Lori Williams has asked us to share the post below.  Williams says “Very excited about this! Please spread the word to families, teachers, therapists, schools and organizations. You can check out my website www.simplyfun.com/loriwilliams for more details. You can also LIKE my facebook page Simplyfun, Lori Williams, Independent Consultant-Playologist to keep up-to-date on what’s new with Simplyfun!”

SimplyFun’s Mapping Project

It is often difficult to know what games a child with autism or other special needs might like, or even if a game can be modified to compensate for or build on the child’s abilities.

The purpose of the SimplyFun’s Mapping Project is to help you make informed decisions about whether a game will be appropriate for your child.  Each Simply Fun game has been analyzed to determine whether it might be a good fit for a child with autism, or similar characteristics.  The mapping first outlines some of the major characteristics of children with autism.  Eleven social, communication, cognitive, and behavioral characteristics are identified that children may demonstrate:

1. Appears to ignore others’ communication and/or has difficulty giving eye contact to a communication partner
2. Has difficulty understanding complex verbal directions




3. Uses vocabulary inaccurately or demonstrates echolalia (repeating another’s speech)
4. Gets stuck repeating a verbal topic or physical actions and/or has difficulty attending to others’ actions or topics
5. Has difficulty producing speech/communication
6. Has difficulty sequencing multistep actions or doing complex abstract tasks
7. Demonstrates difficulty initiating and maintaining social interaction
8. Acts out or demonstrates avoidance behaviors when frustrated, overwhelmed, or needs more sensory input
9. Has a short attention span for non-preferred activities
10. Needs sameness or consistent routines and/or has difficulty with transitions from one activity to another
11. Has difficulty understanding others’ feelings and intentions, and the reasons for others’ actions

Children with autism and other disabilities may exhibit several or even all of the above characteristics to varying degrees.  SimplyFun’s mapping enables you to examine a game related to each of the characteristics relevant for your child.   To access information on individual games, select the game in SimplyFun’s online catalog then select that tab marked ‘autism’. This will bring up the full panel of information on the characteristics outlined above.  Next identify the characteristics that apply to your child. The chart will first indicate if the game is appropriate or inappropriate for a child with this characteristic to play.  If it is appropriate, examples of modifications for making the game more enjoyable are offered related to the specific characteristic listed.   After checking out recommendations for the characteristics that apply to your child, you will have a good idea whether the game, with suggested modifications, is a good match for your child.

SimplyFun’s goal is to provide parents, educators and therapists with information to allow for a solid match of skills, fun and learning for all children!   For more information on playing games with children with autism, please see Toni Linder’s blog on ‘Game Play and Autism.’

Find the game that’s right for you here.

About the Author

Dr. Toni Linder is Professor Emeritus at the Morgridge College of Education at the University of Denver in Denver, CO. She is nationally and internationally known for her work on behalf of young children and their families.