How to keep your child under control in public

by Anna
(The Special Life)

If you're a parent of a child with autism, aspergers, add or adhd, then chances are you dread to go out with your kid, right?

If your child is anything like mine, then he's okay for a while, but then can lose it quickly, especially if he's tired or hungry.

And when he loses it, he can get very loud and very out of control - the last thing you want to deal with when you're in public.

In desperation one day, I found a game on my phone (a Blackberry) and handed it to him.

Immediate relief!

My guy has Aspergers, and so anything that even remotely resembles a computer game has his attention. And, because I always have my phone with me, it's great, because I've always got a way to keep him quiet and controlled, without having to coax, cajole or threaten. And without making a scene in public.

Once I knew this technique worked, I went looking for kids games that I could download onto my Blackberry.

Here are some ideas for you...


These are bright furry little balls that you match up in sets of three in order to pop. The bonus here is that while he's playing, he's also learning about creating sets and identifying patterns. A winner in my books!




This is similar to Chuzzle in that you need to create sets of three by colour, but the layout is much cleaner and simpler. When my little guy is tired, he prefers this game as it's easier to make out the game with far fewer balls on the screen.





Mahjong is the game that requires the most concentration, so it's best for a scenario where I also want him to sit still. This is my favourite tool in a restaurant for when he's too antsy to sit still, but the rest of us haven't finished eating. It's also great for teaching patience, and pattern finding, since there are so many different options. The goal is to find any pair of matching tiles. While most tiles are an exact match, he also get to match by theme, e.g. flowers or seasons, so it's a great training tool too. And, since it's easy for him to just get hints when he gets stuck, he can learn and play without getting frustrated. The only problem with this game is that each game is much longer than Chuzzle or Kaglom, so when it's time to take your phone back, you may need to use your negotiating skills.