Autism Parenting Magazine Issue 87 (Member's Dashboard) | Page 16

COMMUNICATION Building Blocks for Communication Lego as a tool is extremely suited to logi- cal thinkers. Those who like structure, pre- dictability, and rules find it a safe medium in which to explore their creativity and construct their thoughts. Lego somehow provides a way in which those who struggle to communicate can. It is not just their ideas they are able to communicate, but also their thoughts, their perceptions, and their processes. Lego blocks can be used in so many ways to help connect with others, and as a means of communica- tion. Think of it as the real-world Instagram—a way to create and present the pictures of your world. The activities I developed use Lego blocks to help promote different types of communication, techni- cal language, social and emotional communication, and social interactive skills. The activities range from individual, stand-alone games to suit those that have little time but plenty of enthusiasm, and also a series of activities for use over longer periods of time, with groups or individuals. Each activity has an aim—a speech, language, or communication “goal”—but the process and the “feel” of the activities are strict- ly informal and fun. Although structure appeals to many young people I see, pressure and the sense of forced collaboration do not. Lego play can be useful both at school and at home. The activities allow for family members to come together to collaborate and create using a tool that is familiar and fun. Here are a few activities to try with your family. These are basic outlines; they are designed to be adapted to suit many people, so feel free to change some of the details. Think of Lego blocks on these occasions as a pro- cessing tool. Some people process thoughts better if they are “doing” whilst talking and building blocks can be a successful tool if used in this way. What to do: • Put a pile of Lego blocks on the table/floor. • Start to build and encourage those with you to build anything they like. • When ready, start a conversation. Stay focused on the Lego and don’t worry about long paus- es or needing to do this a few times before the chat gets going. Lego for playing together Sort It What to do: • Put a pile of Lego blocks on the table/floor. • Explain you are going to sort them. • Encourage discussion around how to sort. Point out there is not a “right” or “wrong” way to sort Lego blocks, and there may be different ideas. Examples may be by color, shape, the number of studs, etc. • Start sorting together, discussing the pieces and which piles/boxes they should go in. • Use visual cards if needed (e.g., color/number cards) to distinguish the different criteria for sorting. Buzz in Game What to do: Lego to help with conversation • Put a pile of Lego blocks on the table/floor. Here is an example of using Lego blocks to improve making those important connections: • Each person decides on a personal “buzz” sound. This can be any noise or sound, or you may decide to have buzzers. “Amy, what I want to talk to you about is going to be hard for me so I’d like to build as we chat. I know it is ap- propriate to try to give eye contact during discussions and I know this will be hard for me. I know it is more appropriate if I am looking at something I am building; you will be less likely to find me rude, so I thought that would be a good strategy.” (15-year-old student) 16 | Autism Parenting Magazine | Issue 87 • Player One describes a piece from the pile. If the other players think they know which piece is being described, they should “buzz” in. The player that guesses correctly gets the next go, and the person describing the piece gets to keep the piece he/she successfully described.