September 21, 2021

Fall Activities for Autism Families

Fall is here, and with the new season comes a lot of opportunities for family activities! For most of us, family time is on the top of our priorities list, but more often than not we find ourselves stressed, planning these activities while juggling therapies, work, and homework. This week, I’ll be sharing a list of places you can visit while on a budget, as well as some cool things you can do with your child/children including those on the spectrum. These are some suggestions and can be modified to fit your family’s needs.

Places to visit:

- Aquariums
- Zoos
- Corn Mazes
- Beach/Lake
- Library Story-time (also available virtually for most states)
- Local children’s museum
- Nature hike
- Park/Picnic
- Indoor Playgrounds

Activities:

- Movie Night (can be a short film or cartoon)
- Family Game Night
- Interactive Games-basketball, soccer, kickball, etc.
- Painting/Drawing
- Making Slime
- Baking cookies, cake, cake pops, etc.
- Build puzzles or mazes
- Making Playdoh (there are some edible recipes in case your child is tempted to eat it)
- Backyard camping (you can get super creative and roast marshmallows, tell stories, etc.)
- Makeovers
- Play with your child with their favorite toys
- Pillow Fight
- Cook a meal with your child

As a behavior analyst, I always look for ways to generalize what your child has learned in their ABA program into functional routines. This means that you can always be working on what your child has been learning, out in the real world! Feel free to target some of the following programs naturally with your child, and don’t forget to reinforce them when they do something well.

- Identifying common/novel objects
- Labeling common/novel objects
- Labeling actions in others or self
- Labeling emotions & feelings
- Answering questions
- Engaging in conversation
- Asking for help
- Asking for information
- Following instructions
- Taking turns
- Sharing
- Coping strategies
- Perspective taking
- Organization

Elizabeth Gudiel, M.A., BCBA
Clinical Director, Salt Lake City

View Our Previous Blog Posts

September 8, 2026

7 Famous People with Autism Who've Shared Their Diagnosis

An autism diagnosis never determines your success. For many of the most creative, driven, and groundbreaking minds in history, it may have been the very thing that fueled it. An intense focus, pattern recognition, and a willingness to see the world differently are not limitations. They're superpowers. And when a person with autism is given the right support and space to grow, truly incredible things can happen.

September 8, 2026

What Is DRA in ABA Therapy? (Differential Reinforcement of Alternative Behavior)

Every time your child wants to play with a toy, they have big emotions until they get it. At school, when presented with difficult work, they might run away. These are all examples of behaviors your child might exhibit to serve a communicative purpose. They might need something or want your attention. Or maybe they just want access to an opportunity. Whatever the behavior might be—it works, so it continues. Sometimes, we as adults may reinforce these behaviors without realizing it.

September 8, 2026

The 7 Dimensions of ABA Therapy (Baer, Wolf & Risley, 1968)

What guides every intervention in Applied Behavior Analysis (ABA) therapy?The 7 dimensions of ABA.Think of ABA therapy like a multi-dimensional figure. It has many angles, perspectives, and ways to evaluate it. That is exactly what the dimensions do. They give clinicians and families a complete way to see how well an intervention is working, from every angle.

September 8, 2026

Errorless Learning in ABA: How and Why Behavior Therapists Use It

In Applied Behavior Analysis (ABA) therapy, errorless learning is a way to teach new skills by giving the right amount of support from the very beginning.When your child with autism is learning something new, mistakes are part of the process. But for some kiddos, too many mistakes too quickly can feel uncomfortable, frustrating, or discouraging. The last thing we want is for your child to shut down, guess, avoid the task, or lose confidence before the skill has a chance to grow. That's where errorless learning can help.

September 8, 2026

Stimming and Autism: What It Is, Why It Happens, and When to Support It

Have you noticed your child rocking, flapping their hands, or making the same sounds on repeat?What you’re observing is called stimming. Stimming (short for self-stimulating behavior) refers to repetitive motions, sounds, or interactions with objects, and it’s far more common than you may think. In fact, close to 44% of people with autism engage in some form of stimming.

September 3, 2026

What Are the Benefits of Center-Based ABA Therapy? What Parents Should Know

If your child recently received an autism diagnosis, the next steps can feel exciting in some ways. Now, your child has access to all the support they need. But after that diagnosis comes a fresh set of questions, one of them being: what's the right next step? To help you understand if your kiddo is a good fit for center-based ABA therapy, we'll cover: the definition of center-based ABA, the benefits of center-based ABA, and the key differences between center-based and in-home ABA.