Night Elf Posted June 14, 2012 Share Posted June 14, 2012 We need something fun to do, something to play or build. Here's a quick run down: He has Aspergers. He loves video games but has been having a hard time playing them lately because of OCD. He is a Lego fan and has a 6-ft table with a city layout, but he doesn't create anymore. He tried an Erector set but had a really hard time with it because it required more fine motor skills than he has. He isn't a reader. He doesn't like tv except for Mythbusters and Top Gear. He likes board games but we need a new activity to get him out of a horrible rut. His two favorites are Uno and Taboo. He doesn't like the outdoors because of insects and critters. He likes puzzles but he's currently burned out. He's very logical and practical. He isn't big into fantasy and imagination. I cannot think of anything! I'm playing one video game with him that isn't affected by his OCD but I'm not good at it. (Wii Super Mario Bros.) He is letting me read a book aloud at night but that only occupies us for about 30 minutes. He seems to be depressed more and his doctor already increased his OCD med. I need to call her and try to figure something else out. Any suggestions? I feel like we're really stuck here as his world is so limited. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
meena Posted June 14, 2012 Share Posted June 14, 2012 Since he's very logical and practical, what about practical arts such as cooking, sewing, building, basic mechanics--i.e. getting an old appliance (clock, cell phone, computer, whatever) and taking it apart/putting it back together? Is he interested in any sports? Fantasy leagues can be fun, as well as just tracking players and stats. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
happygrrl Posted June 14, 2012 Share Posted June 14, 2012 This is my 15yo in a nutshell! I'll be watching this thread. :bigear: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stacia Posted June 14, 2012 Share Posted June 14, 2012 Don't know if any of these would be good suggestions, but... Sudoku puzzles (or similar types like Hidato, ...) Greatest Dot-to-Dot puzzle books (dd likes doing these while listening to music) Are there any craft type kits you could find at JoAnn's that he might enjoy (something like rug-hooking, string art, etc...)? Going to an indoor gym or indoor pool? Go bowling? (Can get AMF summer passes for adults for $30 & it allows up to four people to play 2 games a day all summer.) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wheres Toto Posted June 14, 2012 Share Posted June 14, 2012 Has he ever seen Games magazine? New puzzles and games every month. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chris in VA Posted June 14, 2012 Share Posted June 14, 2012 Could he start lifting weights? Sometimes keeping track of the statistics is right up an Aspie's alley. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
elegantlion Posted June 14, 2012 Share Posted June 14, 2012 I'll throw out some ideas: Does he like to draw at all? Helping with dinner Calligraphy Chinese Brush painting yoga shogi (japanese chess) - we just got this Minecraft making furniture or craft projects refinishing furniture walking for an end goal (amount of time, miles walked) helping with projects: Organizing bookshelves rearranging furniture washing windows brushing pets organizing photos time wasters: movie marathons Top Gear marathon Mythbusters marathon Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LNC Posted June 14, 2012 Share Posted June 14, 2012 We need something fun to do, something to play or build. Here's a quick run down: He has Aspergers. He loves video games but has been having a hard time playing them lately because of OCD. He is a Lego fan and has a 6-ft table with a city layout, but he doesn't create anymore. He tried an Erector set but had a really hard time with it because it required more fine motor skills than he has. He isn't a reader. He doesn't like tv except for Mythbusters and Top Gear. He likes board games but we need a new activity to get him out of a horrible rut. His two favorites are Uno and Taboo. He doesn't like the outdoors because of insects and critters. He likes puzzles but he's currently burned out. He's very logical and practical. He isn't big into fantasy and imagination. I cannot think of anything! I'm playing one video game with him that isn't affected by his OCD but I'm not good at it. (Wii Super Mario Bros.) He is letting me read a book aloud at night but that only occupies us for about 30 minutes. He seems to be depressed more and his doctor already increased his OCD med. I need to call her and try to figure something else out. Any suggestions? I feel like we're really stuck here as his world is so limited. Stop action animation! With Legos or any theme he likes... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Trilliums Posted June 14, 2012 Share Posted June 14, 2012 My boys have aspie traits. Having one or two good friends locally has helped them a lot, but this has taken time and effort. Some activities that have worked for them: Sports: Tae kwon do gymnastics (freestyle/parkour not competitive gymnastics) rock climbing pool with water features (lazy river, sprayers, etc) General inside activities: Nerf in basement Mindstorm robotics Table top Role Playing Games like Dungeons and Dragons. Munchkin (a card game with D&D aspects to it) Heroica (altered to be more like D&D) Order of the Stick a webcomic satire or RPGs (some mature content, but nothing extreme that I have seen). They enjoyed the Bone graphic novel a bit ago (Jeff Smith). One of my sons loves the Murderous Maths series by Kjartan Poskitt. Audio books--librivox, library downloads, library CDs Online classes through Coursera and Udacity. The Coursera comp sci 101 was great!! Game maker (free download then make your own side scrolling games) Minecraft online multiplayer game (IRL friend plays this together with them and they skype when they cannot get together) Powder Toy online chemistry/physics simulator outdoor activities: Tree swing. My kids love this. In nice weather DS reads out there or listens to audio books. One of my boys gets a headache when he is out in the sun, luckily we have a swing in a shady spot. He did start a garden this year also so he checks on that regularly. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Desert Rat Posted June 14, 2012 Share Posted June 14, 2012 My 12 yo loves intricate coloring books. He particularly likes architectural pictures and designs, stained glass, mandalas. I have found some really good inexpensive ones at Rainbow Resource-castles, tapestries, etc. Coloring is also theraputic and relaxing to many people. Model building? He has trouble with fine motor skills, but how about simpler kits? We're going to try our first rocket build soon. If he likes numbers and statistics, maybe he can help a swim team or track team keep track of times and numbers? Sorry he's in a tough spot. I hope he finds some joy soon! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Night Elf Posted June 15, 2012 Author Share Posted June 15, 2012 Thank you for the ideas. I showed him the responses. He's not keen on hands-on stuff like mechanics or taking things apart. He said he wouldn't mind trying cooking as long as his hands don't have to touch food. I put out a 300 piece puzzle last night. I figured if I started it, he would drift over and help. And I can only handle smallish puzzles, hence the small size. :tongue_smilie: He took over and finished it in less than an hour. He loves 3D puzzles but they don't make them anymore! At least I can't find one. We have almost all of them I think that we have collected through the years. I think I'm going to lay one out this evening and see if he'll start on it. I'll use a big one so it should take him a couple of days. Plus, DH usually works with him and it's nice seeing the two of them doing something together. :) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DawnM Posted June 15, 2012 Share Posted June 15, 2012 Mine is similar. 14 year old Aspie here. The games he likes are strategy games though. Stratego, (he used to like Risk but finds it boring now,) Dungeons and Dragons, Magic Cards, Settlers, that sort of thing. He also likes stop motion, but hasn't done anything lately. He loves art. He typically carries around a sketch pad and a pencil. He does like to swim with friends or with his brothers. And he likes the outdoors WITH scouts, but won't pick outside when he is home. Do you have a scout troop? We do things all summer long. In fact, he is leaving for camp in 2 days and I need to do quite a bit today to get ready. Dh goes too so I don't worry as much. We did get passes to the local theme park. We have only gone once so far, but my plan is to go once per week because it gets them out and walking around and off electronics, etc.... Dawn Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AngieW in Texas Posted June 15, 2012 Share Posted June 15, 2012 My 19yo is Aspie and OCD. We love Pandemic. It's a fully cooperative board game. She gets really tense when playing any game face-to-face with people because she HAS to win. Pandemic is cooperative, so it doesn't stress her out. It's a really fun game to play and is completely different every time you play it, because the infected cities and combination of roles among the players and when you get the epidemics are different every time. Forbidden Island is another fun cooperative game. This one is tile-based. It isn't as good as Pandemic, but it's still a lot of fun and it is cheaper. We still play Pandemic (some combination of us) at least 4 or 5 times each week and we've had it for 2.5 months now. We played Forbidden Island a lot the first 3 or 4 weeks we had it and then dropped down to about 1x/week. It doesn't have as much staying power. Both games can be played by a single player (just take on at least 2 roles) and up to 4 players. My 19yo is still searching for things to do. She hates the outdoors, but goes out more than she used to since we got a porch swing. She is very much a fantasy person. She has a hard time reading anything that isn't on a computer screen now (pretty sure that's the OCD). She used to love anime/manga and that was great because there were so many others around here who love it, but that is now one of her OCD triggers and she gets very nervous when people start talking about it around her. I'm trying to get her to take a walk with me at least 3 or 4 times/week. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FriedClams Posted June 15, 2012 Share Posted June 15, 2012 How about learning computer programming? Photoshop? Photography? Drawing? Astronomy (fewer bugs at night)? Start a dog sitting business? Learn medical transcription? Start a blog? Couch to 5k - start running? Mow lawns? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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