The Benefits of Sensory Activities for Autism—and 4 That You Can Try!
There are many reasons to consider implementing sensory activities for autism therapy, including lots of unique benefits that provide a child with more than just a fun distraction.
For children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD), sensory activities serve as an enjoyable and engaging way to work on some very key skills, including motor skills, communication skills, and self-expression. These types of activities can also serve as a useful form of anxiety relief, as well as a way to promote social interaction and encourage group play.
Sensory activities, which fall under the more general umbrella term of sensory play, refer to any sort of activity that stimulates one or more of the five senses—smell, touch, taste, sound, or sight. These types of activities can also focus on more abstract senses, including a child’s vestibular sense (sense of balance) and proprioceptive sense (sense of the body in space).1
Not only do these sensory activities for autism spectrum disorder provide a host of therapeutic benefits, but they’re also tons of fun! This makes them excellent for use in school settings, as well as something that caregivers, parents, and family members can implement at home with their own children.
Sensory Motor Skills Activities You Can Try
There are tons of options when it comes to different sensory motor skills activities for children with ASD. Here are some great ones to start with.
- Sensory Tables
A sensory table is a play structure that holds either one large container or several multiple containers, all of which are filled with materials that engage the senses and encourage active play. Fill it up with sand, trucks, and other toys to get kids digging, sifting, and sorting, or go for bubbles or shaving cream for a messier—but equally enticing—experience.
Don’t have a whole table to devote to this activity? Plastic bins set on the floor work just as well.
- Sensory Bottles
Also known as “calm down bottles,” sensory bottles can be made using any clear and sealable container that you then fill with various materials. This mess-free form of sensory play is a great distraction tool, and can also be used to activate all of the senses and teach language skills (talking about the items in the bottle).
Fill it with small trinkets, or make a sparkly sensory bottle by filling the bottle a third of the way with water, 2/3 with vegetable oil, and a handful of colorful glitter.
- Edible Jewelry
Gather together Cheerios, Froot Loops, and any other simple edible items with holes and have children thread them onto pieces of shoestring licorice. They’ll work on fine tuning their motor skills as they thread, and they’ll get a tasty treat at the end too.
- Clay Sculpting
This activity is fun for children of all ages, and is a standard tool used in motor and sensory development. Set up a station for clay sculpting, and provide cookie cutters, rollers, and other items that can be used in addition to hand-molding. From there, children can work on making specific shapes, or they can just have fun and play.
In addition to being enjoyable activities for children with ASD to do on their own, these sensory play techniques also make fantastic group activities for kids with autism. Use them to encourage socialization and friendship building in and out of the classroom, since not only are they extra fun as a group but they serve as conversation starters and confidence builders.
For more advice and sensory play ideas, contact our team today! Autism Specialty Group is one of Miami’s leading behavioral health organizations treating children with autism, and we offer services that can help children with ASD grow and develop—and have fun doing it.
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