buddy
New Member
Interesting that you said that about gross motor games. For several years I worked in a preschool Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASD) class. I also was itinerant in elementary schools and was case manager for the Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASD) kids.
Even some of the non verbal kids with classic signs like hand flapping showed that with gross motor games. Free play on the playground could look pretty typical. The very first games they played were chase games. From afar no one would know done of them were autistic.
Imaginary role play (except for imitating TV characters nearly exactly) like..."you be the mom and I'll be the daddy" or kitchen play, or using the tool bench to really play building something (not just hitting with a hammer over and over) didn't happen.
Kids who were higher functioning and did play a little like with blocks or dinosaurs? Tended to look somewhat OK thru early grades. By third grade if others insisted on adding ideas or wanted to expand on the play, they would start to fall apart. The gap widened.
There were few kids who really didn't want to be with the other kids or weren't liked in younger grades.
My own son wants friends very much.
He does have kids in his life. No classic bff types.
I remember a boy who was classic Asperger's cried in an elementary social skills class. He just didn't get why he wasn't picked for things or invited to play. He did great with adults and anyone who was a Michael Jackson fan.
Even some of the non verbal kids with classic signs like hand flapping showed that with gross motor games. Free play on the playground could look pretty typical. The very first games they played were chase games. From afar no one would know done of them were autistic.
Imaginary role play (except for imitating TV characters nearly exactly) like..."you be the mom and I'll be the daddy" or kitchen play, or using the tool bench to really play building something (not just hitting with a hammer over and over) didn't happen.
Kids who were higher functioning and did play a little like with blocks or dinosaurs? Tended to look somewhat OK thru early grades. By third grade if others insisted on adding ideas or wanted to expand on the play, they would start to fall apart. The gap widened.
There were few kids who really didn't want to be with the other kids or weren't liked in younger grades.
My own son wants friends very much.
He does have kids in his life. No classic bff types.
I remember a boy who was classic Asperger's cried in an elementary social skills class. He just didn't get why he wasn't picked for things or invited to play. He did great with adults and anyone who was a Michael Jackson fan.
