TEACHING ACTIVITIES FOR AUTISTIC CHILDREN

1. Stringing Beads-I
Eye-Hand integration, control, 2-3 years
Fine Motor, two-hand coordination, 2-3 years
Goal :To improve eye-hand integration and cooperative use of hand.
Objective :To slide to beads onto a tinkertoy stick while holding the stick
with one hand
Materials :Tinkertoys , beads
Procedure :Make a spindle by attaching a tinkertoy stick to a wheel so that the
wheel lies flat on the table with the stick pointing straight up in the
air. Give ruth a bead (make sure that the bead fits on the stick) and
guide her hand to slide it onto the stick. Take a second bead and
hold it so she can clearly see the hole. Then give her the bead and
say “ put it on”. As you point to the stick. Help her only as much
necessary. When two beads on without your assistance. When a
second spindle. This time try to get her to place both beads on
without your assistance. When she can easily place the beads on the
stick when the wheel is sitting flat on the table, help her to hold the
spindle in one hand while guiding the bead onto the stick with the
other. At first you will have to guid both her hand, but as she learns
to hold the spindle off the table you can reduce your assistance.
Repeat the activity until she can pick up the spindle and place two
beads on it by herself.

2. Stringing Beads-II
Eye Hand integration, control, 2-3 years
Fine Motor, two-hand coordination, 2-3 years
Goal :To improve eye-hand integration and cooperative use of hand.
Objective :To string two beads on pipe cleaner without assistance.
Materials :Pipe cleaners , beads
 Procedure :Once ruth can string to beads on a solid object like a tinkertoy
spindle (see activity 129), switch to slightly more flexible but still
rigid object such as a pipe cleaner. Demonstrate for her how to hold
the pipe cleaner in one hand use the other hand to pick up the beads
and slide them onto the pipe cleaner. Then give ruth a pipe cleaner
and help her to grasp it firmly with one hand. Help her to push the
beads onto the pipe cleaner. When she has palced both beads
property, set the materials aside and reward her,. Reduce your
assistance as she learns what is expected of her.

3. Stringing Beads-III
Eye-Hand integration, control, 2-3 years
Fine Motor, two-hand coordination, 2-3 years
Goal :To improve eye-hand integration and cooperative use of hand.
Objective :To string five beads on on a knotted shoelace without assistance.
Materials :Shoelace (or any long thin piece of string or leather), beads
Procedure :Once Ruth can string to beads on a pipe cleaner without assistance
(see activity 130), switch to a flexible item like a shoelace. Tie a
knot in one end of the shoelace so that the beads will not slide off
the other end when they are strung. Demonstrate first how to slide a
beads onto shoelace. Make sure ruth is watching while you
demonstrate. Then guide her to hold the shoelace in one hand and a
bead in the other. Help her to place the tip of the lace through the
hole in the bead and then move her hands to grasp the tip as it come
trough the hole and slide down to the knot. Repeat the activity until
five beads are on the shoelace. At first you will have to continue to
guide her through the activity. Remember that she has to learn what
each hand should do individually bebefore she can learn to use
them cooperatively. Repeat the activity until she can string five
beads without assistance.
4. Clothespins
Eye-Hand integration, control, 2-3 years
Fine Motor, manipulation, 2-3 years
Five Performance, Matching, 3-4 years
Goal :To improve direction of an object to a target, matching skills, and
hand strength.
Objective :To attach six clothespins to designated spots on a can
Materials :Six plastic clothespins (different colors if possible), can.
Procedure :Ken can attach clothespins to a box witout assistance (see activity
111), begin teaching him to put the pins on specific spots on the
outside of a can. Draw six stars around the outside, close enough
to the top so that he can put the clothespins directly on the stars
(see figure 5.5). if you are also using the activity as a colour
matching task, have the stars correspond to the colors of the
clothespins. Give ken a clothespin, point to one of the stars, and say
“put it on”, if he tries to put the pin elsewhere on the can, point to
the star again and repeat the words, “put it on”. If he still seems
confused, guide his hand to the star. When he can attach all six
clothespis on the stars without assistance, occasionally say “put it
on”, but do not provide the gestural clue. See if he can search for an
empty star and attach the clothespin to it.

Figure 5.5. Clothespins placed on can

5. Pre-Drawing Work: Finger Tracing
Eye-Hand integration, drawing, 2-3 years
Fine Motor, manipulation, 2-3 years
Goal :To improve hand control and develop preliminary drawing skills.
Objective :To trace three lines in a plate of cornmeal or flour with only one
finger.
Materials :Pie plate or cookie sheet, sugar (or other from of granular material
such as fluor or cornmeal).
Procedure :Sprinkle the sugar or the plate to a thickness of about inch. Take
debbies index finger and show her how to make a few straight
lines. Reduce your control of her finger as she begins to make
marks by herself. When she catches on to the activity, take turns
making marks and try to get her to imitate your marks in patterns of
horizontal and vertical lines.

6. Tingkertoys
Eye-Hand integration, control, 3-4 years
Fine Motor, manipulation, 3-4 years
Goal :To improve eye hand integration and to learn appropriate use of
play materials.
Objective :To make a simple construction out of three tingkertoys
Materials :Tingkertoys
Procedure :Make sure mark is watching you and make a simple construction
out of three tingkertoy pieces. Set your model aside and place three
similar pieces in front of mark. Help him to copy your model by
lightly controlling his hands. Praise him and place his construction
alongside your model. Place another three pieces in front of him and
help him to put the first two pieces together. Gesture for him to put
the third pieces on by himself. Help him only if the seems confused.
When he can add the third pieces without your assistance, have him
put all three pieces together himself. Finally, as he becomes skilled
 at the task, gradually increase the number of pieces (see figure 5.6).
Remember that to many pieces in front of him before he is ready
will cause him to become disorganized.

Figure 5.6. simle tingkertoy contructions.

7. Molding Play-Doh-I
Eye-Hand integration, control, 3-4 years
Fine Motor, two–hand coordination,, 3-4 years
Perception, visual, 3-4 years
Motor, 3-4 years
Goal :To improve eye hand integration and develop the ability to copy
objects.
Objective :To copy three common objects using play-Doh
Materials :Play-Doh, three common objects with simple shape (for example,
ball, bowl, and block)
Procedure :Sit with Brian at the table. Place the three objects to be copied to
one side of the table and six large pieces of Play-Doh on the other
side. Place one of the object and two pieces of Play-Doh in front of
brian. Name the object to be copied and make sure that he looks at
it. If you are copying the bowl, say “ look, brian, bowl”. When you
have his attention, make a bowl out of one of the pieces of Play-
Doh. Put your bowl next to the original. Then point to the second
pieces of Play-Doh and say “Brian, make bowl”.If he makes no
move to mold the clay, take his hands and get him started. If he
does not seem to understand that he is to make a bowl, continue to
help him shape the clay into the proper shape. When the second
 bowl is finished, put it next to the model and the first clay bowl and
say “bowl”. Reward him immediately and repeat the procedure
with the other objects.

8. Molding Play-Doh-II
Eye-Hand integration control, 3-4 years
Fine Motor, two hand coordination, 3-4 years
Perception Visual, 3-4 years
Motor, 3-4 years
Goal :To improve eye hand integration, learn appropriate use of play
materials, and develop the ability to reproduce copies of two-
dimensional representations.
Objective :To mold plai-doh into simple shapes represented by picture.
Materials :Play-Doh, pictures of three common objects brian is familiar with
the pictures may be clearly, hand drawn or cut out of magazines
and, if possible, should represent the same object used in molding
Play-Doh-I (see activity 135)
Procedure :When Brian can consistenly mold Play-Doh into copies of objects
when the actual objects are present, use pictures of the same object
to teach him to reproduce two dimensional representation. Place two
pieces of Play-Doh and a picture in front of Brian. Name the object
in the picture just as you named it when using the object it self.
Make sure he is looking at the picture. Say “look, brian, bowl” and
direct his attention to the picture. Than take a piece of Play-Doh and
make a bowl out of it. Point to the second place of Play-Doh and say
“brian, make bowl”, if he seems confused, take his hands and get
him started. Put the second bowl next to the finished bowl and the
picture. Point to the entire group and say “bowl”. Reward him
immediately and repeat the procedure with the other two pictures.

9. Parts of A Whole
Eye-Hand integration control, 3-4 years
Fine Motor, manipulation, 3-4 years
Perception, Visual, 3-4 years
Goal :To recocnize the relationship of part to a whole and assemble part
correctly to form the whole object.
Objective :To assemble the part of a two-piece picture without assistance.
Materials :Colored paper, white paper, crayons, scissors, paste.
Procedure :Cut pairs of simple shapes from colored paper which, when put
together, form on object that eddie recognizes easily (see figure
5.7A). Draw a solid line down the middle of a large sheet of plain
white paper. On one side of the line assemble a model of the object
from the pieces and paste it into the paper (see figure 5.7 B). Give
Eddie the two parts of the picture and the show him how to
assemble them on the blank side of the paper to correspond to the
model. Make sure he is watching as you put the pieces together.
Name the object and than take the two pieces apart again. Have
him then assemble the same two part. If he seems confused, help
him to rotate the part until they fit together properly.
Then paste the pieces on the paper. Hang the picture in his room to
show him that you are proud of his achievements. As the task
become easy for him, expand the pictures to three or four parts.
 Figure 5.7 suggested picture to cut and reassemble.

10. Tongs
Eye-Hand integration control, 3-4 years
Fine Motor, manipulation, 3-4 years
Perception, Visual, 1-2 years
Goal :To improve eye hand integration, fine motor control, and the
ability to move objects to targets.
Objective :To pick up six small items with tongs and put them in the cups of
an egg carton..
Materials :Small flexible tong, eeg carton, small object (such as spools,
blocks, beads, etc)
Procedure :Scatter two or three small objects on the table in front of Andy.
Place the bottom half of in egg carton on the table (see figure 5.8).
Say “look, andy” and show him how to open and close the tongs.
When you are sure he is watching you, use the tongs to pick up one
of the objects and move it to an empty cup in the egg carton.
Release the object into the cup by opening the tongs. Then give
andy the tongs and help him to position his hand properly. Place
 your hand over his to guid him. With your other hand, point to one
of the object on the table and say “put it on”. Help him to control
the tong to pick up the object and release it into an egg cup. In the
early stages of the activity you will also have to the point to an
empty egg cup so he knows where to put the object. At first he will
probably only be able to pick up one or two pnects. Scatter only as
many objects as you think he can pick up. Andy must know how
many times he must perform in in order not to become frustrated.
Relax your control of his hand as you feel him beginning to control
the tongs by himself. Also, as he becomes more used to the task,
say “put it in” but do not point to a specific egg cup. See if he can
locate an empty cup and release the object on target without your
guidance.

Figure 5.8. Block and beads placed in half of an egg carton.

11. Drawing: Horizontal Lines

Eye-Hand integration, drawing, 3-4 years
Fine Motor, manipulation, 3-4 years
Goal :To improve hand control and develop drawing skills.
Objective :To draw three horizontal lines by connecting sets of dots.
Materials :Paper, crayons, magic marker.
Procedure :Using the magic marker, prepare a number of worksheets by
drawing five or six sets of large dots approximately 1 inch apart
(see figure 5.9). Take Marthin’s hand and give him crayon. Help
him to place the crayon on the dot on the left. Say “over” and guide
his hand to move the crayon over to the right dot. Repeat the
activity many times. Reduce your control of his hand as you feel
 him beginning to move the crayon on his own. Reward him for
each completed worksheet. When he can draw a reasonably straight
line between two dots an inch apart, gradually increase the distance
between the dots an inch apart, gradually increase the distance
between the dits and make them slightly lighter each time.

Figure 5.9. dot-to-dot worksheets

12. Drawing: Circles
Eye-Hand integration, drawing, 3-4 years
Fine Motor, manipulation, 3-4 years
Goal :To develop basic drawing skills..
Objective :To connect a series of dots to form a circle completing a simple
picture..
Materials :Paper, crayons, magic marker.
Procedure :Draw a number of simple picture, one per page, in wich a circle
form an important part of the drawing. Use the magic marker to
draw the pictures, but draw the circle only as a series of clearly
visible pencil dots (see figure 5.10). Give leslie a crayon and one of
the worksheets. Name the object and show her what is missing.
Guide her hand to draw a circle connecting the dots dots and to
complete the drawing. Reduce your control of her hand as she
learns what is expected of her. As her skill increases, use fewer
dots per circle and make dot lighter. Eventually use drawing of an
object used many times in worksheet, but do not draw a dot outline
 of the circle. See if she can see where the circle belongs and
complete the picture without assistance.

Figure 5.10. Dot-do-dot picture completion task

13. Cutting with Scissors

Eye-Hand integration, control, 4-5 years
Fine Motor, manipulation, 4-5 years
Fine motor, two-hand coordination, 4-5 years
Goal :To develop basic control of scissors and eye hand integration
Objective :To cut strip of paper on clearly marked line
Materials :Paper, scissors, magic marker.
Procedure :Cut piece of plain white paper into strips approximately 1 inch
wide. Using the magic marker, draw heavy black lines across the
strips at 2-inch intervals. Give andy one of the strips and the
scissors and help him to potition his hand properly to hold both the
scissors and the paper. Point one to of the lines on the paper and
say “cut” if he seems confused or if the tries to cut somewhere
other than on the line, guide his hands so that the cut is
approximately on the line. Reward him immediately. Repeat the
activity many times until he can cut on the lines without your
assistance. When he has become accustomed to cutting on the lines
after you poit to them, try just giving the verbal cue “cut”. Without
pointing. See if he finds a line by himself and cuts on it properly.

14. Cutting Out Picture

Eye-Hand integration, control, 4-5 years
Fine Motor, two-hand coordination, 4-5 years
Goal :To develop cut accurately using children’s scissors.
Objective :To cut out simple picture without assistance
Materials :Coloring book, scissors, crayons.
Procedure :When Barbara has learned how to cut on a line (see activity 141),
teach her to cut out pictures. Simple coloring books with the
pictures outlined in bold back lines are excellent for this exercise
because the allow Barbara a wide margin for error. At first try to
use pictures with only straight lines, but as she becomes more adept
at coordinating her hands, move on to pictures with simple curves.
Tear one sheet out of the coloring book and have her color it in
whatever manner she can. The color will help her to differentiate
areas of the picture. Trim the picture first so she can easly reach the
lines with the scissors. Give her the scissors, make sure she is
holding them properly, and point to the line on which she should
cut. Say “cut, barbara”. When she comes to an angel in the line,
help her to turn the scissors and paper to cut in the new direction.
When she finishes cutting out the picture, reward her immediately
and staple or paste the picture in a book to show Barbara that you
are proud of her achievement.