autism game - Social Skills Activities for Children with Autism

Green Zone Picture Card Social Skills Game – a free download

Children on the autism spectrum often struggle to discern the interests of other people and to take these interests into account in conversation. This social skills game employs a picture-based strategy works well in a variety of ages and reading levels. I would then encourage you to go on to fully explore this fun, visual method in my illustrated children’s book, The Green Zone Conversation Book, published by Jessica Kingsley Publishers.

To download the activity, click on the red link below.

I wish you success in your social skills work with children on the autism spectrum.

Joel Shaul, LCSW

Green Zone Picture Card Activity Download

German language translation of this resource

Polish language translation of this resource – Karty obrazkowe

Spanish language translation of this resource – Tarjetas de la Zona Verde para practicar la conversación

Hebrew language translation of this resource

The download includes this page to help the two players talk with each other once they have found their shared interests.

Above are two pages from The Green Zone Conversation Book

In another post, I have directions for making and using this fun variation, the Green Zone Mat.

Your comments on these resources are most welcome, and often helpful. Click HERE to send an email.

TO DOWNLOAD THE PDF PRINTABLES FOR THIS ACTIVITY, CLICK ON THE RED LINK HERE:

Groupworld Download

This is also available in Polish

[picture of Polish version shown below]

Imagination, cooperation, and children with high functioning autism

Here is a fun, challenging activity to promote group cooperation skills. It is derived from an idea I found in a book years ago. I have provided you with print-outs to help structure the activity. This activity works well for many children ages 7 and up.

Many children have very rich lives of imagination. Children with ASD’s often have involved fantasy worlds – worlds they mainly keep to themselves. The Groupworld activity is designed to make imagination more interactive by having children work together to invent a world of their own together.

Here is some language you may consider using to introduce the activity:

“We are doing The Groupworld activity. You all have great imaginations, but you are used to using your imagination all by yourself. In the Groupworld activity, you will have to combine your ideas with the other people here to make a world that has not just your own ideas in it, but everybody else’s ideas as well.

This will be fun, but it will also be hard. People naturally like their own ideas. It takes effort, and practice, to mix your ideas with other people’s ideas and not get into arguments.”

This activity is derived from an idea I found in Relationship Development Intervention with Children, Adolescents and Adults, by Gutstein and Sheely.p

I hope you enjoy this social skills activity. To learn about more group activities to foster sharing, collaboration and creativity, click here.

Joel Shaul, LCSW

Your comments on these resources are most welcome, and often helpful. Click HERE to send an email.