Puzzle Making
Great idea for old cards and magazines.
Great visual perceptual and fine motor activity

What you will need:
Magazine with large pictures, cards with pictures, glue stick, heavy tag board (back of a notepad, thick enough to resist tearing, but okay to cut), scissors, marker

For kids learning letters and numbers, have your child draw or trace a large letter or number on a piece of construction paper to make alphabet/number puzzles.

What to do:
1. Have your child flip through the magazines or cards. Turning one page at a time will work on hand skills.
2. Select a picture and tear out the page, another good way to work on controlled bilateral hand skills.
3. Glue the picture onto the tag board and use both hands to smooth out the picture so there are not bubbles. Let it dry for a few minutes.
4. Flip the picture over and have the child or adult draw a few intersection lines with a marker (no more than 6-7 lines). You can have the child trace the adult lines if they are a practicing drawing.
5. Cut along the lines to make puzzle pieces. Make lines thicker for beginner cutters.
6. Mix up the pieces and try to put your puzzle together again!!!

If you have more than one child, you can have each child make one and then trade puzzles and challenge each other to figure them out.
To change the difficulty, you can use simple or complex pictures, maybe have them cut fewer or more lines. To make it really hard you can mix the pieces from two puzzles and try to put two puzzles together.

Recommended Readings
The Out-of Sync Child Has Fun
By Carol Stock Kranowitz, M.A., author of The Out-of-Sync Child
Filled with an abundance of playful activities that encourage sensory integration, Dr. Kranowitz's book is easy to follow and fun to use at home with your child. Suggested activities have been tried and tested by professional occupational therapists. Simple illustrations accompany the text. A great book to help provide a rich, sensory environment at home.

Biological Treatments for Autism and PDD
By William Shaw, Ph.D.
2002 edition
Updated and pertinent biomedical information to help the child with autism. With personal stories from families and news regarding medical analysis, lab work, theories, and treatments, Dr. Shaw's book is an easy-to-read and invaluable resource in this field. Available online at www.greatplainslaboratory.com/book.html