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Why We Use Our Words
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Why We Use Our Words
Objective:
Children within the autism spectrum often say or do things with the assumption that others know what they know and are aware of what they are thinking. This lesson is aimed at helping them understand that other people have different thoughts and see things from different perspectives and that in order to communicate our needs and wants we all need to use our words.
Materials:
Peanut Butter
Jelly
Bread in a bag
Knife
Plate
Paper and pencil or a board to write on
Instructions:
- Explain that you want to make a peanut butter and jelly sandwich but are not sure how to make it. (You can also have someone else be the one to make it if the children see you make sandwiches all the time).
- Ask them to tell you the steps in making a sandwich so that you can write it down. Write down each step as they tell you.
- Once all the steps are written down, follow each step exactly! For example, if the instructions they gave you were:
- Put peanut butter on the bread.
- Put jelly on the bread
- Squish the bread together
- Eat
Follow the directions literally. Put the jar of peanut butter on the bread bag. Put the jar of jelly on the bread bag. Squish the bread bag together and pretend to try to eat it. The kids will most likely be surprised.
- Talk to the children about how in their minds they were thinking about an open jar of peanut butter and probably using a knife to spread the peanut butter on the bread that has all ready been taken out of the package. However, you cannot see that picture and so they have to describe what they see in their minds to you so that you can understand their picture.
- Have the children redo the directions and once again follow each step exactly. Have them make changes to the instructions as needed until you finally have a good peanut butter and jelly sandwich.
- Cut the sandwich up and let everyone enjoy a piece
- For other practice on this skill, have the children explain how to put on a coat, put on shoes, make chocolate milk, make an ice cream cone or any other thing that they are familiar with.
Variations:
- Use this lesson as the introduction into the writing lesson "Writing Instructions.
- Follow this lesson with the Barrier Game found under Family/Group Activities.
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