Parents' experiences of introducing everyday object use to their children with autism.
Parents of autistic kids work twice as hard to teach cup or spoon use, but naturalistic imitation with sensory toys can cut that effort.
01Research in Context
What this study did
Honey et al. (2005) talked to parents about teaching kids to use cups, spoons, and toys. They compared parents of autistic children with parents of kids who had similar delays. The team asked open-ended questions and looked for common themes in the answers.
What they found
Autism parents said the task felt harder and took longer. They used more steps, more prompts, and more practice sessions. Parents of other delayed children needed fewer tricks to get the same result.
How this fits with other research
Ingersoll et al. (2006) shows one way to lighten the load. They taught preschoolers with autism to copy everyday play actions in the living room. All five kids learned quickly and also gained words and eye contact. The 2006 paper gives you a ready-made method for the exact struggle Emma’s parents described.
Harrop (2015) adds a warning: most parent-training studies skip daily living skills like using a cup. Reviews rarely measure object use, so you may need to add your own targets and data sheets.
Ingersoll et al. (2003) explains why sensory toys help. Kids with autism copied actions better when the toy lit up or made noise. Typical kids did fine with either kind. Pick sensory objects first and you may cut teaching time.
Why it matters
You now know parents feel the pain before you see the data. Start by asking, “Which daily objects are hardest at home?” Then borrow the naturalistic script from Ingersoll et al. (2006): model, wait, give a playful cue, and praise any imitation. Use sensory toys when you can. Track trials so you can show progress and reduce parent stress.
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02At a glance
03Original abstract
A semi-structured interview study, investigating the acquisition of everyday object use in children with autism and developmentally matched controls, is presented. Parents were asked to describe how their child currently used various everyday objects during mealtime and washing routines, the process by which this came about, and any problems encountered in attempting to introduce appropriate object use. Following transcription, the interviews were treated using a method combining phenomenological and content analysis. The statements generated were condensed, using progressive categorization, into three tables of summary statements. These represented the different sources of influence on the children's object use and the problems parents experienced in attempting to guide their child's actions. Relative to comparison groups, parents of children with autism reported that they experienced more problems and used more intensive teaching methods, and that their children were less actively involved. The findings are discussed in relation to the influence of other people in shaping object use and implications for intervention programmes.
Autism : the international journal of research and practice, 2005 · doi:10.1177/1362361305057869