7 Cognitive Skill Activities for Children with Autism
Cognitive skills are essential for human life - they are what our brain uses to brain uses to think, read, learn, remember, reason, and pay attention, and are also what separates us from animals.
However, we don't automatically possess most of them from birth. The development of our cognitive skills is a journey from the beginning of our infancy to our early or mid-twenties. Each of our skills are important in helping us process new information. So, if one of these skills is weak, retaining or using new information is impacted. In fact, most struggles in learning are caused by a weakness in one or more cognitive skills.
What are Cognitive Skills?
Auditory processing
This skill allows us to analyze, segment, and blend sounds
If it is weak, we may struggle to learn to read, our reading fluency may not be at the level it should be, or our reading comprehension is poor
Visual processing
Allows us to think using images
If it is weak, we have a hard time understanding what we have just read, recalling what we read, reading maps, doing word math problems, or reading maps
Logic and reasoning
Enables us to reason, problem-solve, and form new ideas
If this skill is weak, we have to ask “What do I do next?” or say “I don’t get this,” we feel stuck overwhelmed, or struggle with math
Long-term memory
Enables us to recall information stored in the past
If it is weak, we forget names, do poorly on tests, forget things we used to know
Working memory
Enables us to capture information while using it
If this skill is weak, we usually have to re-read directions in the middle of a project, forget what was said in a conversation, or have a hard time following multi-step directions
Processing speed
Enables us to perform tasks with accuracy and speed
If this skill is weak, most tasks are more challenging. It may take us a long time to finish work or school tasks, or we are the last one in a group to finish something
Attention
Sustained attention lets us stay focused on a task for a sustained period of time.
Selective attention, on the other hand, allows us to stay focused on tasks despite distractions.
Divided attention allows us to remember information while doing two things at once (multitasking)
Common problems if attention is weak: lots of unfinished projects, jumping from task to task, easily distracted, difficulty multitasking, and frequent mistakes
How can you help your child improve their cognitive skills? Well, it’s all about the journey, not the outcome. Keep reading to learn more.
The Cognitive Journey
Our cognitive skills determine our ability to think, explore, and understand the world around us. As infants, we rely solely on our sensory experience. We perceive the world through sound, smell, touch, hearing, and sight.
As we grow up, we learn to interpret messages communicated to us by our caregivers and communicate rudimentary messages ourselves.
Once we've mastered language, we begin to analyze the information we receive, make connections, and consider consequences. We apply our knowledge to different situations, and our judgment begins to form.
Challenges
What happens when you encounter roadblocks on this journey? Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) is a developmental disorder characterized by challenges to communication, learning, social interactions, and executive functioning. Children with ASD perceive the world differently from their peers.
While these differences can add twists and turns to a child with autism's learning journey, it doesn't mean it has to change the final destination. All children possess neural plasticity, which is the brain's ability to rewire itself. This rewiring takes place on neural pathways. If repeated often enough, new activities forge new neural pathways, cementing knowledge within the brain.
Cerebral Weightlifting
Knowing this, we can look at cognitive skills like cerebral weightlifting. Every time a child learns or practices something new, these neural pathways grow stronger. Children with autism benefit hugely from a variety of different cognitive skills-based activities. This variety taps into different knowledge acquisition pathways and turbocharges their neural connections.
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Cognitive Activities to Excercise the Brain
Here are seven great cognitive skill-focused activities you can try with your child with autism today:
Homemade Instruments: making shakers, drums, or chimes from scratch at home help children with autism or other ASDs develop their ability to perceive different sounds as well as their fine motor skills through creating and playing with the fruits of their labor
Car washing: give your child tools like water, soap, sponges, and wipers. Car washing helps work their fine motor skills, stimulates their sense of touch, and teaches them values like cleanliness, seeing tasks through to completion, and the importance of hard work.
Mirror studying: stand or sit with your child in front of the mirror and practice making different expressions and simulating a variety of emotions. This practice helps them gain self-awareness, learn about the physical actions that accompany their feelings, and correctly perceive non-verbal cues from others.
Learn chess: depending on their age, chess could be a fantastic option for a child with ASD. Chess challenges them to develop their fine motor skills as they simultaneously remember the game's rules and consider short, middle, and long-term consequences.
Home theater: playing pretend is a marvelous opportunity to stretch creative, linguistic, and long-term planning skills at home. Creating their script challenges them to consider different characters, how to develop a story, and most importantly, how it will end.
Playing sports: getting active is as essential for the mind as it is for the body. Exercise boosts the mood and reduces stress and anxiety. This double combo of mood booster and stress reducer frees the brain up to retain information and learn new skills.
Jigsaw puzzles: through studying jigsaw pieces and putting them together, children learn to strategize, make decisions, and comprehend concepts on a macro and micro level. They learn to organize ideas, make hypotheses, and apply the knowledge they've acquired in different areas.
There you have it! Seven ways you can boost your child's cognitive skills today.
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Here at PS Academy Arizona, students love coming to school. Why? Because here, they aren't defined by their diagnosis. They shine when they identify their abilities, are accepted for their differences, make friends, and discover new skills. They are given the tools and the responsibility they need to be challenged and inspired to excel in school and beyond.