Non-verbal Push Truck

http://www.autismgames.org for more information. This game is intended to help the child with autism shift attention between object and person across space and watch for a non-verbal yes/no.

Category:

Education

Tags:

• speech
• therapy
• autism
• language
• nonverbal
• communication
• pointing
• nodding
• games
• ASD
• pervasive
• developmental
• disorder

[ebony2772]

I like the idea of making the task fun using the truck, but as an aba therapist myself it seems that it will make the child prompt dependent and that they won't ever be able to complete a puzzle or other task independently. For example, before I do anything I need to look and get a nod before I proceed. Maybe I'm missing something??

[tahirihrose]

Think of this game as a way of showing a child a new way of playing that involves social communication--like playing Mother May I. The children that I use this game with are quite good at doing puzzles and not good at shifting attention between people and materials, which makes it hard for them to play with other children. This game is not about puzzles, it is about shifting attention rapidly while playing and reading non-verbal social cues.

[tahirihrose]

This is a good point but here is the thing...a "yes" , verbal or nonverbal, when used to mean "I agree" or "that is right" is hard for kids with autism. They often think, like tbaltare, that if it is correct, it is obvious and nothing more need be said about it--but people agree with the obvious all the time.. By-the-way, when I play this game with kids who have autism, the child plays both roles and the harder one for the child to learn is the role of nodding "yes" as in "that is correct."

[tbaltare]

why does the child need a 'yes' if he already knows where the puzzle peice goes? - you are just teaching the kid prompt dependancy. of cousre it goes in that space.