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.