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Please advise: what activities / hobbies for my 8-year old son with Aspergers?

G

GoodTimes

Well-Known Member
Hi-

I would love advice from adults or teenagers with Aspergers. My 8 year old son has Aspergers and he has alot of energy. He needs physical outlets. He is easily frustrated gets angry and screams and hits!

He is not a big fan of organized sports. What kinds of activities can i do with him?

Thank you,

Mike (Dad)
 
Try martial arts. I'm far from sporty but the challenge of trying to align my brain with my body kept me interested. It can be frustrating to not have your body go in the right direction but I found the challenge was fun and I found it engaged both mind and body. Also there is a lot of discipline in martial arts and a lot of emphasis on respect. The black belts were always someone to admire and aspire to be. They were people you wanted to respect. At least in the form of martial arts I practised.

Or maybe boxing or kickboxing. Would give him an outlet for his emotions as well. Then again I'm not sure if he has big tantrums if you want to arm him with this stuff.

I also enjoy things like painting ... I paint usually with my hands when I'm very emotional. I get really into it and very physical with my painting when I am very upset. Just maybe an idea. You might have the next big artist on your hands :)

hope this helps
 
I enjoyed carpentry, working on cars (tune ups, brake jobs, car audio), bowling, roller skating, swimming, archery
 
I second martial arts. My son recently started and it is the first physical activity I have really seen him enjoy. It definitely fosters respect and a sense of self accomplishment. And also works well as an outlet for the energy and emotions. I also think it is great in that his instructor expects quite during the class. I think it is teaching him to slow down on the motor mouth just a bit. Even if it is only for that one hour a day! LOL
 
GoodTimes said:
Hi-

I would love advice from adults or teenagers with Aspergers. My 8 year old son has Aspergers and he has alot of energy. He needs physical outlets. He is easily frustrated gets angry and screams and hits!

He is not a big fan of organized sports. What kinds of activities can i do with him?

Thank you,

Mike (Dad)
Click to expand...
Sounds like he's overstimulated, it's important to balance out some quiet time for him or it will get worse. some low light quiet time. Also try sunglasses outside it may be helpful to block out too much sensory. Tactile toys are great anything that's fun to touch. Also a dislike in sports may be coordination related ask yourself if he struggles with things like dysgraphia, drawing straight lines, or seems to pay more attention to his hands than the environment around him, he may be struggling. lots of people with ASD love sports. try fantasy teams too it might get him more involved, especially if he likes lists :) hope this helps.
 
I enjoyed bicycle riding and my model trains as a young child. While undiagnosed at that time, I did have AS. I also didnt care for normal sports that other boys my age played. I got into racing RC cars just before I got into my teens Mike
 
Plastic modelling. Involves creativity and patience without the stresses of socialization.
 
My son enjoys the "heavy work" such as cleaning or shoveling things or lifting heavy stuff. Though he doesn't do this all the time, but when he helps with yard work or house work he seems relaxed afterwards. He also loved gymnastics and the trampoline. Now I got him into playing drums and it is a chance for him to focus on rhythm and music. Now I just need to find an activity where he can socialize
 
Something he can do alone. I like to surf. He could ski, skateboard, climb, mountain bike, etc. I am hopeless at team sports, as well. If he gets his teeth into something, it could be a nice on ramp to friendships and maybe even employment. Aspies become ridiculously expert at their special interests. That translates into leadership in their group and can make them valuable employees.

Also, make sure he learns to fight. Martial arts are a good idea for anyone, especially someone who is different and others think is a good target for bullying. Sucks but that's the f**ed up world we live in. Just make sure he learns to think through any possible consequences of his actions, cause the weirdo who kicks someone's a$$ is pretty much always wrong, no matter what went down. Better than getting beaten, tho. Tends to keep it from happening again, also.

Dawn Marcotte said:
I would suggest swimming - my daughter loved the soothing feel of the water over her skin.
Click to expand...

One of my sensory issues is that I hate to sweat. Swimming or surfing is much more comfortable than getting itchy to the point of distraction and anger.
 
I would not try martial arts. the loud echo in the gym aspergers cant handle. My son has tried everything, he is an asberger and 12 years old. We learned sports is a no go. He tried fencing enjoyed it for a little. He now enjoys painting pottery at a local business. It's quite and orderly for him. he played chess for a short time and didint mind it. You might want to get a home gym: treadmill and such to work the energy off.
 
Hi GoodTimes!

For sports definitely martial arts, it's a great way to burn some energy and it teaches the importance of self control.
Also if he's into the more artsy side of things try to get him into clay. Clay can be a great outlet to get rid of energy and actually regain some focus. The whole motion of kneading and squeezing the clay might help him clam down, plus he'll get some awesome clay pieces out of it. I help teach art classes to kids over the summer and have seen great results from Aspie kids and kids with ADHD who try out clay and pottery for the first time. They focus in on making something, while loving the physical activity of kneading and squeezing and rolling clay, most are actually tuckered out by the end of the day.
 
My 5 yr old loves to swim and dig in the dirt that is about it for outside activities he is so busy so I understand where u are coming from
 
I used to care for hermit crabs, play with the family pet, color, draw, play 'chef' in the back yard (putting a bunch of dirt and leaves and mud blobs together and pretend it was food), play pretend with stuffed animals, write stories (i could barely write words but i acted like i could), listen quietly to quiet, soothing music, play a recorder instrument, make crafts, use play dough, help cook real food, read encyclopedias, watch national geographic or spongebob, play board games, look at pictures of special interest (in my case, animals), water houseplants, and play hide-and-go-seek. fun childhood.
 
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