I have one autistic daughter who is very active and in need of resources which I am having problems finding. I am on a budget, so it's been hard to find activities that accept an autistic child. She has a hard time sitting down and needs to be in constant motion. She does need to work on coordination, social, and emotional skills (a common trait for most autistic children, so I've learned). My question is: Can you recommend some ballet classes, local sports activities, art classes, dance, tap, and such that is directed for autistic and special-needs children? I ask this also because even though there may be a number of activities and classes offered for children, some of them do not fit the needs of autistic children. It has been my experience that some places or some people are not able to handle all the needs of children and it has been very hard to find a place that does. Can you help in this area for other parents who might have the same concerns?

Thank you,

- Jeanette, proud mommy of 5-year-old Katie

Dear Jeanette,

Dr. Jacquie Wynn, director of the Center for Autism Spectrum Disorders at Nationwide Children's Hospital, provided the following answer: It is a great idea to enroll your daughter, who sounds active and energetic, in a range of activities in your community. Sports and art lessons often allow wonderful, structured opportunities to develop motor skills, attention/listening skills, behavior regulation skills and social skills for children with autism and other disabilities. Below is just a sampling of opportunities for these types of activities in our community that are geared toward children with special needs. Of course, it is recommended that you always call and speak with the director of the program to explain your child's specific needs to ensure it will be a good fit for your child. Also remember that you can often arrange for one-on-one lessons for swimming, musical instruments, gymnastics, horseback riding, etc. Occasionally, it also may be allowable for your child to attend a program with you serving as a 'helper' alongside your child. For example, you could accompany your child in the pool at swimming lessons or enroll in parent/child classes in sports like Tae Kwan Do and soccer. If these ideas do not work out, feel free to call our Center for Autism Spectrum Disorders, where an autism resource coordinator may be able to help you find other options: (614) 355-8315.

Yvette

Yvette:

I have a 15-month-old daughter who throws really bad temper tantrums. I have been consistent about trying to ignore them when I can. I also use time out as a tool. Time out works pretty well at home but doesn't offer a solution when we are in public. The thing I am having the hardest time with is that any time I take her hand to walk with me or stop her from running off, she immediately sits down and refuses to stand back up. The only way I can get her up off the ground is to pick her up, but I don't feel she is learning that it isn't okay for her to do that. It happens most when we are in public which makes it harder to deal with. She is getting so big and it is hard for me to carry her everywhere all the time. Plus, when I try to pick her up, she screams and tries to wiggle out of my arms. I want her to learn to walk while holding my hand, or to at least stop when I tell her to if she is walking by herself. Can you give me any practical advice to help? I am at my wits' end.

Thank you,

Redhead Mommy

Dear Redhead Mommy,

Temper tantrums are common at this age. The best advice for dealing with tantrums is to avoid them all together. Our experts at Nationwide Children's Hospital suggest the following:

Know your child's limits. Before taking her out somewhere, make sure she has been fed, had her nap, or that the errand won't run into her nap time. Have a toy for her to play with that can distract her.

Create opportunities for her success. Don't take her to places where she will be over-stimulated or expected to sit for long periods of time. Remember a long period for a 15-month-old can be an hour.

Make sure your child isn't acting up to get attention. Children crave their parents'­ attention, and negative attention is better than no attention at all. Look for opportunities to acknowledge your child's positive behavior.

Your daughter's need to walk by herself is a quest for independence. Children at this age are exploring and asserting themselves and frequently want to do things 'all by myself'. So instead of grabbing her hand, let her walk by herself assuming there is no danger in her doing so. If she starts to run, grab her hand for her safety. If she begins to throw a tantrum, let her. Assuming she is in a safe place and you can observe her, continue with your activities. Tantrums are no fun without an audience. And if you don't react, it is no longer a successful tactic for her. The important thing is for you to remain in control and understand she is a baby. Your response dictates her response. Don't reward the tantrum by your emotional response. It only reinforces the behavior.

Yvette

E-mail your parenting questions to Yvette at: ColumbusParent@ThisWeekNews.com.

Miracle League: Baseball for children with special needs and typically functioning buddies

ohiomiracleleague.org

Special-needs soccer program and soccer classes

http://www.osysa.com/Topsoccer.html

http://www.lockersoccer.com

Amigo Family Counseling Center: Dance lessons for girls on the autism spectrum (614) 310-1234

http://www.amigocounseling.com

The Ohio State University: Adapted sports programs

http://recsports.osu.edu/adapted.asp

Autumn Rose Farm: Special-needs horseback riding lessons

http://www.autumnrosefarm.com/

Camp Arye: Jewish Community Center of Greater Columbus (Special-needs summer camps)(614) 559-6266

www.columbusjcc.org

Camp Can Do: YMCA of Central Ohio (614) 543-9000, ext. 212

www.ymcacolumbus.org

Camp Recky: The Ohio State University Department of Recreational Sports (614) 688-8787

http://www.recsports.osu.edu/camps_summer.asp

Columbus Recreation & Parks Therapeutic Recreation Camps (614) 645-5648

www.columbusrecparks.com

Habilitation Services

(614) 840-0558

Northwest Kiwanis Special- needs Activity Camp for Kids (SNACK)

(614) 583-5302

Recreation Unlimited (740) 548-7006

www.recreationunlimited.org

Special-needs Hockey CCYHA/Special Hockey Association (ASHA)/USA Hockey

http://www.ccyha.org