Allow for free play in small intervals throughout the day and build daily behaviors, such as brushing teeth and showering, into the schedule as well. If your child will be receiving therapy in the summer, be sure to incorporate these sessions into the schedule as well.
When your schedule is complete, hang it in a prominent place where your child can reference it as needed. You may want to hang more than one copy around the house, such as sticking one up on the fridge, and another on the wall in your child’s bedroom. If your child is too young to read, use pictures to show activities on the schedule instead of written words.
Contar con una rutina diaria estable facilitará que su hijo se adapte al horario más flexible de los meses de verano.
- Evalúe las capacidades de su hijo a la hora de planificar actividades y viajes
Before you make any definitive summer plans, take an honest assessment of your child’s abilities and threshold of tolerance. It’s likely not a good idea to challenge that tolerance during your annual vacation or at the family reunion weekend. Instead, try to choose activities and trips that your child can easily handle. Consider hobbies and interests that your child would love to explore during the school months. Look for ways your child can build on those interests during their expanded free time in the summer. Finally, when planning activities and trips, avoid those that can cause sensory overload and upset your child.
- Prepare cuidadosamente los viajes
Day trips and longer getaways are a fixture in the American summer. As a family with a child on the autism spectrum, you know that things will be a little different for you and that a change in your child’s surroundings can be triggering. These tips can help keep things calm on trips:
- Prepare a su hijo con antelación. Hable con su hijo sobre el viaje y hágale saber lo que le espera antes de partir. Si es posible, enséñele fotos del destino para que su nuevo entorno no sea una completa sorpresa. Incluso puede crear un horario para el día del viaje, o para unas vacaciones de varios días, de modo que su hijo sepa qué esperar a lo largo del viaje.
- Llame con antelación a su destino para saber si pueden atender a sus necesidades sensoriales. Let them know you have a child with autism and share your child’s specific struggles. Some venues will agree to lower the music for a child with auditory sensitivity. Some airlines allow a child with ASD to board the plane before takeoff so they can explore their new surroundings.
- Aporta comodidad. Las pequeñas comodidades de casa, como una manta favorita, un osito de peluche o un juguete sensorial, pueden contribuir en gran medida a que tu hijo sea un viajero feliz.
- Disponga de un plan de emergencia. Asegúrese de planificar cualquier eventualidad durante su viaje. Lleve consigo cualquier medicamento calmante que pueda utilizar en alguna ocasión. Lleve una foto de su hijo por si se pierde. Piense en una salida alternativa en caso de que la primera opción resulte un desastre para su hijo.
Con una planificación adecuada, podrá disfrutar de una escapada divertida con toda su familia.
- Comuníquese con los miembros de la familia con antelación
If your summer plans include visits to or from extended family members you don’t see often, it’s best to communicate with them in advance about your child’s specific needs and behaviors. For example, you can let them know your child is most comfortable seated on their own chair as opposed to squeezing together with their cousins on a bench. You can tell them that your child prefers not to be hugged or kissed and let them know that you will be bringing your own food for your child, if relevant. The more you communicate in advance, the less room you’ll leave for meltdowns and misunderstandings.
- Don’t neglect practicing academic, social and behavioral skills
School is out, but that doesn’t mean it’s time to neglect your child’s schoolwork. Make sure to build time into your daily schedule for summer homework, or for practicing schoolwork in another way, such as through an educational app or online game. Similarly, it’s important to incorporate time for any “therapy homework” your child may need to do at home, such as practicing social and behavioral skills they’ve learned in therapy.
El verano con un niño con espectro TEA puede ser un poco diferente al de las familias con niños neurotípicos, pero con algunos ajustes en las expectativas y mucha planificación previa, puede disfrutar de unas vacaciones de verano divertidas con toda la familia.
