Teaching humor to children with autism through imaginary play can encourage engagement, facilitate interaction, and promote the development of abstract thought. Studies have even shown that the ability to role-play in children with autism is related to communication abilities.
Traditional autism therapies have focused on the behavioral aspects of autism, but while structured skills taught at a desk have their place, many children with autism have trouble generalizing those skills into the real world.
Joking around with children with autism, especially using puppets for symbolic play, is an underused and underappreciated way of promoting creative, imaginative, and spontaneous thought.
To read the rest of my article on Examiner.com, click here.
Tags: abstract, autism, communication, engagement, imaginary play, joking, puppets, symbolic play
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