In this episode, parent Mike Carr shares strategies for entertaining his severely autistic adult son, prioritizing exercise through a treadmill and elliptical, and using older technology like the Wii, a keyboard, and puzzles during bad weather. Redundant devices, including backup computers and iPads, also ensure constant access to entertainment. The environment is designed to be safe and secure, offering a variety of options while minimizing breakage.
Creating an Engaging and Safe Environment for Severely Autistic Children: A Journey Through Entertainment Strategies
Raising a child with severe autism presents its own set of challenges, particularly when it comes to finding activities that keep them entertained, engaged, and, most importantly, safe. For our son, who has profound autism, it’s not just about filling his day with distractions—it’s about providing stimulating, enjoyable, and safe outlets that meet his unique needs. Over the years, we’ve learned that the right form of entertainment can be a lifeline, reducing frustration, promoting calm, and improving his overall well-being.
In this story, I’ll share the journey we’ve taken to find activities that work for our son. From physical exercise to interactive play and music, we’ve discovered some creative solutions that help him stay engaged while ensuring his safety. These strategies have evolved over time, each lesson learned through trial and error, and they have become the foundation of his daily routine.
Exercise as Entertainment: A Surprising Favorite
Exercise wasn’t always at the top of our list when we thought about entertainment, but for our son, it turned out to be one of his greatest joys. At first, we were unsure how he would react to physical activities. Many people associate exercise with hard work or a chore, but for our son, it’s a form of play—a way to release energy and calm his mind.
We started with the treadmill. It may sound simple, but for him, walking on the treadmill is incredibly soothing. He loves the rhythmic motion, and the repetitive action helps him stay focused. He’ll often walk for an extended period, sometimes running when the mood strikes. It’s a physical outlet that brings a sense of calm to his day.
When he tires of walking, he switches to his favorite—an Olympic simulator. Though he only stays with it for a few minutes, the fun of pretending to compete in Olympic events is a great way to keep things exciting. What we’ve learned is that flexibility is key; his attention spans fluctuate, and the variety keeps him engaged.
Basketball and Technology: Combining Passions with Innovation
One of our son’s greatest passions is basketball. He’s not just a fan—he lives and breathes the sport. So we found ways to incorporate basketball into his daily routine, combining his love for the game with technology. We discovered that the treadmill was the perfect opportunity for him to watch basketball games while exercising. However, this created a new problem: he saw the TV screen as a touch interface. If he touched it, he expected the screen to respond, which led to frequent accidents and broken screens.
After several broken televisions, we realized we needed to rethink our approach. That’s when we invested in a projector system. We mounted it high on the ceiling, out of his reach, so he could still enjoy watching the games safely. The projector now displays the game on the wall, giving him the perfect view without the risk of broken equipment. It’s been a game-changer. He can enjoy basketball while staying active, and we no longer worry about screens getting damaged.
Interactive Play: Embracing Technology in a Controlled Way
While traditional television viewing didn’t work out, we found other ways to engage our son through interactive play. The Wii console became a favorite, especially for basketball-related games. Though the Wii is older, it’s still a great tool for combining technology with fun. Our son enjoys the hands-on approach to gaming, whether it’s shooting virtual hoops or navigating simple challenges. It’s not just entertainment—it’s a way for him to feel connected and engaged.
Additionally, we use a variety of devices, like iPads, to offer him interactive experiences. We’ve set up games, puzzles, and even communication tools using icon-based systems. These tools give him a way to express himself and engage with his environment in a meaningful way. Knowing that he can become frustrated and potentially throw things when upset, we’ve learned the importance of redundancy. We have several iPads and computers, all protected by durable cases, so if one device gets damaged, there’s always a backup ready to go.
Music: A Sensory Escape
Music has become one of our son’s greatest sources of joy. He has a deep connection with sound, especially rhythm and repetition. We’ve created several ways for him to engage with music in a way that aligns with his sensory preferences. Small portable music players, like EyeShuffles, are perfect for playing his favorite songs or simple beats. We always keep extras on hand, as they’re easily misplaced or damaged.
Another favorite is the keyboard. He loves experimenting with it, creating his own rhythms and sounds. It’s not just entertainment—it’s a sensory outlet that allows him to express himself. The act of playing with the keyboard calms him, and it’s a fun, safe way for him to explore sound without feeling overwhelmed.
Tactile Entertainment: Puzzles with a Twist
Puzzles have always been a hit in our house, but we had to adjust how we approached them. Our son loves to take the pieces out and solve them, but the small pieces can be a choking hazard if he puts them in his mouth. To keep things safe, we’ve secured the puzzle drawers with locks, so he can’t get into them without supervision. This not only ensures safety but also helps avoid the mess of scattered pieces all over the floor.
We’ve also found puzzles that play music when completed. This feature adds an extra layer of excitement—when he correctly places a piece, it triggers a fun sound. The combination of tactile engagement with auditory feedback keeps him motivated and entertained, reinforcing positive behaviors.
Basketball, Indoors and Out: Year-Round Fun
Basketball isn’t just for the treadmill—it’s a year-round activity in our home. We set up an indoor basketball hoop for those rainy days when going outside isn’t an option. The hoop has built-in sound effects that play every time he makes a basket, making the experience more rewarding. Whether indoors or out, basketball keeps our son active, entertained, and deeply engaged in a sport he loves.
Drumming: The Noisy, Creative Outlet
Sometimes, the best form of entertainment is a little bit messy and loud. We introduced drums into our son’s routine as an outlet for his creativity and energy. Though the noise can be overwhelming, it’s an important form of self-expression for him. The drumming helps him release energy and express himself through sound.
There’s an interesting twist to this: sometimes, in the middle of the night, he wakes up and heads straight for the drums. While it disrupts our sleep, it’s a sign that he’s using sound to communicate and self-regulate. It’s his way of expressing what he’s feeling, even if it’s a bit noisy at 2 a.m.
Redundancy: Always Be Prepared
One of the most important lessons we’ve learned in this journey is the value of redundancy. Whether it’s an extra iPad, a second basketball hoop, or backup music players, having replacements on hand is crucial. If one device breaks or goes missing, it doesn’t derail his routine. Safety is also a priority in our approach. We lock up devices when they’re not in use, ensuring that nothing gets damaged or misused.
Conclusion: Crafting a Fulfilling and Safe Environment
Creating an engaging and safe environment for our son has been a journey of trial, error, and learning. By combining physical activity, interactive play, music, and sensory engagement, we’ve been able to provide him with a variety of activities that meet his needs and keep him entertained. Above all, we’ve learned that safety and redundancy are key to ensuring he can enjoy his activities without frustration or risk.
Every child with severe autism is different, and what works for one may not work for another. But our story is meant to offer inspiration, showing that with a little creativity and a lot of love, we can design environments that cater to the unique needs of children with autism. We hope these strategies will help others create fulfilling, safe, and engaging spaces for their own children.
Thank you for reading, and we hope our journey serves as a resource in your own path toward creating an environment that is both entertaining and safe for your child.
Transcript
Mike Carr (00:08):
So today we’re going to talk about entertainment and how to keep our severely autistic son entertained. One of the things he likes to do is work out and exercise is actually a form of entertainment for him. Believe it or not. I wish I had that same propensity. So he loves to walk on the treadmill or even run on the treadmill. He’ll also do the Olympic some, but of course after a few minutes he gets bored. So what we have over here is we have a television set so he can watch basketball, which he loves to watch, or if he gets tired of being on the treadmill, he’ll come off the treadmill and we have a Wii, and so he can actually play basketball and do some other things with his old we. Now, some of this is old technology, like the Wes came out in 2009, 2010, but that’s okay.
(00:56):
He loves doing it. It’s inexpensive. And so that’s what we do in the way of entertainment in this space. We also have an indoor basketball hoop, and if the weather’s bad, we have this set up inside. This comes out and stays nice and fixed. He will shoot baskets in here and every time you make it, it has a great sound to it and he loves doing this as an alternative to going outside when the weather’s bad. We also like to let him watch his basketball games on tv, but he thinks a television set is like a touch screen where if he touches it, it’ll do something. So he breaks the TV set. So instead we have a projector up on the roof that he can’t get his hands on. It projects over here onto the wall so he can actually watch his basketball game while he’s sitting at the table.
(01:52):
We had a screen that would come down and give you a clearer picture, but even pound on the screen and break it too. This is a very expensive screen. So instead what we’ve done is we just project right up against the wall. It seems to work just fine and everything keeps them entertained. We also have keyboard that he likes to play, so he’ll get this set up on his table. This will entertain him. We have puzzles that are part of his entertainment regime, so he’ll get all his puzzles out. We keep this locked so he can’t get in there and make a mess, and he ends up throwing puzzle pieces all over the floor if he gets into too many puzzles. Some of these puzzles play music, so if he puts his pieces into the right spot and the battery’s charged, which it isn’t now, he’ll play music and that’ll entertain him.
(02:43):
Also, if he breaks a computer, he has another computer over here with the same games and whatnot on it. We do use iPads, and so he has an iPad with all his icons on it, so we can flip through the screen and communicate with us that way, and also play games and puzzles and whatnot with all kinds of icons and things that he can do on here. But if he breaks the iPad, you’ll notice we have this case on here because throw the iPad across the room. So this case protects the iPad, and we have a second iPad inside here. We also have eye shuffles, so he loves these eye shuffles for music. We have three of these in case he loses one of these. So the idea is redundancy, right? So if we lose a computer, he is got a second computer. If he breaks an iPad, we’ve got a second iPad.
(03:39):
If he breaks a shuffle or if it runs out of battery juice, which it often does, he has an extra shuffle or two, we keep everything locked up so he can’t get into it and cause problems and then end up breaking things. We have another basketball goal here so we can play the baskets and have fun, and the team sport. We have drums, which he enjoys playing with and making a huge racket and waking us up in the night. If he gets up and we don’t know, he’s up at night. We have another basketball on the wall with the timer that you can set. I guess it’s out of batteries too, so we need to improve our battery recharging. But anyway, this whole environment is created with redundancy, so if things break, he can still play and we’ve got things in safe places with locks on it. So while he can entertain himself with multiple things, games, tv, puzzles, music, basketball, he hopefully can do it in a very safe way.
