Visualization

Visualization is the art of thinking about something pleasant to bring on good thoughts and feelings. We use photographs of our family to make us feel good when we are at work. Art and color can elicit calm or happy feelings. Visualization is very personal and so must be very individualized, what is calming for you may not be calming to some one else.

One way to use visualization is through the use of a Happy Book (Attwood, 2000). A Happy Book is a small photo album filled with photographs of things that make the person with autism feel happy and calm. For example, you may put pictures of mom and dad in the book or a picture of the family dog or even a favorite food. One student used pictures of his family cabin and one of himself sitting on the dock in the sunshine with his feet in the water. The Happy Book should be small and portable so that it can be carried in a backpack, put in a desk or carried to church. The pictures can be changed as interests and preferences change.

Another way to prompt visualization is to use a large picture of a place that is particularly comfortable and calming for the person with autism. An example is posting a picture of the ocean on the wall next to someone’s desk, or a picture of the person’s bed with her favorite stuffed animal on it. It is helpful to laminate the special picture so that it can survive being handled over time.

Exercise

Exercise is a very natural way to reduce stress in the body. Exercise routines that are enjoyable for the person can be built into a daily schedule both at school and at home. Some common examples are running, walking, bouncing, bike riding. Swimming is a wonderful life long exercise that can be used as a daily relaxation routine. Adaptive swim programs have had success with water aerobics and the use of therapeutic water temperatures to increase the relaxing benefits of swimming.

Some school programs have had success with repetitive aerobics routines done to pleasurable music. There are many popular musical video tapes that can be used to teach aerobics routines to both children and adolescents.

Power walking can easily be worked into a daily routine and can include long walks outside or scheduled walks through the school building. A pedometer is a fun addition to any power walking routine. The person can have a chart and keep track of how many miles they have walked. One classroom kept track of all their miles with a goal to “walk” from their town to a neighboring town 25 miles away. They drew a map and moved their virtual guy every Friday during their wellness celebration.

One ticket to using exercise to reduce stress is to make sure it is a pleasurable activity for the person. A good way to make it pleasurable is to increase its social value by having valued others participate too. This may mean the whole 3rd grade engages in power walking or a favorite caregiver goes to the YMCA with the person and participates in the water activity. Another important part of a successful exercise program is to schedule the activity on a regular basis. Swimming may happen only a couple times a week at the YMCA whereas power walking can happen every day at 10:00.