Toy Overload

I entered Wal-Mart when they opened at 7am this morning. I departed with everything on my list as well as a bunch of unlisted toys for my 4-year-old autistic granddaughter who stays with JC and me a few days and nights each week.

The toys had deep closeout prices such as 25 cents for a 5-dollar item. I bought a bagful. Angelina will love them.

Or not.

Some of us autism grandparents are guilty of “toy overload,” and I may well be the champion. Research has proven over and over again that children (and everyone for that matter) are far more creative and interested and engaged when confronted with one or two items (toys, books, games, etc.) than when confronted with several, or as at our house, a zillion.

At our house Angelina can choose from stacks and stacks and piles and piles of all sorts of books: talking books, feely books, giant books, tiny books. And piles and bins and boxes of all sorts of things that can be categorized as toys.

After today’s Wal-Mart spree I did some Internet research regarding my proclivity towards toy overload. I found a lot, the bottom line of which is of course Angelina’s progress can be enhanced by exposing her only a few things at a time – rather than to a toy jambalaya.

I spent the afternoon removing toys and books from Angelina’s play areas. And from now on I will try to do the following things:

1. Make available only 3 toys for Angelina. (A sketchbook and crayons count as 1. The Peppa Pig house and figures count as 1. And so forth.)

2. Rotate toys between Angelina’s visits. (I figure our stockpile may last a year.)

3. Help Angelina make toy-play a toy-learning experience. (“Peppa says she wants to invite 5 friends to her party. Can you select 5?”)

4. Allow Angelina to conduct solo play without my involvement, but observe carefully for clues regarding opportunities to later help her developmental progress. (Like counting to 5.)

5. Resist buying new toys, even if they’re marked down to a dime.

Long ago when my children were children I learned something that most parents know: a big cardboard box can entertain and stimulate creativity for hours and days and months. Angelina still loves the big cardboard box that we got for her a long time ago. I’m going to give her more opportunity to be creative with it.

I also learned something else with my children – something for which Angelina is not yet a candidate. A broken gizmo from a thrift store (old radio or appliance or computer), along with a couple of screwdrivers and wrenches, can be engaging, enjoyable, and educational. (But be sure to remove any dangerous stuff such as capacitors that may still hold a charge.)

One of the deep-discount toys I bought this morning is a Paw Patrol Might Pups Action Pack Gift Set. It’s one of the 3 toys that now await Angelina’s next visit.

Summer Water Safety for Your Grandchild

The summer is heating up so it’s a good time to remember the importance of water safety. Your grandchild may love pools, beaches, or lakes! Sadly, water is also extremely dangerous. Of course we all know this, but children with autism are more likely than other children to drown? The number of reports of a child with autism who wandered from his home and was later found drowned in the neighborhood pond warrants special attention. This is a year-round concern but since summer is often a time in which we collectively seek out opportunities to enjoy the water, it makes a good time to consider this important issue. Every child with autism is certainly different, but the fact that the cases of drowning among children with autism is higher than normal means we need to pay extra attention to this. Here are some key facts and recommendations:

Quick facts:

• During January, 2000 through May, 2017, US newspapers reported 23 fatal drowning incidents involving 18 boys and 5 girls with ASD.
  

• The age of those victims ranged from 3 to 14 years (mean = 7.7 ± 2.9 years).
  

• The drowning incidents reported occurred in ponds (52.2%), rivers (13.0%), and lakes (13.0%).
  

• In those reports, wandering was the most commonly reported activity that led to drowning, accounting for 73.9% of the incidents.

Source: Guan, J. & Li, G. (2017). Characteristics of unintentional drowning deaths in children with autism spectrum disorder. Injury Epidemiology, 4 (32).

What can we do to help?

Increased Awareness and Monitoring:

Monitoring our grandchildren is the best step in preventing drowning. Monitoring can be enhanced by installing door chimes that signal when a door or window is opened, including fence gates and patio doors. These chimes signal to us when someone is entering or leaving an area. It only takes a few seconds for a child to wander away so something as simple as stepping out of the room to grab something might be enough of an opportunity for a child to wander outside the home. We want to give children space and freedom, yet we need to be mindful that wandering is a serious issue. Using simple technology solutions such as these can go a long way in helping us in our monitoring efforts. The following guide from the Autism Society provides more information about home safety: https://www.autism-society.org/living-with-autism/how-the-autism-society-can-help/safe-and-sound/safety-in-the-home/

Swim lessons:

Another great step in prevention is teaching a child how to swim. Many children love water but without formal instruction on how to be in water safely, it can pose a risk. Swim lessons can be provided year-round in indoor pools and many centers now offer specialized swimming classes for children with ASD. The National Autism Association offers a list of specialized programs on their website: https://nationalautismassociation.org/resources/autism-safety-facts/swimming-instructions/

Safety instruction:

In general, our grandchildren need to be taught about safety. Using social stories, video modeling, and direct instruction, we can teach and reinforce safety skills. Your grandchild’s teacher or school may be able to provide or guide you to appropriate instruction. The Autism Community in Action provides a list of educational resources on their website: https://tacanow.org/family-resources/water-safety/

Project Lifesaver:

When wandering is of serious concern, there is technology children can wear at all times to locate them. These are often no to low cost and can be fitted by your county or local law enforcement agency. For information on Project Lifesaver or to find resources on this near you, visit: https://projectlifesaver.org/

Autism Grandparents Speak on Video

If you are like me, you’d love to see and hear other autism grandparents talk about their own experiences. There is a website that offers a bit of this: https://healthtalk.org/having-grandchild-autism-spectrum This is from research by the Health Experiences Research Group in the Nuffield Department of Primary Care Health Sciences at the University of Oxford.

The autism grandparents speak briefly, only a minute or two, but their comments are heartfelt and endearing. For example, Bryan says that he is becoming less hopeful for a “magic bullet” and more able to accept his grandchild’s autism. Jan laments that she can’t manage hosting her grandchild for gatherings at her home – such as Christmas dinner. Brenda expresses her concern about her daughter’s mental and emotional state, particularly since it involves caring for her autistic grandchild. Janet smiles at her autistic granddaughter’s resistance to hugs – even when being hurt from a fall – and her acceptance of the substitution of a “high five.”

I wish there were a whole library of such videos.