As a mom with a son on the autism spectrum, I found community outings to be a great way to make positive memories. It takes planning and organization but it can be very positive.
One fun thing our family did was miniature golf. This became a "go to" activity when we wanted a positive play date. What were the reasons that made this successful?
- My son was in a very defined neutral space. He wasn't asked to share his home with a playmate. There was nothing else to do but play miniature golf there.
- We "practiced" going to the miniature golf course as a family, first. This was a time where the other members of the family could assist in teaching him how to play. This included, rules of the games, the social and behavioral expectations, and a chance to practice. If this is too challenging, it may be better to take a child and teach and practice 1:1 before involving the whole family. By the time the play date occurred, he was very comfortable with the activity because he had been there several times and understood what he and his friend would be doing.
- It was a structured activity. This helped my son predict the schedule. He knew we would play one game of golf and then it was time for Dairy Queen. This was not a long play date but this routine helped it to go well.
- Once we had an activity down, we were able to use this structure and introduce another community based activity that could be used to make good memories.
I would love to hear others ways you have found to make summer memories in the community!
Posted with Blogsy