Growing Up Autistic
  • Home
  • Product Recommendations
  • Meet Us
    • Trevor
    • Tracey
    • Patty
    • Lonnie
  • Books
  • Blog
  • 1-Minute Videos
  • About Autism
  • Contact

Backyards for Kids on the Autism Spectrum - Make them fun, safe and accessible

5/29/2018

0 Comments

 
PicturePhoto by Pexels.com
Guest blog by Kathleen Carter of EducatorLabs.org

When your child’s on the autism spectrum, safety becomes your number one priority. Backyards are wonderful spaces to enjoy nature, get the wiggles out, explore, and de-stress. They also facilitate activities that improve gross and fine motor skills, problem-solving and thinking skills, and social, communication, and language skills.

Make your backyard safe and accessible
Because autistic behaviours may include elopement and an inability to recognize and properly react to environmental dangers, take these steps to ensure your child’s safety.

  • Erect a fence that’s at least 48” tall and includes a gate that locks. Fences may not completely stop a child from wandering off, but they will slow her down.  If you’ve got a Houdini on your hands, add an alarm that sounds when the gate opens.
  • Post displays or signs in the backyard—a red stop sign at the door, gate, shed, or garage reminds kids with autism that they’re not permitted in a certain area. 
  • Lock up all tools, chemicals, and equipment well out of the reach of your children. Keep them inside when you have to mow or use the weedeater. 
  • Verify that all plants are nontoxic. Besides banishing poison ivy, sumac, and oak from your garden, here’s a comprehensive list of poisonous plants.  
Here are over 30 more ways to secure your backyard.

Sensory activities and other fun outside games
Looking for something fun and engaging for your child? Experts recommend the following activities for their therapeutic value—and they’re all DIY-friendly, too.
 
Autism Speaks has a list of 10 fun sensory play ideas that include creating a tray of brightly-colored beads, polka dot slime, a spider web walk, and balloon paint stamping. Check out other ideas here.
  • Grab the sidewalk chalk and teach your kids to play hopscotch. It’s great for building muscle tone—and if you make up chants to accompany the hops, you can really get those creative juices flowing! 
  • Create an obstacle course with your child’s toys and equipment, and found items. Ask your child to hug a tree, run around a bush, jump over a larger branch, or roll down a slight hill. 
  • Design a scavenger hunt. Use pictures or words to show him what he should find, like colored leaves, rocks, twigs, a squirrel’s nest, and pine cones. Give your child a camera or smartphone to take pictures.
  • Play in the rain. Rain provides a wonderful sensory integration experience, so go ahead and encourage puddle jumping and splashing. Pass out buckets so everyone can collect water. 
  • Garden. Many kids on the autism spectrum are happiest outside. Gardens provide their own sensory opportunities, with plenty of sights, sounds, smells, and textures. Nothing beats sticking your hands into fresh soil—use gardening gloves if they don't like the dirt. 

Pool safety for kids
According to the Pool Safely national public education campaign, drowning is the leading cause of unintentional death in children between the ages of one and four. If you own a pool, there are a variety of things you can do to secure it from curious kids—and animals!
  • Install a safety cover. These covers are stronger than regular pool covers, and support the weight of children.
  • Fence in the pool. The Consumer Product and Safety Commission recommends a minimum height of 48” with a self-closing latch. Consider also adding a combination lock or a gate alarm.
  • Install a perimeter or pressure-sensitive pool alarm. These alarms work like invisible fences by creating a laser field that connects different points. When someone breaks the field, an alarm sounds. Pressure-sensitive alarms sit on the pool’s edge; they’re calibrated to detect a pressure wave caused by someone entering the water.
 
The natural classroom provides a wonderful, therapeutic environment for non-neurotypical kids. Once you’ve taken precautions to secure your backyard’s function and accessibility and made sure outdoor play is safe and fun, it’s time to invite your child to explore and engage with his world.
0 Comments



Leave a Reply.

    RSS Feed

    Inspiration for Life with Autism

    This blog is written by Trevor Pacelli, a young adult with autism and an author and illustrator. Guest bloggers are welcome. 

    Find all of Trevor's books here

    Categories

    All
    Accommodations
    Addiction
    Adult Life
    Art
    Autism
    Autism And Love
    Autism And Romance
    Back To The Future
    Barbie
    Blindness
    Bullying
    Christmas
    Cinematography
    College Life
    Creativity
    Dental Issues
    Depression
    Disability Friendly
    Early Education
    Early Signs Of Autism
    Employment
    Find Your Niche
    Halloween
    Harry Potter
    High School
    Hobbies
    Holidays
    Home Safety
    Jobs & Careers
    Lonnie's Blog Posts
    Misconceptions
    Movie Reviews
    Movies And Disabilities
    Moving Homes
    New Year
    New Year's
    Obsessions
    One Minute Lessons
    Parenting
    Patty's Blog Posts
    Pokemon
    Research
    Safety
    Self Care
    Siblings And Autism
    Sleep Problems
    Stardew Valley
    Storytelling
    Teasing
    Teen Life
    Tracey's Blog Posts
    Trevor's Blog Posts
    Vacation
    Video Gaming

    Archives

    May 2025
    April 2025
    March 2025
    February 2025
    January 2025
    December 2024
    October 2024
    August 2024
    July 2024
    May 2024
    April 2024
    January 2024
    December 2023
    November 2023
    October 2023
    August 2023
    July 2023
    May 2023
    April 2023
    March 2023
    February 2023
    January 2023
    December 2022
    September 2022
    August 2022
    December 2020
    September 2020
    June 2020
    May 2020
    April 2020
    December 2019
    October 2019
    May 2019
    April 2019
    February 2019
    January 2019
    October 2018
    June 2018
    May 2018
    February 2018
    December 2017
    October 2017
    September 2017
    August 2017
    July 2017
    June 2017
    May 2017
    April 2017
    March 2017
    February 2017
    January 2017
    November 2016
    October 2016
    August 2016
    July 2016
    June 2016
    May 2016
    October 2015
    August 2015
    July 2015
    May 2015
    December 2014
    November 2014
    October 2014
    August 2014
    July 2014
    April 2014
    March 2014
    January 2014
    December 2013
    November 2013
    October 2013
    September 2013

    RSS Feed

Proudly powered by Weebly
  • Home
  • Product Recommendations
  • Meet Us
    • Trevor
    • Tracey
    • Patty
    • Lonnie
  • Books
  • Blog
  • 1-Minute Videos
  • About Autism
  • Contact