Saturday, April 2, 2011

Early Intervention Games: Fun, Joyful Ways to Develop Social and Motor Skills in Children with Autism Spectrum or Sensory Processing Disorders by Barbara Sher

Children who has been identified as having Autism or a Sensory Processing Disorder typically have difficulty actively engaging in fun social play activities with the people in the world around them. Sher, who is a teacher and occupational therapist, provides a wonderful range of different activities that can be used to help support these children develop meaningful social relationships with their primary caregivers and peer groups members as well. I was impressed with a variety of activities suggested and how easy the majority of them are to implement in a therapy setting. She uses simple materials that could be found in most homes and turns everyday items into creative toys. With games titles like "Pudding Party", "I'm Here!", and "What's in the Sock?", it's impossible to not want to read further in this wonderfully written and straightforward book. Sher also provides an excellent overview of what sensory processing issues actually are and an excellent chapter on why certain types of games can help children with sensory processing challenges. Personally, I have found this book to be invaluable in my own clinical practice and am thrilled that I have a great resource to go when when I'm feeling "Stuck" in terms of coming up with a new activity a child might enjoy. This book is never far from my fingertips! It's also available for Kindle, so on-the-go reading is a breeze as well! It's an excellent resource for parents, teachers, and clinicians alike and has enough diversity of activities that you're bound to find one that works for that especially challenging child.

No comments:

Post a Comment