The way the environment or an activity is structured can have significant impact on some children’s ability to be happy, successful and independent. Some children with ASD find it difficult to efficiently process the information that they are receiving from their body and to match that with the information they are getting from the environment. Processing sensory information efficiently is important for learning about the properties or rules of objects and is essential in attaching meaning or the context within which an object or activity takes place. Some children find it difficult to screen out irrelevant information and may only pay attention to things that are highly motivating or make sense to them. Others might notice everything happening around them and seek to control what is happening as a way of keeping status quo
To independently complete activities within their daily routine also requires the ability to successfully sequence and plan both the steps within an actual activity and the overall routine that it happens within. Some children find getting the timing, direction and amount of force used with movements of their body difficult. They might be able to talk through wonderful stories but when it comes to committing it to paper find this task extremely difficult. Others might find it difficult to learn how to use a knife and fork, tie shoelaces or put their seatbelt on. Some children seem to muddle their way through it with enough practice but often miss out on the details, they might get their shirt on but mix up the alignment of the buttons. Others get stuck on the detail and find it difficult to move past that step |
