Autism-Talk

Anyone who works with children—or has children of their own—is probably familiar with the pushing, shoving, whining, and complaints that happen when someone gets a little too close. “He’s touching me!” “She’s in my spot!” “Move over!” Personal space comes up during everything from circle time to a trip in the car. When children have different movement, attention, sensory, or anxiety-related needs, figuring out a comfortable amount of space can become even more complicated. In

TL;DR: Kindergarten Readiness Isn’t Just About ABCs Kindergarten readiness for autistic preschoolers includes social and emotional skills — not just academics. Many autistic children benefit from direct, explicit teaching of social skills before kindergarten. Emotional regulation, communication, flexibility, peer interaction, and independence matter most. Download the free Autism Social Skills Checklist at the end of this post. Table of Contents Why Are Social Skills More Imp

Time to Read: 7–8 minutes Helping an autistic preschooler manage big emotions isn’t about “fixing behavior.” It’s about supporting them in understanding their body’s messages and learning what they can do—step by step—to feel better when things feel overwhelming. Many families come looking for coping skills for autistic preschoolers because their child experiences emotions intensely, struggles to identify what they’re feeling, or doesn’t yet have the language to ask for help

Reading time: ~8–10 minutes Audience: Parents & early-childhood educators (PreK–2) Keywords: how to help autistic child wait patiently, waiting worksheets for autism, waiting visuals, preschool social skills, autism social skills, preschool SEL TL;DR (Quick Wins) Learning to wait is a skill , not a character trait. Start with seconds , not minutes; build trust with tiny wins. Use visuals , a calm timer , and gentle language so waiting feels safe. Practice in playful, low-

If you’ve ever searched for a “No Biting” social story for your autistic child or students, you’re not alone. Biting, hitting, and other challenging behaviors can be stressful for everyone involved, and it’s natural to want them to stop. But here’s the thing: social stories work best when they teach new skills , not when they simply tell a child what not to do. In this post, we’ll look at why “No Biting” isn’t the social story you need—and how writing a positive, skill-based

A child notices a classmate’s haircut and says exactly what they think. The child may be telling the truth, but the classmate still feels hurt. This can be a familiar challenge for autistic people, from young children through adulthood. Honesty is a strength, and we don’t need to teach children to hide every opinion or agree with everyone. We can help them recognize that words affect other people—and that there is often a kinder way to communicate the same thought. For young

Sequencing can be a surprisingly difficult skill. We might look at a familiar activity like making a pizza and automatically understand what needs to happen first, what comes next, and what would happen if we attempted to add cheese before spreading the sauce. Young children do not always see those connections yet. For autistic children and other early learners, simply remembering all the steps can be difficult. The child may also understand the individual actions—spread, spr

When you begin homeschooling an autistic child, it is surprisingly easy to end up with far too many goals. You may have academic standards from your state, recommendations from therapists, unfinished IEP goals, skills listed in an assessment, and a growing stack of workbooks and printables. Before long, your homeschool day can become filled with disconnected activities without a clear sense of which skills matter most. The goal is not to work on everything your child cannot

Family using play-based Early Start Denver Model strategies with a young child. Before I had children of my own, I worked at a university using the Early Start Denver Model, often shortened to ESDM, with autistic children between 1 and 4 years old. Of all the early autism intervention models I have worked with, it remains one of the approaches I found most appealing. What I liked was the way it blended some of the foundational components of Applied Behavior Analysis (ABA) and

I have a very fond memory from my time volunteering at a camp for children with special needs in England when I was in my early twenties. There was a little boy who, every time he saw me, would excitedly exclaim in a perfect Midwestern American accent, “Hi! My name is Tracy!”—despite being British himself. I was truly impressed by how accurately he imitated my accent. Much of his other language consisted of short phrases from Teletubbies, which was popular at the time. He use

What is pathological demand avoidance, or PDA, in autism? Explore how anxiety, uncertainty, and the need for autonomy may contribute to behavior often labeled as defiant—and learn practical, low-pressure strategies for supporting demand-avoidant autistic children.

TL;DR Teaching children to share isn't about forcing them to give away their favorite toy. It's about creating enjoyable opportunities to practice sharing time, materials, and experiences with others. In this article, you'll discover fun sharing games, art activities, pretend play ideas, and practical strategies that help preschool and kindergarten children build sharing skills through positive, play-based experiences. Table of Contents Why Sharing Can Be Challenging for Youn

Meta Description: Discover fun waiting activities for preschool, kindergarten, and autistic children. Learn research-backed strategies, games, pretend play ideas, and classroom activities that teach waiting through play. Waiting is one of the very first social skills children begin learning, but it is also one of the most challenging. Whether children are waiting for a favorite toy, standing in line for the playground, waiting for a snack, or waiting for their turn during a g

Time to Read: 8–10 minutes TL;DR Greeting others is one of the earliest social skills children learn. For many autistic children and other young learners, greetings benefit from direct teaching, visual supports, social stories, games, and repeated practice opportunities. In this article, you'll learn why greeting skills matter, how to teach greetings without requiring eye contact, and 10 fun greeting activities that can be used at home, in therapy, or in the classroom. Table

Many autistic and neurodiverse children need explicit teaching and repeated practice to answer personal information questions. Hands-on activities involving movement, pretend play, visuals, sensory experiences, and games are often much more effective than drill-style questioning alone.

Time to Read: About 10 minutes TL;DR Emotion games help preschoolers build foundational social skills like communication, coping skills, friendship, and flexible thinking. Many autistic preschoolers benefit from visual, play-based emotion activities instead of only flashcards or worksheets. Pretend play, movement, music, sensory activities, and visual supports can make emotional learning more meaningful. The goal is not just memorizing emotion faces — it is helping children c

Time to read: ~9 minutes Many autistic children want to be around other children. They may watch. Grab your free kindergarten readiness autism social skills checklist HERE They may stand nearby. They may follow what others are doing. But when it comes time to actually join in… that’s where things can feel hard. That can look like: wanting a toy but not knowing how to ask grabbing instead of requesting walking away instead of interacting getting upset during sharing or turn-ta

Many autistic children experience distress with small changes—such as shifts in routines, transitions, or expectations; this need for sameness and difficulty with change is a core feature considered in autism diagnosis. Grab your FREE autism kindergarten social skills checklist That can look like getting upset over the wrong cup, a different route to school, a substitute teacher, the swings being taken, the milk being gone, or being told it is time to stop one activity and do

TL;DR Social skills worksheets for autism preschool can be helpful when they are visual, simple, and developmentally appropriate. Many autistic children benefit from visual supports, which can make social ideas easier to understand and easier to remember later in real-life situations. Source: Autism Speaks — Visual Supports and Autism; Bateman et al., 2022, PMC A good worksheet for young children should not rely heavily on writing. Matching, tracing, drawing, coloring, gluing

Time to Read: ~9–10 minutes TL;DR Flexible thinking is the ability to adjust when something changes or doesn’t go as expected. Many autistic children have difficulty with cognitive flexibility , which can make everyday situations feel overwhelming. Flexible thinking can be taught using a clear sequence: 👉 Stop → Take a deep breath → Think of another plan → Try the new plan Visual tools like social stories, adapted books, and worksheets make this skill easier to understand