The Educating Parent (merging Beverley Paine's Homeschool Australia and Unschool Australia)

Tips for Designing an Accessible Backyard for Children With Autism

by Linda Robinson

Do you have a child on the autism spectrum? If so, accessible design might be one of your biggest concerns. After all, you want to ensure that your entire home is outfitted to accommodate your child. But the need for accessible design doesn't stop with your home's interior; you want to guarantee that your backyard is accessible and functional, too! These resources are packed with tips on top-notch outdoor design strategies for children with autism.

Safety First

Keeping your child safe while they play outside is your top priority. These features will help your child feel calm and secure in the backyard.

• Begin transforming your backyard with simple landscaping tasks so your child won't be hurt by branches or thorns while playing!

• Your child might be bothered by loud noises from the road, so take steps to reduce the noise in your yard.

• With essential safety tools like railings and a sturdy fence, you'll enjoy peace of mind when your child is outside.

Features for Outdoor Fun

Once you've finished installing the necessary safety fixtures, consider the following DIY projects to make your backyard an exciting place to be!

• If you know that your child likes to explore different textures and tactile sensations, construct a sandbox .

• Build a fort or playhouse where your child can spend time if they want to get out of the sun.

• With a picnic table , you and your child can enjoy lunch outdoors and take a break from playing.

Learning Through Play

Encourage your child to learn outside of the classroom by introducing them to these fun activities that you can do together in your backyard!

• Get the whole family in on the fun with a backyard camping trip and keep your child's favorite books, toys, and blankets in the tent.

• Help your child explore the wide world of science with these fascinating backyard experiments , like planting a garden or identifying wildlife.

• Check out online resource hubs like The Educating Parent to find all kinds of great suggestions for more educational outdoor activities.

Children love to play outdoors, but a child with autism might be at risk of injury in a typical backyard. If you have a child on the autism spectrum, you may need to go the extra mile to ensure that your own backyard is accessible. By checking out these resources, you'll be able to turn your backyard into a space where your child can spend hours playing!

Photo via Pexels

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Beverley Paine with her children, and their home educated children, relaxing at home.

Together with the support of my family, my aim is to help parents educate their children in stress-free, nurturing environments. In addition to building and maintaing this website, I continue to create and manage local and national home educating networks, help to organise conferences and camps, as well as write for, edit and produce newsletters, resource directories and magazines. I am an active supporter of national, state, regional and local home education groups.