Many families with a child with autism or Asperger Syndrome feel that involvement in the community is not for them. This book sets out to change that, with a rich and varied menu of suggestions for how such families can take full part in community life and support the strengths and interests of their child at the same time. Informal learning experiences can be the key to self-discovery, communication, self-confidence, and even independence for many children on the autism spectrum. Only outside the four walls of school will your child truly discover their own passions, abilities, and social peers.Get Out, Explore, and Have Fun is a guide to what's out there, how to find it, and how to make it work for your family. The book includes hints and tips for involving your family in the right community activities, from sport to science; information on museums, arts organizations and science institutions as venues for an enjoyable and enriching day out for the family; and resources and ideas for helping your child build on their strengths, interests, and preferred learning styles to explore life in the community. Handouts about autism are included, as well as handouts suggesting ways in which organisations and institutions can successfully include young people with autism in their activities.This book will open the door to community inclusion, creative exploration, and social learning.
Foreword.; 1. Getting Out, Exploring, and Having Fun: Why Does it Matter?; 2. Before You Start.; 3. How to Learn About and Select Community Settings for Your Child and Family.; 4. Sports and Autism.; 5. Youth Groups: Scouts, 4-H, the YMCA, and More.; 6. Museums, Zoos, Aquariums, and More.; 7. Autism and Faith Communities.; 8. Visual and Performing Arts.; 9. Summer Camps and the Natural World.; 10. Special Interests, Clubs, Family Outings, and Ideas.; 11. Selling the Idea of Inclusion.; 12. Resources.
""Getting out"" and ""having fun"" may seem mutually exclusive if your community forays usually end in meltdowns, rejections, and feelings of failure. Mine is a family of homebodies, and I feel strongly about the merits of staying in and hanging out. But it's undeniable that, if we ever hope to have our children included in their schools and communities, we have to get them out where people can get to know and appreciate them. And we need books like Get Out, Explore, and Have Fun! to kickstart us.
