Parents of children with PDDs or autism...personal experience?

Question

Parents of kids with Autism and other PDDs...personal experience?
Hi,I am looking for some opinions of parents with kids that have PDDs.Based on personal experience what do you find are the best activities and/or toys for an autistic child aged 2 1/2 years old?
He is already in early intervention services and I know that every child is different but I am not looking for professional opinions,just a few things parents have done with their children that they have found to be successful for them.Thanks in advance!

I have posted this question in a couple of catergories only because I am not sure which one would be most appropriate.

Ummm,robert,thanks for trying to be amusing and insulting,but I saw Rain Man too,wasn't really that funny.I hope some day you actually get the attention you obviously didn't get as a child.Now please go elsewhere to get reactions from people with your childish personality.

Thanks to everyone for taking the time to answer my question.Every bit of information helps and it is comforting to know that you are not alone in dealing with tough situations like this.

Answer 1

hi, I'm an older sister of my 15 year old autistic brother. my brother was diagnosed with autism when he was around 2 years old. for being autistic my brother is very smart and full of laughter and excitement. he is in a state school where we live, which has other kids that have autism, and they have been learning how to cook, clean, and etc... for the activities they usually are outside being taught out to rake leaves, mow the lawn, and etc.... the state school is actually been a really good experience for him. i forgot to mention my brother is a sophomore in school, which i cant wait to see him graduate. (smiles) some people think that autistic children are not capable of doing things like normal kids can, but that is totally wrong, they can do things just as well and good as anyone can and i am very proud of my brother for the accomplishments he has made in the past few years.

Answer 2

I don't have an autistic child, but i have 2 friends with autistic children, also my neighbor's son is autistic. My neighbors son, 3, and my friends daughter, 9, both love cars, trains, trucks, buses, etc. Anything with wheels. The other child, 5, loves to fast foward and rewind video tapes. He can do this all day if you would let him. I think it all depends on the child. You should take him to a store 1st thing in the morning so not too many people are around and let him explore the toys and find which one he likes.

Answer 3

Hello. While I can't answer your question myself (b/c I don't have personal experience) I know a few people who can. My daughter has Cerebral Palsy and I belong to an online support group for parents of children with special needs/disabilities. There are quite a few members there with children who have Autism or PDD. I know they'd be happy to help you out in any way they can.

www.specialparent.org

I think it might be helpful if you listed some of your son's abilities, so that others could give more meaningful suggestions. I wish I could help you in some other way. I hope you find some good ideas. GOOD LUCK to you and your son.

Answer 4

Hi there! I have a 2.5 year old with autism. This is going to sound like a stupid answer, but it really works for is. We saw that Zach was really drawn to letters and numbers, so we focused his learning around that. For instance if we wanted to teach him what an apple was we would have him count them. What is your son's "thing?" Trains? Videos? Books? Use it to teach him a variety of things through play.

I would also recommend two fabulous books:
1. How do I teach this Kid?
2. Relationship Development Intervention with Young Children with Autism

Both give step by step instructions on activities to build social, problem solving, motor skills, rtc...

Good luck and feel free to email me with any other questions

Answer 5

Hi there,
I'm a mom of two, one boy (4) with ASD and one girl (2 1/2) typical. I've found that Discovery toys do rather well - you can google it online, and puzzles in general are fun for my son. One of the best things I ever bought for him was a bouncy horse that he can ride, and has a sturdy frame, that way he can get physical activity if he needs it. It can take the place or running around the house, and sometimes he watches TV sitting on it.
Also, his little sister gets use out of it...
Hope some of this helps.
L.

Answer 6

I have a daughter in early intervention, I do not know if she is autistic or have any other ADD, she is being evaluated, she is not talking yet only few single words like go,bye, hi, two. She does a lot sound after I bought a DVD from Leap Frog, " the Alphabet Factory", she loves to watch before bed time. She is good with puzzle, she knows where every letter of the alphabet goes, I would like to know how your son is doing with his therapies. I bought a train toy after seen her therapist playing with my daughter when her therapist was saying set ready go, she imitated the last word go, since the day when she plays I am hearing go go go. She likes to play with sand, we create sand castle, she likes to play alone most of time. If you want to email me feel free, maybe with can share some information. [e-mail]

Answer 7

Hi. I have a 6 year old boy, mild autism. I strongly suggest the Thomas the Tank Engine toys. For some reason, autistic children "relate" to Thomas. Books, train tracks, DVD's, backpacks....there's all kinds of Thomas out there. It helped my boy.

Answer 8

My nephew has PDD with mild symptoms of autism. His favorite toys are cars, any kind and any size. We could never figure out why but he was and still is fascinated by cars. He'll play with them for hours. As for activities, he enjoys the park but because he responds differently to over stimulation than other children it is important to recognize his cues that his surroundings are becoming too much for him to handle. On many occasions my sister has had to just pick up and leave because her son was overwhelmed.

Best wishes to you and your son.