Playing, Laughing and Learning with Children on the Autism Spectrum: A Practical Resource of Play Ideas for Parents and Carers (Paperback)

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Key Phrases: autism spectrum, outdoor play, structured play, New York, Valuable Resource, Being Creative (more...)

Editorial Reviews

Review

"'An approachable and practical edition that will be welcomed by parents and carers alike. I know how hard it can be to find "How to" resources for parents. Well here is a gem.' - Children, Young People and Families"

Product Description

Praise for the first edition:

`An approachable and practical edition that will be welcomed by parents and carers alike. I know how hard it can be to find "How to" resources for parents. Well here is a gem.'

- Children, Young People and Families

Parents of young children newly diagnosed as on the autism spectrum are often at a loss for ideas about how best to help their child. Playing, Laughing and Learning with Children on the Autism Spectrum is not just a collection of play ideas; it shows how to break down activities into manageable stages, and looks at ways to gain a child's attention and motivation and to build on small achievements.

Each chapter covers a collection of ideas around a theme, including music, art, physical activities, playing outdoors, puzzles, turn-taking and using existing toys to create play sequences. There are also chapters on introducing reading and making the most of television. This updated second edition contains an extensive chapter on how to use the computer, the internet and the digital camera to find and make resources and activities, and suggests many suitable websites to help parents through the internet maze. The ideas are useful both for toddlers and primary age children who are still struggling with play.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 304 pages
• Publisher: Jessica Kingsley Pub; 2 edition (August 15, 2008)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1843106086
• ISBN-13: 978-1843106081
• Product Dimensions: 9.1 x 6 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (14 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #60,181 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

50 of 51 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Very Helpful, September 20, 2005

By	K. Dockins (Albany, NY United States) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

This review is from: Playing, Laughing and Learning With Children on the Autism Spectrum: A Practical Resource of Play Ideas for Parents and Carers (Paperback)

Anyone with a child on the autism spectrum knows why this book was written! I found it while surfing Amazon and was hoping it would contain the answers I was looking for -- and it really does! The book offers parents very specific suggestions of how to involve and motivate their child in interactive play and it's easy for the parents/caregivers to understand how to adjust for their child's specific spectrum disorder. My son has PDD-NOS and I feel much clearer on how to approach play with him now that I've read the book. The only reason I didn't give this book a 5 star rating is because the book was written in England and therefore contains unavailable resources for people outside the UK and the author occassionally uses different and possibly unfamiliar terminology for non-Brit readers. It's still worth the read!

18 of 18 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Great book for 2 and up, March 9, 2006

By	Dee (Mid-Missouri) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Playing, Laughing and Learning With Children on the Autism Spectrum: A Practical Resource of Play Ideas for Parents and Carers (Paperback)

Our son started showing autistic tendencies at 12 months. He's now 16 months and I've had a hard time coming up with ways to play with him and teach him. I thought this book would help, and it had a few ideas that would work for a younger child, but most of them are for at the very least a 2 year old. It will be a great tool to have in the future, but I was hoping for more workable ideas for a younger child.

15 of 15 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Good resource for parents and professionals, June 26, 2007

By	K. Maxwell (CA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Playing, Laughing and Learning With Children on the Autism Spectrum: A Practical Resource of Play Ideas for Parents and Carers (Paperback)

I am a speech-language pathologist who works with autistic children and the mother of an autistic child. I found this book to have good information. It isn't too clinical, so a parent without specialized training could easily follow the advice offered. Play is so important for children with autism, but it is hard to know what to do when a child isn't interested in interacting with you. This book gives excellent advice on how to get a child to want to play with you.