Vertical Board Stencil Activity for Individual with Autism

Its easy to draw and cut out a simple stencil from a folder or other cardboard. Its so easy, I suggest making a new and different one every day for children or adults with or without developmental disabilities.
Explore positioning options. For example, the individual may
1. work at a table
2. on an angled book stand on the table
3. on the floor or
4 . work while standing at a white board as shown in the video.

This activity promotes the following skills:

1.       Visual attention to the materials since they are directly in front of one’s face

2.       Strengthening shoulders through reaching and pressing

3.       Stabilizing the stencil while coloring (bilateral hand skills)

4.       Eye-hand coordination

5.       Sensory stimulation to eyes, muscles, joints, vestibular system while pressing to color and wiping the board clean, as well as walking side to side and high/low to reach all parts of the board.

The client shown in the video loves pictures. She has a very limited vocabulary but “pictures” is one of her favorite words. Using stencils enables her to make her very own pictures while working on the above skills.

At first I asked her to form circles and crosses all over the white board. Then I decided to make it much more interesting and meaningful by using stencils. It takes a lot of trial and error to find successful activities, but its very rewarding when you do!  



Source: Vertical Board Stencil Activity for Individual with Autism by RecyclingOT