Personal Space
“Now that my son is a teenager, I’ve noticed that most kids his age have their rooms decorated with neat posters and cool lights. I don’t know if my son even notices those things, but I thought it would be fun to help him personalize his own space. How should I start?
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SOME IDEAS Even if your son doesn’t seem to pay attention to things, it is really worth the effort to help youngsters personalize their space, starting from the time they are very young. To some extent, we all enjoy having our own space and our own belongings. So, even adults with autism who need some assistance living at home or in the community might enjoy help creating their own personal space, Here are some ideas to get you and your son started.
+ Let your son pick out his own bedding, curtains, desk, lamps, and other accessories. You can go shopping at a large discount store that specializes in bedrooms so he can see a large selection. Or if he doesn’t tolerate so many choices or the hub-bub of large stores, help him shop from a catalog. You can cut out some of his selections, then put them on separate pages of paper so he can study them before he makes a selection. If he is non-verbal, he can just pick up his choice and give it to you.
+ Let him pick out the color of paint for his room in the same manner. Those little paint strips from paint stores help with this. Remember that this is HIS choice, so if he wants his walls painted yucky green or dull gold, that is HIS choice.
+ Personalize his walls by hanging large 8 X 10 photos of you son and of people who are important to him on his walls. You can get light-weight, inexpensive, plastic poster frames to put photos in.
+ Let him have some drawers or a file cabinet or a big box in his closet to keep his own personal junk – rocks and other collectables, an old teddy bear, a broken matchbox car, an old birthday card from his grandmother, and other “good stuff.” Respect his collection without criticism and don’t just randomly throw things away.
NOTE TO LISTENERS AND READERS: I am Cathy Knoll, a board certified music therapist and long-time friend of many folks with autism. At FAQautism.com we are committed to providing free, practical, everyday tips for making life better for people with autism. You can click on a button to send me an email with your thoughts or challenging situations or innovative solutions. Check out our website for a wealth of ideas and a glimpse into the world of autism. www.FAQautism.com
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