“A fun way to teach your child new skills and resolve problem behaviors”

Stephanie Carr, Student Clinician

It is easier for your child with autism to imagine doing something if he or she sees how it would be done. With that in mind, you can create paper doll people to represent the members of your family.

Teach New Skills

Using Popsicle People, it is easier to gain and maintain your child’s attention while you model something that you would like him or her to do. For example, if your child enjoys being swung in a blanket, but does not appropriately ask, you can demonstrate the communication skill using the Popsicle People.

You have your child’s doll say “Daddy, I want to swing please”, or perhaps “Swing Please” depending on your child’s language ability.

The Daddy doll says “Yes, Come on!” Then you put your child’s doll in a real blanket that the real Mommy and Daddy swing. You may need to model this several times.

Resolve Problem Behaviors

Many children with autism get fixated on certain things, and have difficulty when situations are different or not as they like.

Let’s say for example that you have a child who loves riding on the train at the local zoo, but will only ride on the green train car and has a meltdown if it is full.

You could take pictures of the different colored train cars and then use the Mommy and child dolls to practice going to the zoo, waiting in line, and riding in the yellow, red, and blue train cars.

With imaginary practice, the real little passenger is able to contemplate riding on all the different cars and will likely have less difficulty in the real situation.

Making the Dolls

It’s best to use real pictures of the members of your family for the faces of the dolls. If you have everyone line up against a solid wall and take full body pictures from the same distance away, then the kids will look smaller than the adults. Then you can make paper clothes and glue everything together on tongue depressors (because they are thicker than popsicle sticks) and either laminate them or cover them with clear contact paper.

Once you’ve made a set for your family, child’s classmates, or whoever else, you can begin teaching endless new concepts!

For more fun activities to do at home with your child, visit http://sites.google.com/site/autismgames/home