By: Christine M.
Riley, Education Advocate
Do you feel
ostracized, embarrassed, frustrated or exhausted at the thought of trying
community activities with your autistic or ADHD child? Museums, camps, soccer
leagues and more can seem beyond the reach of your child’s social or behavioral
comfort zone.
Don’t give up, says Falmouth resident Lisa Jo Rudy. As the About.com national
autism columnist beginning in 2006, and parent of a son on the autism
spectrum, Rudy offers down-to-earth suggestions for dozens of summer activities
in her book, GetOut, Explore and Have Fun: How families of children with autism or Aspergersyndrome can get the most out of community activities.
Published by Jessica Kingsley Publishers in 2010, the book offers
much more than a typical list of ideas you may have already tried. What makes it different is Rudy’s invigorating
attitude, personal and professional experience, and “out of box” approach to
finding fun activities.
“We simply decided not to allow autism to get in the way of
getting out, exploring and having fun with our children,” Rudy explains in the
book’s preface. She believes extraordinary results can be found by encouraging children with autism to “explore
the world outside school and therapy.”
“Whether your child is verbal or non-verbal, and regardless
of what his passion is—there are people out there who share that interest and
with whom he may interact, become engaged,” she said.
Rudy’s son Tom, now in his teens, was diagnosed at age three
with PDD-NOS--pervasive developmental disorder, not otherwise specified. He was
invited to withdraw from two pre-schools, tried special autism classrooms in
public schools and was finally homeschooled, beginning at age 10.
Despite “serious problems with social communication,” the
author noted that Tom’s activities have brought many accomplishments: bowling
trophies, clarinet performances on stage and award-winning artwork at the county fair. Rudy and her family helped Tom find and expand these passions by
trying outside the box interests and approaching social settings mindfully.
Planning and preparation constitute the book’s first three
chapters. Rudy discusses why getting out in the community is important, dispels
myths, and responds to common reasons for keeping autistic children from community
activities. From fear of embarrassment
to concerns about rejection, Rudy addresses these and more in a
non-condescending manner, insisting that “getting out and exploring may be
easier than you think.”
Later chapters are each dedicated to a type of activity:
Sports, including individual endeavors like bowling and ice skating; youth groups
like 4-H and scouts; museums, zoos and aquariums; faith communities; visual and
performing arts; summer camps and the natural world; and special interests and
family outings. While you may have tried some of these outings before, Rudy’s take
on them will have you looking at them in a new light. The final chapter
includes 12 pages of resources, with websites and brief descriptions.
For each activity, Rudy describes challenges, resources and
the type of child it may and may not be appropriate for, as well as real-world
examples from her own or other families.
If you believe some activities are beyond your child’s
scope, consider this reader’s reaction from online reviews:
“If this book can be applied to my situation,
where my son’s history included behaviors like severe perseveration, violence,
and limited food choices (amongst many other things), it can apply to nearly
anybody's situation with an autistic kid. Really.”