Autistic Children Gain

From Psychologist-Developed Games

By Nancy K. Crevier

Playing games is not always child’s play when a child is autistic, according to Newtown resident and Danbury school psychologist Joan Nash. “Playing games can be very hard for a child with autism. They may not be able to handle losing. It isn’t logical to them that they would want to play a game that they are not going to win. They might not be able to relate to another player, or understand the facial cues the other player is sending out,” she said. Children with autism, which can encompass a number of language problems and social deficits, also find eye-to-eye contact difficult.

Even so, game play is one successful means of teaching autistic children, or those with Asperger’s, a syndrome in which the child may not understand the nuances of language, leading to poor social skills. To that end, Ms Nash, who holds a master’s degree in special education and a specialist degree in school psychology, has developed a number of games over the course of her 23 years as a school psychologist and is now marketing them at childrensucceed.com. “There are games available,” said Ms Nash, “but I often found that they were not quite what I needed. It is often necessary to individualize things for an autistic child. Kids’ needs are all so different.”

The games that Ms Nash has designed are marketed not only for use by teachers, therapists, and other professionals, but by caregivers and parents, as well, and are created with the higher functioning autistic or Asperger’s child in mind.

“Our Danbury schools, and most other area schools, have fabulous programs for the severely autistic child, but I felt we need to do more to help the high level autistic child. The games I am marketing are the ones I have used over the years with the most success and that are most enjoyed by the children I have worked with,” said Ms Nash.

Let’s Talk was the first game she designed and aids in learning reciprocal conversation skills. “The back and forth of conversation is very hard for autistic children to master,” said Ms Nash. This card game, meant to be practiced with an adult or capable older child, consists of question, statement, and subject cards to prompt a more natural flow of conversation. The subject cards feature those subjects that she has found to be particularly attractive to autistic children: dinosaurs, trucks, trains, and animals. “This game works great, even after just a few times of playing,” said Ms Nash.

Let’s Talk Toys can go hand-in-hand with the Let’s Talk game. To assist the child who may not be comfortable with the subject cards by giving the child a tangible object to hold while talking, the bag is filled with small plastic toys, again of interest to the autistic child. Tiny trucks, cars, a magnifying glass, a train whistle, and plastic dinosaurs are among the items used as prompts.

Step Into Conversation is a simple learning tool consisting of a pair of large cards depicting life-sized shoes and conversation prompt cards. “The feet can be placed on the floor pointing toward the person with whom they are to converse, to remind them to face that person, and the cards remind them of the give and take of conversation,” explained Ms Nash.

Identifying facial expressions can help autistic children become more adept socially. The interactive card game About Faces can be used in many different ways to practice facial expressions, or even as a way for less vocal children to express how they feel, said Ms Nash. Another game that strengthens this skill is Emotto, a Bingo-like card game. Instead of numbers on the playing cards, though, there are faces expressing different emotions. A roll of the dice with corresponding faces is used to make the match and Ms Nash has found that the accompanying magnetic wand to clean up the magnetic pieces when the game is finished is very popular with the children. Even when a child makes a diagonal or up and down “win,” however, the game can be continued until everyone has “won,” to avoid the disagreeable win/lose situation that makes many children uncomfortable.

“With all of these games, the ultimate goal is to have kids develop social skills and enjoy their time at school,” said Ms Nash.

Her newest game is a very simple 11-by-17-inch placemat called “Express Yourself,” another easy way for children to learn facial expressions. “When you have something out and available — like a placemat at dinnertime — the children will use them,” Ms Nash said.

Eye-to-eye contact is very important when carrying on a conversation. While precise eye-to-eye contact may not be possible for some autistic children who are overwhelmed by eye movement, humorous eye stickers sold at childrensucceed.com can be worn on the subject’s forehead and help children learn to at least focus in the general area of the eyes when speaking.

So far, most of her customers have been professionals in the area of special education, Ms Nash said, but she is hoping that more caregivers and parents will find the games useful. “I’ve had a lot of positive comments on the eye stickers and the Let’s Talk game. I think it gets at the skills the kids need to develop, but in a way that is not rote. The family can play together and the kids learn,” she said.

“Developing the games is a lot of fun for me, and playing them with my students is fun,” said Ms Nash, and added, “I want kids to feel good and proud of what they have accomplished when they are done playing any of the games.”

To find out more about the games or to order any of them, visit childrensucceed.com.