Guest Author - Lisa Shea

Autism is often marked by rigid behavior that is strictly guided by rules. Writing in a journal can help to expand creativity and build flexibility.

The first step is choosing a journal and pen. If the journal is going to be for a child or other person, let them look through the options and choose something that is going to be easy to use. Make sure the pen is easy to hold and use.

Now, set aside a time each day that can be quiet and relaxed. Maybe it's in the evening, when everybody is getting ready for bed. That's a great time to mull over the events of the day and write down what seems important or interesting.

It might become easy for an autistic person to become a little too rigid in what is being written down - things like the weather, the TV shows watched, etc. Make use of a journal idea jar to liven things up a bit. Once a week - or even every day if you have a lot of ideas in the jar - draw a new idea and include it in the journalling effort.

Once the journalling habit is established, add some twists to it. Bring along a travel journal for a trip. Get a journal when you get a new pet. Go back and look through old journals and talk about what happened. Journals can be a wonderful part of any life!