Little Coloured Bricks

Social skills are one factor that is so hard to teach to autistic kids. Oftentimes, these kids want to have friends but they don’t know how to connect with others.

Fortunately, Dr. Dan Legoff created the Lego therapy, Lego-based social development rehabilitation for kids with autism after studying groups of kids who are interested in the toy.

The Experiment

Under the supervision of therapists, a group of children will be playing together on a task that involves Lego, usually 5-17 years old. The therapist will show a picture of Legos in various positions (e.g a rocket or animated movie), then gradually putting all the pictures together. In this set-up, one child can act as the supplier of the toys while the other can be the planner describing the pictures and the other one can be the designer who puts the Lego bricks together. Over time, they will group together into pairs or threes, allowing practice of cooperation and expression of creative ideas. This method provides various benefits – both interpersonal and intrapersonal. It provides a challenging work with problem-solving schemes and brings out kid’s creativity, imagination and socialization. Practicing fine motor skills is another benefit which can be developed with Lego instead of drawing or coloring. You might be skeptical using Lego for autistic kids because of possible obsession over solving puzzle, but through proper guidance, it can be driven into positive outcomes because it is not a manipulated behavioral modification, it is an actual social setting for kids.

Legoff took his interest in Lego bricks and formed the Lego Club specific for children with autism. It is a rehabilitation center established to help autistic kids develop social skills. Although the whole idea is still under wraps, Lego therapy is a good start. Many highly-functional autistic children gradually showed lesser autism behavior and took more responsibility in school and had more confidence when approaching other people. Lego are ideal toys for children with the said ailment because it is highly structured and greatly contributes to their interest in systems.