babysitting help (Full Version)

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sunshine4God -> babysitting help (4/28/2008 3:03:00 PM)

I babysit a little boy every monday from 8-3:30 or so.He is autistic and seems to have no attention span for anything but tv. Does anyone have any ideas of fun things I can do with him that will hold his attention,so that he won't turn into a couch potato? I feel bad just plopping him in front of the tv all day but he doesnt seem to have much interest in playing with his toys too long.Thanks,Love always Sunshine.



Forest-Lady -> RE: babysitting help (4/28/2008 5:33:00 PM)

It's hard to answer without knowing the boy and how old he is. What does he like to watch on TV? Does he have toys from TV shows? Start with something he's already interested in. Ask his parents.



Ellie-Mae -> RE: babysitting help (4/28/2008 6:01:38 PM)

It is hard not knowing what age he is. I know that when my son was little, he didn't like to do hardly anything that little ones like to do... including watching TV. I found that he loved to take things apart with screw drivers, and he loved anything to do with water including blowing and catching bubbles. Some times when I needed a break, I would just throw him in the tub while sitting next to him reading, but I don't know if you could do that. My older son made a board with a lot of nails all over it, and Timothy loves to drop marbles down it to see how they bounce and listen to sound it makes. Magnets were a big deal too. He also spent hours playing with leap pads once we discovered them. When he ws really little we put a sets of sight word, alphabet, and concept cards on a large key ring that he took everywhere. He loved to sit and look at all the pictures. Often we would talk about the pictures with him, although he wasn't talking yet.



creationtalk -> RE: babysitting help (4/28/2008 10:25:12 PM)

quote:

I feel bad just plopping him in front of the tv all day

So why do it? Just because that seems to be all that interests him, it doesn't mean that you need to turn it on. My son wants to watch TV or play video games all day, but I don't let him. He has to earn "Video Certificates" by doing his chores, school work, or playing with toys or outside depending on the circumstances.

How old is the boy? My son loves legos and will build things with them for hours.



sunshine4God -> RE: babysitting help (4/28/2008 11:03:30 PM)

quote:

ORIGINAL: creationtalk

quote:

I feel bad just plopping him in front of the tv all day

So why do it? Just because that seems to be all that interests him, it doesn't mean that you need to turn it on. My son wants to watch TV or play video games all day, but I don't let him. He has to earn "Video Certificates" by doing his chores, school work, or playing with toys or outside depending on the circumstances.

How old is the boy? My son loves legos and will build things with them for hours.


The boy is 3 and a half and I do try and interest him in other things but they just don't hold his attention.



OneOfHisJewels -> RE: babysitting help (4/29/2008 12:33:21 AM)

I would say, set up four stations of four different activities, and let him bounce back and forth between them as he wishes.

Sarah (Peculiar Lady), will probably have some good insight. She generally does anyway, but her oldest son is high functioning autistic. He is, I think, around 11 now, but she can probably think back to when he was the age of this little boy. You can pm her, or just wait. I think she comes into parenting often enough that she could find this thread.



peculiar_lady2 -> RE: babysitting help (4/29/2008 10:07:15 AM)

quote:

Sarah (Peculiar Lady), will probably have some good insight. She generally does anyway, but her oldest son is high functioning autistic. He is, I think, around 11 now, but she can probably think back to when he was the age of this little boy. You can pm her, or just wait. I think she comes into parenting often enough that she could find this thread.

LOL...I have been reading/lurking here...waiting on the age to be revealed...lol. My son is 8yo, but yes, diagnosed as high functioning autistic. I just wanted to say though that not all autistic kids can't focus their attention on one task...my son is actually the opposite...he focuses ONLY on one task and can't go to another because it is overwhelming for him. Even as a baby of six months he would sit for hours and play with one thing or one toy set (duplos, or something like that). It is very normal for autism to be misunderstood as being the culprit when in reality it's just simply kids in general and the way they are. They (whoever *they* is...lol...experts actually) say that a kids attention span should be about their age in minutes...so if the child is a 3yo, then you shouldn't expect anything to hold his attention longer then 3 minutes. If it does hold his attention longer then you have a special child there with a special interest in that one toy....so be blessed in that knowledge!!! Some kids just go from one thing to another to another all day long....it's very normal. I suggest that if you want to cut out the tv, then do so....in our house the kids are allowed to watch tv in the afternoons during "rest time" if it's approved and if they are allowed to on our chart (behavior chart...so it is dependent upon their attitude, etc). Other then that we don't have a time that they sit and watch things..unless it is school related television...but also my kids are a bit older and we homeschool, so it's a little different. Our 3yo does not watch the school related things unless she is simply interested in them. I suggest dividing your day up into hour blocks (or half hours if the hour is too much time) and see if you can alternate him down to less tv....such as 1st hour he can watch Sesame Street (educational!!!)...second hour the tv is off and we can play with toys. Third hour he can watch something else on tv (educational!!!!). Fourth hour he do craft time. Fifth hour we rest from the tv and go outside to play. Sixth hour he can wind down from playing and running outside and watch tv again. ETC.



Forest-Lady -> RE: babysitting help (4/29/2008 3:07:59 PM)

Does he have a train set? You could try trains... or may be bubbles.. a lot of kids like popping them or just looking at them at this age. You could watch what he does when the tv is turned off and join him at whatever he does. Every child is interested in something... and his attention span will be better for the activity he chooses. Keep trying.[:)]



PrincessDonna -> RE: babysitting help (4/29/2008 4:47:07 PM)

Sounds like he does not do well with free play...like he doesn't know what to do? Is he an only child? I know our oldest needed to be entertained a lot more than the other kids have, just because he was alone so much.

I don't have an autistic child, but for a 3.5 year old, some great activities are playdo, painting (can be done with plain water outside on a hot day also!), coloring (my 3 yo loves to color with markers because she's big enough to FINALLY! LOL), stickers, building a Lego/block village. And don't forget to go outside plenty too...playing on a swingset or in a sandbox, walks around the neighborhood, looking at all the pretty flowers and new leaves coming out, watching the creek to try to see fish, just talking about everything around them. Another bonus to being outside is that it tires them out so they will nap or rest better in the afternoon.[:D]



sunshine4God -> RE: babysitting help (4/29/2008 9:44:15 PM)

quote:

ORIGINAL: Forest-Lady

Does he have a train set? You could try trains...

Oh yes,This little boy is crazy about trains and Thomas The Tank Engine.
We play with his trains and train table pretty often but even than he gets bored with playing pretty quickly.



sunshine4God -> RE: babysitting help (4/29/2008 9:50:24 PM)

quote:

ORIGINAL: PrincessDonna

Sounds like he does not do well with free play...like he doesn't know what to do? Is he an only child? I know our oldest needed to be entertained a lot more than the other kids have, just because he was alone so much.

I don't have an autistic child, but for a 3.5 year old, some great activities are playdo, painting (can be done with plain water outside on a hot day also!), coloring (my 3 yo loves to color with markers because she's big enough to FINALLY! LOL), stickers, building a Lego/block village. And don't forget to go outside plenty too...playing on a swingset or in a sandbox, walks around the neighborhood, looking at all the pretty flowers and new leaves coming out, watching the creek to try to see fish, just talking about everything around them. Another bonus to being outside is that it tires them out so they will nap or rest better in the afternoon.[:D]


He doesn't do too well with free play but than again even with his brother and sisters around he still doesn't play much or for too long.I cannot bring him outside to play either because He will run off on me into the street. He has no sense of fear and just runs so quickly you cannot keep up with him.I will have to try painting with him or seeing if he would like markers. He didn't show much interest in coloring with crayons.Its soo hard to amuse a child who is so different and doesn't play normally.



peculiar_lady2 -> RE: babysitting help (4/30/2008 10:53:30 AM)

quote:

Its soo hard to amuse a child who is so different and doesn't play normally.
but for a three year old, he IS playing "normal". I think you have it in your mind that he should be playing a lot longer then he is...but really, he shouldn't. If something interests him for a good three minutes, then that's exactly where his attention span should be for his age. He sounds very normal for his age....even the no fear of the street thing and wanting to run off when you go outside....totally normal for his age.



PrincessDonna -> RE: babysitting help (4/30/2008 12:05:47 PM)

I agree with Sarah. And I'd also encourage you to continue to try to take him outside. If he's the only child you're watching, you keep a constant hand on his little body, and you choose your outings carefully, it could end up being wonderful for both of you! Kids need that fresh air and running around outlet...you'll just have to pick places where he can't get into trouble before you can get to him...a fenced in park or playground would be good until you can lay the ground rules for him (he MUST stay within a specified area unless he is holding your hand, we always look both ways before crossing the street...and involve him even though you are the one making the decision of when it is safe to cross). If you truly find it unsafe to be out and about with him, see what his parents think of a harness during this training time. My daughter has one like THIS.



sunshine4God -> RE: babysitting help (5/5/2008 1:00:05 PM)

quote:

ORIGINAL: peculiar_lady2

quote:

Its soo hard to amuse a child who is so different and doesn't play normally.
but for a three year old, he IS playing "normal". I think you have it in your mind that he should be playing a lot longer then he is...but really, he shouldn't. If something interests him for a good three minutes, then that's exactly where his attention span should be for his age. He sounds very normal for his age....even the no fear of the street thing and wanting to run off when you go outside....totally normal for his age.


Thanks for your advice and I am sorry for thinking he wasn't normal.I have been babysitting him every Monday for a while,and see him playing more and more with me.Today he even played on the computer for a while. His mom says she is going to put together a basket of toys for him to play with when I watch him during the summer.She doesnt want him glued to the tv either.



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