My ASD Child

“How important is pretend play for children on the autism spectrum? Do they have the ability to engage in this form of play, or do they lack the necessary imagination skills? What can parents do to help their child if he or she has difficulty interacting with peers in this regard?” In a nutshell, imaginative pretend play is critical to a child’s development, for example: Thinking Skills — Pretend play provides the youngster with a variety of problems to solve. Whether it's two kids wanting to play the same role or searching for the right material to make a roof for a playhouse, the youngster calls upon important cognitive thinking skills that she will use in every aspect of her life, now and forever. Social and Emotional Skills — When the youngster engages in pretend or dramatic play, she is actively experimenting with the social and emotional roles of life. Through cooperative play, she learns how to share responsibility, take turns, and creatively problem-solve. When the

“I am an elementary school teacher. I have a student diagnosed with high functioning autism this year (5th grade). What are some of the positive attributes associated with this disorder that I can capitalize on? And what are some of the autism-related challenges that I will need to be aware of? Thank you in advance!” Children with Aspergers and High-Functioning Autism (HFA) definitely have certain skills, for example: Many have exceptional musical ability They tend to have excellent rote memories They often become “experts” in one or two subjects (e.g., prehistoric monsters, history of steam trains, geology, genealogy of royalty, characters in a television serial, bus time-tables, astronomy, etc.) They often excel at board games needing a good rote memory (e.g., chess) They usually absorb every available fact concerning their chosen interest and can talk about it at length HFA children also have a few deficits that teachers will need to consider, for example: Some