“I work with Ori, a charming 5 year-old with autism,” says a Kindergarten OT when asked about working with Timocco.
Ori is considered to be at a moderate to high functioning level and has difficulties with self-regulation and organization. Even when performing activities he is familiar with, he has problems because of these difficulties. Furthermore, Ori doesn’t stay focused for long periods of time and is easily distracted. In the kindergarten, Ori uses communication cards to express his wants and needs.
In Timocco we play “What’s Next?” where he has to choose the correct sequence of events in daily tasks such as waking up and making lunch.
At first it was difficult for him to understand the sequences, but after we played a few times, he started enjoying the game and now he asks to play it. On days that Ori comes to kindergarten unfocused, playing the game during therapy helps him get organized. I think this might be because he has to regulate his movements while playing.
In addition, this game is also a communicative practice for him. As opposed to the iPad that he uses and plays with alone; when he plays Timocco he shows me what he is doing and initiates conversation and interaction.
I like Timocco because it uses a media that appeals to all children and if I can use it for therapy, that’s even better – it’s therapeutic from the design through to the contents.
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