Kids on the autism spectrum face daily challenges with motor skills, coordination, sensory input processing and social interaction. Therapists, support staff and parents for kids on the spectrum are often looking for innovative options for reinforcing necessary information, building gross motor skills and managing sensory challenges. One tool that some therapists and parents are finding beneficial is a trampoline. Here's a look at some of the benefits that trampolines offer for kids on the spectrum.

Building Motor Skills

Trampolines offer an array of movements that kids on the spectrum can use to help build motor skills. Not only does rebounding on a trampoline offer large muscle group development, but it can also help strengthen your joints and help improve balance. Since kids on the spectrum may also have low muscle tone or poor coordination, a trampoline is a great tool for developing those features, since it requires body control and balance. Additionally, the trampoline gives kids an opportunity to develop some understanding of how their body moves in response to outside forces, creating a greater understanding of their motor skills in general.

Developing Sensory Skills

Kids on the autism spectrum are often very sensitive to sensory stimuli. This can often lead to sensory overload when kids are in loud, cold, busy, or otherwise sensory-stimulating environments. A trampoline provides kids with an opportunity to focus their senses by channeling everything into the action of bouncing and moving their bodies. If your child needs help shutting out things around them, you can even add a trampoline tent to cover the area and shut out anything else that might be overwhelming.

Improving Concentration

Sometimes, kids on the autism spectrum experience impulse-control problems and hyperactivity. Daily workouts on a trampoline provide kids with an outlet for that energy without the risk of the high-impact activities, such as team sports. Since low muscle tone can make those activities a challenge, the low-impact of a trampoline can be an ideal choice. With an outlet for energy, kids on the spectrum may be able to focus more clearly on their social learning and life-skill training, which can require extensive effort and concentration.

Encouraging Engagement

Sometimes, kids on the spectrum need to have physical motion to help improve their information retention. For this reason, learning in a chair at a desk can be difficult. The multi-sensory approach that kids on the spectrum thrive with can often include things like bouncing on the trampoline while choosing chalk-written words on the base of the trampoline to finish sentences or while reciting memorization facts. The physical movement can help kids who need a multi-sensory learning approach because it keeps their muscles moving so that the brain can focus on the information it needs to process.

Trampolines are a great tool for kids who need to learn how to take direction, too. You can tell a child to jump a certain number of times then stop. The repetition of the "go" and "stop" instructions can provide essential developmental skills. For example, since kids on the spectrum struggle with social interaction, reinforcing the words "stop" and "go" can help kids understand how to follow guidance like this in social situations as well.

Trampolines can be a fun addition to any backyard, but if you have a child on the autism spectrum, they can also be a necessary therapy tool. Whether you're looking to develop social interaction abilities, motor skills or other needs, your child's physical therapist and developmental coach can help you determine if a trampoline would be a good addition to your home. In some cases, you may even find that the trampoline provides your child with a way to release stress and focus him or herself after a tough day. For more information on trampolines, contact a business such as Tree Frogs Wooden Swing Set Factory.