Carmen Knight, MAT, Early Childhood & Special Education

Autism Spectrum Disorder is a developmental disorder that causes difficulty with social interaction, communication, and frequently involves repetitive behaviors. Temple Grandin, a female leader in the Cattle Industry that was diagnosed with autism in the early 1950s, famously said, "Different, not less!" She persevered and has since received her Ph.D. in Animal Science. As we enter the month of April and Autism Acceptance Month, it is so important that the public understand that people with autism may be different, but they are certainly not less. The more you get to know people on the spectrum the more you realize that their futures are limitless.

The latest statistics show that 1 in every 59 births results in a diagnosis of autism, with boys being 4 times more likely to be affected. Early Interventionists and Therapists are doing everything we can to be aware of how to love, learn, and support this growing segment of amazing children. The largest deficit with children on the Autism Spectrum is socialization and communication so participating in interactive play is very important for their development. Bonding with your patient will allow them to become comfortable and hopefully encourage more creativity and communication during play.

SmileMakers has a variety of affordable interactive play activities that assist with communication and interaction for those with ASD. SmileMakers has a great interactive sticker play scene, Race Track Sticker Play Scenes, that will allow the child to use expressive language by making the sound of cars racing and receptive language by turn-taking and following directions. Interaction with their peers, Early Interventionist, or Therapist comes easy as they compete to see who wins the race! These play scenes come in a pack of 50 so each of your patients can have multiple ones to create a new scene each time.

SmileMakers also offers a variety of bubbles that can be used for interactive play. They are simple and fun! Take out a tube of bubbles and work on turn-taking, counting, and conversational skills. The children love the process of blowing and creating bubbles and they are learning such valuable skills. You cannot develop good social skills without the ability to share and take turns. 

During the month of April, take some time to learn more about the amazing people that are on the Autism Spectrum. You will learn how these incredible people can do fantastic things!