Big and Little
Hands On IdeasSubmitted by Jennifer Crawford
Idea: Many children with autism are tactile and concrete learners. In order for them to grasp a concept they must be able to hold the concept you are trying to teach them in their hands. This way of teaching big and little is fun for them.
The way to teach this skill is to gather a variety of items that you have laying around the house or school that are somewhat identical, but vary in respect to size. For example: Crayons, Pencils, Scissors, Lego, Construction Paper.
Teaching Example: You need to take two lego’s of the same color. Then choose a big lego and a little lego. Place the items out on the table or floor. Tell the child that one is big and one is little. Have them hold each one and take a moment to process what the object is and feel it in their hands. Now lay the items back out on the table. The ask the student to receptively give you the little lego. Then do the same for the big lego. Once the child has started to grasp the concept then you can introduce different items into the trial.As the child gets real comfortable with this way of teaching you can now take it a step further. You can now have the child begin to sort items by big and little. This is a GREAT way to work on this skill.
Note: You also need to talk about big and little every chance you get when the child is in the environment you are working in. This can be done in the natural setting very easily.