What are Important Play Skills for Autistic Students who are Transitioning to Mainstream. What are c

When transitioning an autistic student to mainstream, the teacher has to find a balance between teaching academic skills and social skills. The playground can be very challenging for an autistic child and lunch time can be very long without friends or play skills.

Indoor Games

As each child is so different in their skill and needs, take what is relevant from my ideas and adapt them to suit a particular child.

Table Games: UNO, card games like Snap, Old Maid, Draughts, Tic Tac Toe, Snakes and Ladders, Talking Heads, Who Is It?, memory games with cards, group jigsaw puzzles, Ludo, Jenga.

1.Trial some early in the year, and then choose a few to focus on as it will take a while for the students to play with strategy and follow the rules.

2.Schedule sessions to focus on learning to play games, and also focus on turn-taking and sharing, as well a good sportsmanship. Have the visuals ready for turn-taking as the students can get over-excited and forget whose turn it is. Model having fun during the game so the focus is not only on winning. At the end of each session, I used to ask each child if they had fun.

3.If you have problems with winning and losing, social stories are available on the internet. Carol Gray is a good resource and you may have her books in the school, or there are posts which tell you the structure of a good social story.

4.As students become more familiar with a game, you will find that the language will start to flow more naturally. Also, let the group become larger by including other students who may not understand strategy but can still join in, with adult support.

5.Remember to give students opportunities to play at other times e.g. after eating their lunch.