Helping Children with Autism Enjoy Books through Multi-Sensory Activities

Children with autism often become more engaged with reading when it connects with their unique sensory needs and strengths.

By incorporating sensory-friendly, hands-on activities into everyday reading experiences, you can create a comfortable and supportive reading environment that is not only far more enjoyable for your child but also makes books more accessible.

Benefits of Sensory-Friendly Reading Activities

• Reduces Overwhelm: Sensory-friendly environments help reduce distractions and overstimulation, making it easier for children with autism to focus on the story.

• Supports Learning: Many children with autism are visual, auditory, or kinaesthetic learners. Multi-sensory reading experiences allow them to absorb information in ways that align with their strengths.

• Builds Routine and Comfort: Familiar sensory-based reading activities can establish positive routines, helping children feel secure and more open to exploring new stories.

• Enhances Comprehension: By connecting the story to sensory inputs such as touch, sound, or movement, children can engage with the material more meaningfully, which improves understanding and retention.

• Encourages Expression: Sensory activities often help children express themselves more freely. This can make storytelling more enjoyable and help them connect with the characters and events on a deeper level.

Making Books Sensory-Friendly: Tips for Parents of Children with Autism

• Calming Reading Space: I know I’ve mentioned this before but creating a reading nook with low lighting, cozy seating, and depending on their age, noise-cancelling headphones or soft background music induces calm and helps children relax and tune into the story.

• Tactile Storytelling: Use tactile objects that match parts of the story. Soft fabrics, textured surfaces, or small toys can enhance story scenes and allow children to relate to what the character is doing in the story or how they are feeling.

• Visual Story Maps: Create a story map on a poster board to show key points of the plot. Visual aids will often make the storyline clearer and help with sequencing, which can be challenging for children with autism.

• Sound Effects and Audiobooks: Adding sound effects or using an audiobook along with the text can make stories more engaging. Sounds like ocean waves, bird songs, or rain can enrich the reading experience, especially for auditory learners.

• Breaks and Movement: Build movement into the reading experience. If a character is running, let your child do a quick run on the spot. If a story describes gentle wind, they could gently wave their hands. These small actions can help children stay focused and feel involved in the story.

Kids Carousel

Making reading fun and approachable with sensory-friendly tools

• Touch-and-Feel Storyboards: Creating a storyboard with various textures and small sensory objects that represent different scenes or characters will not only allow your child to touch and explore each element as you read but also enjoy the process along the way.

• Visual Sequencing Cards: Using images or drawings to make sequence cards that reflect the chosen story can offer a simple, visual way for children to understand the plot structure.

• Multi-Sensory Props: Props such as a feather to represent a bird or a cup of water for a pond scene, small items can add sensory stimulus and engagement.

• Activity Pause Points: Building in pauses or breaks will allow your child to process each scene. Use these pauses to engage with a prop or sensory item relating to the story or discuss how the character might be feeling. These pauses can improve comprehension and focus.

Call to Action

This week’s call to action is to create a calming story kit.

Choose a book and gather a few sensory-friendly props that match key scenes from the story. For example, if the story is about a forest, you could include a soft cloth for grass, twigs, a pinecone. You could play bird sounds quietly in the background. Allow your child to touch, see, and hear these elements in a way that feels comfortable and exciting for them.

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