Gameschooling for Special Needs

[WoolC]

I’m realizing that when I try to remediate various skills with ds (10 years old, ASD2) head on I get a lot of resistance and shut downs, but when I come at it in game format we get a lot further.  There are some great game, project and activity threads on the main boards, but I thought we could get a list going here highlighting how particular games address different special needs.  Games that address building narrative skills, emotional regulation, interoception, social skills, speech, dyscalculia, dyslexia, working memory, etc.  We can share our fun finds here and get a list going.  What games are you enjoying now and what skills are they hitting?  
 

I’ve ordered these games in attempt to work on narrative skills.  I’ll come back and update with how it goes.

Once Upon a Time card game 

https://www.amazon.com/Atlas-Games-ATG1030-Once-Upon/dp/1589781317/ref=sr_1_1?dchild=1&keywords=Once+upon+a+time+game&qid=1587556523&sr=8-1

Dixit 

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/2914849656/ref=ox_sc_saved_title_1?smid=ATVPDKIKX0DER&psc=1

Story Sequence Cards (I’m hoping to use these along with the SGM Critical Thinking Triangle activities)

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07W82PST9/ref=ox_sc_saved_title_5?smid=A2PNNQC3I376C4&psc=1

The Memory Palace should hit narration skills and memory

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B01CCIS5JK/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o00_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

We’re using a lot of math games as well.  The usual ones like Prime Climb, Proof, Kanoodle, Tangoes, Let’s Play Math

I’d love to find games that hit the emotional regulation, flexible thinking skills but in a less head on way.  I have a ton of the Social Thinking and AAPC books and resources but they totally shut my ds down.

[PeterPan]

12 minutes ago, WoolC said:

 I have a ton of the Social Thinking and AAPC books and resources but they totally shut my ds down.

I've tried a lot of workers (SLPs, intervention specialists, psychs, keep going) who want to work on social, work on social, like just in bam directly, using language, right now, because I said to. And yes, that's what it consistently does, shutting him down. Now my ds has apraxia, so I'm not sure what part is what in the mix. But yes, shut down, locked up every time. But when you get a behaviorist, someone who actually MAKES DATA and thinks in terms of CAUSE/EFFECT (antecedent and behavior), surprise surprise they DON'T DO THAT. 

So a behaviorist, to get at those skills, goes in so quietly, playing alongside, and then there's sort of oh btw and the conversation happens. Never forced, pushed, or on the spot.

I also think that if you look at the *most antecedent* or most foundational skill, it really has to be interoception/self awareness every time. If you're self-aware and have communication tools (speech, aac, picture cards, whatever) you can self advocate. But if you aren't self aware and able to communicate, you're definitely screwed, definitely going to shut down or have to go along or something. So when I see my ds shutting down, I look for what's NOT happening, and that self-advocacy is what's not happening. That ability to say I feel stressed, I need a break. Or I could do this IF I had this tool to help me stay calm or deal with my fidgeting. Also I think the therapists are just too brash and don't really have a clue what they're doing. They don't. They just bought some stupid curriculum.

So another thing you'll see successful people doing is having that social thinking conversation while the kid is getting sensory. It's another strategy that works, again because the person took the time to notice antecedent and behavior.

I'm with you on all your games. I've never bought Memory Palace. Is it fun? I've looked at it, just never bought. We went through a stage a year or two ago where we were crazy with *cooperative* games. They got us over some major hurdles with attitude and losing. The Secret Room is like that. I think it's compared to Memory Palace, but I think like you say MP goes more narrative, not sure. Could be really cool for us. 

It's also possible to make up little games to target your skills. You could buy the SGM pdfs of the icons and paste them onto die and roll for games. That way you could customize to what you're working on. Or print them on cards and take turn drawing parts. Or story war, flipping two and making those parts to match a picture. I've been collecting story picture sets, things we could do that with. It's on my list of grand intentions. 

Ok, that Once Upon a Time deck is amazing! That could get really creative and elicit beautiful language. I'll bet our kids could enjoy that for a long time. So if you want something *simpler* that would possibly elicit simpler syntax or hit your social thinking goals as well, you might look at the various story/conversation cards by Eboo. I hit jackpot at a shop this Christmas and got some but haven't tried them yet. Timberdoodle is selling some. Ignore the age it says this kit is for. It's just an example. https://timberdoodle.com/products/create-a-story-volcano-island

He's doing really well if he can play Prime Climb! 

So my ds likes games, and we used to play a TON of games, like all games, everything seemingly via games, lol. He's 11 1/2 now and he does really well with workbooks. I print them out page by page and make packets, so it's just like in, boom, out, very low stress. We can get a scad of work done that way. And I'm all for games, absolutely. But we were able to get that in as well. It's allowing us to shift toward games for leisure. So this past week we learned backgammon together and played that each day. There are still good skills integrated, but it's more of a focus on leisure skills, having something (besides nerf and zelda) he can do with other people. 

Another thing that is working well for him now is mysteries. It's sort of the same reason games work, I guess. 

https://www.amazon.com/Fabulous-Math-Mysteries-Resist-Grades/dp/0439175402/ref=sr_1_2?dchild=1&keywords=scholastic+math+mysteries&qid=1587559031&sr=8-2  this is the one we're doing right now, and it's very engaging.

I don't know if you've looked into Kelly Mahler's interoception materials, but the work is activity/game/exploration driven. You might find it goes over well. She has her online training on sale and the curriculum has optional activity cards. 

I also think what happens in the shut down is they think they're not *allowed* to self-advocate. Like one time I told ds to comply, go along, blah blah, when he was going into a session with someone. Net effect was he let them drive, them say what to do, and he didn't push back when he NEEDED to. So finally the person maxed him out and it got bad. And the point is, with some of these kids it's always back to self-advocacy and self-awareness.

So as far as games, I have leisure games and educational games. I finally split them into two places because my closet was messy. My ds doesn't really choose educational games for himself. So if it's going to work on spelling, geography, sequential problem solving, whatever, he's not going to choose it. But when we need pairing, leisure, a break, etc. that's the leisure game section. And maybe for some kids those overlap, but not my ds. That means that if I'm bringing in those educational games, even games that should have been "fun" (like the logic games Timberdoodle sells), it's still a compliance, pairing, keep working with me kind of thing. 

In other words, it's really hard if the expectation is that everything is HIGHLY PREFERRED. So I also play LESS preferred games. 

We've also been doing well lately with game style materials from LakeShore Learning. So I got some crossword puzzle kits that use tiles, that kind of thing. Geography Bingo. 

So you see how at that point I can go worksheet to less preferred game to more preferred game. Then I get a range of instruction, rather than letting it be that it always has to be a highly preferred game. So like for math, you might have three components to your session and two be games. But one game is less preferred (a really straightforward Ronit Bird game) and then the other is more preferred (a colorful game, Go Nuts, whatever).

I haven't used the game the SGM people sell. Maybe it's cool? I have some blank dice and grand intentions. 

Earlier this year we did a lot with games for giving descriptions and also charades. They're sort of verbal and nonverbal versions of the same thing. I have a little collection of these types of games, things with words or pictures you can act out or describe to have the other person guess. I got a smelling game (What's that Smell?) I want to play with him. The describing/charades games are easy, because you can just have a bin and do 2-3 of each kind each day. However I wouldn't describe that as preferred or something my ds would pick for leisure. When we're doing those, that's going to be a task on the list, the bin in the pile of things we're doing, and it just gets done. That's why it's going to be a small amount, over and over. My ds seems to do well with that dribbled, repeated approach, small chunks, gently increasing difficulty.

[WoolC]

9 minutes ago, HeighHo said:

are video and pc games out of the question?

No!  I’d be interested to hear about anything you’ve found helpful.  If we can get some ideas going I thought I’d make a master list organized by skills with links.  Might be helpful to have on hand.

[PeterPan]

http://social-skills-games.com/autism-games/ryuu-game/  I got this a while back and haven't tried it yet.

[PeterPan]

https://www.amazon.com/PlayMonster-Whats-Yours-Party-Orange/dp/B07F1K1Y6Y/ref=sr_1_3?dchild=1&keywords=what+is+it+game&qid=1587560386&sr=8-3  

https://www.amazon.com/WowWee-Whats-Smell-Party-Stinks/dp/B0794LSWH4/ref=sr_1_28?dchild=1&keywords=what+is+it+game&qid=1587560386&sr=8-28

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07VYVH18C/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&psc=1  These are a green zone bag thing for us, a tool for waiting.

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07DVGQW6K/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&psc=1  again, for waiting. Also look at Hanayama (much harder).

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00THT1ONM/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&psc=1  We're working through different Tangoes kits. They really stretch him to be calm, systematic, take breaks, haha.

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B005LTPQCC/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&psc=1  a little math, a lot of leisure, something adults will play. Also regular rummy.

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00IZ7FH1M/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&psc=1 Don't ask me why my ds likes this, but he does. Talk about working on your despair and calming, lol.

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B003WQPDW4/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&psc=1 leisure. There's a LakeShore Learning version (Allowance Game) that is overtly educational.

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1933745185/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&psc=1  There are lots of games in this vein. A friend sent me her old sentence scrabble. You can do sentence expansion games lots of ways, putting parts of speech onto dice, whatever. Nuts, the Super Sentence workbook from (Scholastic?) even has games included. They'll call them work center, but they're little games. They're just not going to be preferred/leisure games.

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0615638996/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&psc=1  overt

https://www.lakeshorelearning.com/products/stem/building-engineering/create-a-chain-reaction-stem-kit-grspan-stylewhite-space-nowrap3-5-span-master-set/p/PP849  this is AWESOME. Really nicely conceived, able to be done in chunks, great exploration. Again, not something he necessarily walks up to me and asks for, but he engages and begins his own explorations with it. And if you do it a couple structures at a time once a week, you'll have several months of instruction. Could be paired with a K'nex bridge kit, a book about bridges, books about physics, whatever. Well don't do the K'nex at the same time, but I like K'nex kits too. I'm just really in the groove with this Chain Reactions kit right now. Really well done, easy to implement, not frustrating for fine motor. Big winner. 

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00000IUFA/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&psc=1 Secret Door

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B01H4CZQ14/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&psc=1  blank playing cards

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00B5OL28Y/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&psc=1 lazer maze, solitaire chess, etc. 

Have you tried any of the shorter Ticket to Ride games? 

 

 

[PeterPan]

2 minutes ago, HeighHo said:

https://www.fablevisionlearning.com/creativity-blog/2019/2/a-game-for-building-flexible-thinking-skills-and-tolerance-for-ambiguity  

https://www.verywellfamily.com/fortunately-unfortunately-a-storytelling-game-2086709

 

The collaborative drawing sounds fun. Challenging, but fun. I've been thinking you could do the same thing with writing, where you have your story grammar parts and roll and write, taking turns.

The fortunately/unfortunately I think could be amped up to the next stage of narrative by asking them to add the *feelings* or response. And you could of course put the words on dice to make it more random/chaotic. Then introduce a wild card of another element.

Improv/acting games. I had had a tab open in my browser for this and it got shut, oops. It was on my grand intentions list. https://spolingamesonline.org/  This might have been it. So I haven't done these with him, but ds did really well with the Hunter Heartbeat Shakespeare class he did at the university. It would be possible to weave improve into the week in small dribbles, or you could do it as one session a week.

That's really my thing now that I'm trying to do better at is having something fab/special each day. So sewing school one day, etc. etc. We can't get to everything every day.

[Lecka]

On Social Thinking, for my 11-year-old, I own the pre-school level and have gone through various parts of it, and he has done various parts of it in therapy.

I think it’s really, really good.  It’s seeming a little young or just like he’s gone through a lot of it, now.  But I don’t rule out going through some part of it again.

Then when I look at everything past the pre-school level — it looks way too advanced, or, if not too advanced, just not a good fit.  It looks good for what it is, for sure, but I feel like it’s a good fit for other kids but not for my son.  Maybe he will age into it later or it will seem like a better sense later.

I have definitely heard of people using their materials years (years!) behind the recommended age levels and having them really be good when the time is right.

For a new resource we just found — a podcast called Grimm, Grimmer, Grimmest.  This is for my son who recently ended a Goosebumps obsession!  Anyway — we listened a lot yesterday!  I think he will re-listen and I may be able to come up with some questions or comprehension activities after we listen a few times.

He asked me “what does selfish mean” and we had a short conversation about that.  One of the episodes is great for discussing being selfish.  It is called “The Iron Stove.”  It’s one of those things that is really engaging and also really helps to explain a difficult concept like that.  I am planning to re-visit it so we can talk about it more, maybe it will sink in more, etc.  

[Lecka]

My husband also got a set of Contra games (a video game) they can play together.

Here are things we have worked on in the past, so this can actually go well and be enjoyable.

One, agreeing on what level to play.

Two, agreeing on what characters to play.  Not getting mad if the other person doesn’t want to play the character my son wants the other person to play.  Being okay if my husband wants to be a certain character my son also wants to play.

Three, if my son dies and my husband keeps playing, my son can handle it.  
 

Four, just a lot of general agreeableness about where to go or how to fight the boss, when there is a choice and they need to cooperate in some way.  
 

We hope this will be a route for him to make friends sometime.  He can play with my older son and husband now, which is a huge improvement here.  

[Lecka]

These games look cool!!!!!!

[WoolC]

There are so many awesome games here!  This will keep me busy for awhile.

PeterPan, the Ryuu game looks really interesting and right up my son’s alley.  Is it overwhelming to get started?  I actually do have the SGM game package but you have to print out the instructions so I haven’t gotten around to that...I do so much better when everything I need is in the box, lol.

Thanks so much for sharing everyone!  

[PeterPan]

45 minutes ago, WoolC said:

PeterPan, the Ryuu game looks really interesting and right up my son’s alley.  Is it overwhelming to get started?

It's on my pile of things to try with him. He was definitely too young when I bought it a few years ago, but I think now he'd be great with it. I overheard some therapists saying they found it squishy for them, because they wanted to be able to control/organize. I think if I approach it as see what we glean from it, then we won't care, lol.

[Terabith]

We've gotten SOOOO much mileage out of Dungeons and Dragons and Pathfinder.  It inspired art, writing, math, tons of reading, writing stories about characters, fantastic for social skills.  It was literally life changing for Cat.  

[happycc]

Terabith: my one son loves Dnd and my younger one loves Hero kids but I just can’t lead these games. Do you know any good dmers remote with their own groups? 

[Terabith]

I don’t know any who are accepting new players right now.  I know Outschool is running some?

[happycc]

Yup we just got into the weekly Hero Kids class Monday nights. Yeehah. 

Looking for a weekly DND class for my older one and maybe for the younger one if he can hang. I am thinking not for now. 

Dungeon World By Latorra and Koebel might be the in between level that might work better. If you know anyone who can lead Dungeon World let me know.