Developmental Stages of Social Play Developmental Stages of Social Play Playing alone (solitary play) This is when children play alone and independently, when they don’t try to get close to other children and don’t pay attention to what others are doing. For children with ASD, you can encourage solitary play skills by starting [...]
We are proud to announce that Expertise.com awarded First Leap "Best Speech Therapists in Austin" for 2016! Expertise analyzed 203 speech therapists in Austin based on: 1. Reputation: A history of delighted customers and outstanding service. 2. Credibility: Building customer confidence with licensing, accreditations, and awards. 3. Experience: Masters of their craft, based on years of practical [...]
4 Occupational Therapy Activities for Kids With Autism Gross motor: Crab Walk. Crab walking challenges one’s agility and balance. It also is a great way to strengthen all muscles in particular the core. In addition this is a great physical activity to work on motor planning. Start out with holding a bridge position and go [...]
Happy 4th of July from First Leap - Enjoy These 4th of July Autism Tips & Crafts! Have a spectacular 4th of July! Read these 4th of July autism tips and learn how to make this loud and bright holiday a easy going one for your loved ones. 4th of July Autism Tips 4th of July Autism Tip # 1: Don't declare [...]
Happy Father's Day from First Leap - Enjoy These Father's Day Autism Tips & Games! First Leap sends their best wishes this Father's Day! Here's some Father's Day autism tips to make this day easier and more fun for HIM and your little one. Father's Day Autism Tips Father's Day Autism Tip # 1: Throw the old pig skin around for [...]
Play & Social Skills Tips for Babies, Toddlers, & Preschoolers There are different levels of play : Solitary Play. Play, without regard to the involvement of other children in the room or playground. A child may build a tower with blocks, yet be oblivious to other nearby children. · Character Play. As the child plays, they observe other children in [...]
Important Areas and Strategies for Instilling Play & Social Skills When considering play and social skills for autistic children, there are a few different areas to think about. Here are some important points to address: Take into account that unstructured play times can be the most difficult times for autistic children so adding some type of structural guidelines to [...]
Autism Speaks' 8k and 1k Fun Run First Leap was proud to sponsor the 1k Fun Run and Kid Zone this year at the Autism Speaks' 8k and 1k Fun Run! There were shoe buddies, balloon tennis, face painting, fishing for prizes, and even a bounce house for all the kids to enjoy after the 1k Fun Run! Our [...]
Positive Reinforcement Ideas at Therapy & Home Speech therapy can be challenging for a host of reasons. It often occurs in small spaces, at a tabletop, and a variety of demands are placed on the child. While the goal of therapy is to work towards achieving goals, it’s also to keep kids motivated. Like most things in life, [...]
3 Examples of Reinforcement Systems for Children With Autism Reinforcement systems are well-established learning philosophies and have been shown to be effective for children with autism in expanding a variety of skills that uphold over time and show generalization effects over a range of conditions. Here are three examples: In a token economy, a person is taught that an [...]
