Autism Home Learning

Many autistic children, young people and adults process sensory information differently and as a result we may see unusual responses to sensory information in their behaviours.  Sensory processing consists of the following: 1) messages are received from our senses 2) our brains interpret and organise the sensory information received 3) processing of sensory information leads to our response. Sensory processing is going on all the time: Sensory processing in individuals with autism is thought to be different. These differences manifest in different ways for different individuals. For many individuals, the messages the brain receives are perceived differently: Hypersensitivity/over-responsive - imagine sensory information entering the brain through a magnifying glass, resulting in too much sensory input Hyposensitivity/under-responsive - in this case sensory information may not be received by the brain, or is dulled, resulting in limited sensory input Sensory-seeking/unusual

In this post I will add sensory ideas and activities - I will keep adding, so if this is something that interests you and your child then do keep checking for new information. Sensory songs and stories James Rennie School, part of the Eden Academy Trust, has kindly given permission to share some of the resources they have made available for parents. Please take a look at their filmed sensory songs and stories: Sensory songs and stories   Sensory play Sensory play activities are particularly important for individuals with hyper and hypo sensitivities (see sensory differences). It does not matter how old your are, and you do not have to be on the spectrum, to enjoy sensory play. You can add sensory play to a daily schedule and/or try some out during the Easter holiday. Sensory play can be fun for children with autism and their siblings. Here are some ideas: James Sinclair- Indoor activities for autistic children, teenagers & adults Sensory play activities from 'we rock

Autism and learning difficulties and young children. For many children and young people, following a 'first - then' sequence of activities may not be the best way to provide information about their activities. In particular, children in the early years and children and young people who have autism and learning difficulties may not find this 2 step sequence meaningful. In this case you may be more successful by providing information one step at a time.  Transition objects are objects of giving meaningful information to your child. For example, a toilet roll indicates " toilet", a cup means "snack". Transition objects should be chosen depending on your child's understanding and based upon what is meaningful to them. If this is new to you, or is a strategy you have not used at home before, start by selecting objects for key routines of the day (e.g., toilet, snack, lunch, play, garden and so on). Start by selecting 2 of the objects which you think you