We are often lucky enough to work with some amazing autistic people. Their unique strengths and interests provide us with both challenges and rewards. The challenges make us think outside the box and work harder. The rewards make us sing and dance and cheer!
One thing we know for sure is that we should recognize their strengths and interests… this is how we can hook them in, engage and interact with them. When we do that, amazing opportunities to build language and meaningful communication can occur.
Check out my video below for some quick tips to get started.
Strategies for engaging autistic students
- 12 minute read
Engaging autistic students is all about recognizing their strengths and interests. Amanda provides 14 creative activity ideas to build language and meaningful communication.
Balance the amount of effort required
Sometimes engagement happens when we get the balance right; when the amount of effort required to communicate is in check with the payoff and reward. No one wants to do something that is too hard or too effortful, especially if there is no reward. The opposite is true too. If something is too easy then one can get easily bored and switch off — engagement lost! So check your planned activity. Have you got the right balance so that the student has the best chance for success and engagement? Do you need to increase or decrease the task requirements?
Create real reasons to communicate
My main goal when I am engaging with autistic students is not to make them look at me, nor make them follow a set of instructions or “test” what they know. Instead, I am looking to create REAL reasons to communicate. I am looking for opportunities to show them how to use words on their AAC system (aka modeling) or use their voice to communicate something interesting and fun.
So today I am sharing a collection of my favorite tricks and activities to hook your students in! I will also list some example core words for each activity, just to give you a few ideas and starting points for modeling words on an AAC system.
Embrace mistakes
Some of my best ideas come from activities that went wrong. And some came from a clever and innovative student who decided to do things in a new way. Embrace the mistakes and the changes to your plan. Follow the lead of the person — their way might be WAY more fun anyway!
Steal these ideas
| Dressing up and selfies | ||
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All you need is silly hats, feather boas, crazy glasses and mustaches to try on! Sit in front of a mirror and take selfie photos as you go. |
Core Words
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Dressing up and selfies – the “high tech way” |
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These apps are sort of the “high tech way” to dress up and take selfies - especially for individuals that might struggle with the sensory overload of actually putting on silly hats and crazy glasses. |
Core Words The same core words can be used as above.
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| Puppet Pals concerts | ||
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Use the incredibly fun iPad App Puppet Pals to create concerts. Students can engage by making fun choices from their high interest fringe vocabulary, eg. WHO will sing in the concert? WHERE will the concert happen? WHAT song will they sing? |
Core Words
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| Toca Boca Kitchen Monsters | ||
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While all Toca Boca Apps are kinda fun and engaging, Toca Kitchen Monsters is always a favorite. Make food and feed it to the funny monsters! |
Core Words
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| YouTube screenshots | ||
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Do you have a person with a special interest in something? Why not use that to engage them? Search YouTube for their favorite thing. Watch a small section of it, pausing regularly and taking screenshots. Use these photos to talk about what you can see. You can even make a book of all the photos in Pictello. |
Core Words
Other core words could be modeled depending on the photos taken. |
| Hide & Seek your favorite things | ||
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This one is for the student who visits with a favorite thing in their hand. Rather than taking the thing from their hand, play a game of hide and seek with it. You can even take some fun photos, which you can use to make a Pictello story with! |
Core Words
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| Emoji balls | ||
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Draw emoji faces on ping pong balls and throw or catapult them around the room! |
Core Words
There may also be a chance to model and discuss feeling words on the AAC system. |
| Puppets | ||
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Use puppets for some fun activities. Puppets can do actions like: hug, jump, kiss, bite, tickle. Puppets can also EAT (plastic food is best!) |
Core Words
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Watch this video of me playing with puppets to see how I used AAC!
| Music | ||
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Make music, listen to music and dance to music! Students can make choices from high interest fringe words about songs, artists and instruments they want. |
Core Words
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| Photos and videos | ||
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Individuals are often intrigued by photos and videos of themselves or other close people. Look at photos and videos together and see what language you can model. You can use high interest photos and videos to create stories in Pictello too! |
Core Words
Other core words can be modeled depending on the photos and videos you look at, eg. photo at the park; go to park; go on swing; see bird; etc. |
| Toys and games | ||
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There is always a long list of fun toys and games that can used for many individuals. Each time you play, you may find new ways to play and new words to model. Here are some ideas:
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Core Words
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| Books | ||
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Often you don’t need to read the words, but instead can tell the story from the pictures. My latest favorite book is You Can’t Take an Elephant on the Bus. |
Core Words
Again, other core words could be modeled depending on the topic of the book. For example, in You Can’t Take an Elephant on the Bus, not on; get off; too big; too tall; in there; can it? where is it? etc. |
I read this book during a recent Facebook Live. Check out how I used AAC.
For even more ideas, watch a playlist full of videos - loads of great ideas and you will see AAC in action in all of them!
Final tips
Remember to show respect for the age of your students with autism. Always choose activities, games and books that are in-line with what other people their age would do and enjoy.
Keep a list of things that are liked or not liked. Keep a box of motivating bits and pieces ready to go at any time. Try new things all the time. Hunt out cheap toys and games wherever you go. And whatever you do, hook them in, have fun and make real opportunities to communicate!
Note: A lot of you expressed interest on the core word posters shown in this blog. We’re thrilled to announce that our core word posters are for sale on our Zazzle store! These displays are available in English (US/UK and AU), Spanish, French and Dutch.
