8 Autism Content Creators And Channels To Follow

Note: The channels below are recommended for educational purposes only. These cannot replace the professional help of developmental pediatricians and licensed therapists.

According to the World Health Organization, 1 in 100 children has autism.

Autism Spectrum Disorder refers to a condition related to brain development that manifests in a person’s perception and socialization that can impact his communication skills and social interaction. It presents itself in a wide range of symptoms which may cause patterns of repetitive behavior, limited conversation (or lack of it), resistance to cuddling and holding, preference to be alone, fixation, sensitivity to light and sounds, and can be passive or aggressive to name a few. Although some in the spectrum can be high-functioning, some parents still find themselves stressed and alone; wondering how to deal with the symptoms and get through their journey with ease and additional knowledge on the disorder including home-based activities that can help their children.

Recently, a mother shared in a reel of content creators that helped them through their autism journey. Now this list is for you Ausome moms and dads to check and follow to help you sail through the seas of autism.

Let us know in the comments section if you have other suggested channels that you swear by!

8 content channels and creators to help with a child's journey with autism

1. The Virtual Therapist

Created by a pediatric occupational therapist, The Virtual Therapist shares “ideas, instructions & information for kid's activities, DIY therapy resources, and developmental games.” It was created for therapists in low-resource countries, families looking for cheaper resources, parents and kids searching for fun activities, those wanting new ideas, and student therapists looking to learn more.

Its YouTube channel showcases fine motor games and activities, gross motor games, sensory light boxes, fidget spinner activities, sensory bottles, and other sensory activities as well. On Facebook, it uploads informational videos on topics such as Asperger’s Syndrome (high-functioning autism) and Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD). It also posts short documentaries and articles related to autism including tips to help you broaden your understanding of your child’s behavior and let you know that you are not alone in this journey.

2. The OT Closet

Another channel created by a pediatric occupational therapist is The OT closet. The therapist works with developmentally delayed children in school and private setting aged 3-7 years old.

The channel aims to educate parents about various play activities that can help children reach their developmental milestones. Play activities in these videos aim to improve skills such as fine motor, visual motor, perception, sensory, bilateral coordination, planning/sequencing, memory, self-help, strength/endurance, pre-writing, shape recognition, and many more.

RELATED: My Life In Sachets: Parenting My Teen Son With Autism

3. Early Autism Project Malaysia

Founded by Wisconsin Early Autism Project (WEAP) in September 2006, Early Autism Project Malaysia ("EAP") is the first to provide Applied Behavioural Analysis (ABA) treatment in Malaysia. Their vision is “to provide world-class services that support individuals with Autism and their families in leading fulfilling lives.” Over the last 10 years, they have worked with over 400 individuals from 30 different countries.
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They release videos aiming to raise awareness on Autism (ASD), and provide resources, tips, facts, entertainment and inspiration to support you in helping individuals with Autism. They launched “Autism At Home,” a non-profit initiative by The Hope Project, which is the non-profit arm of EAP Malaysia.

Autism At Home is an online resource platform which provides easy-to-follow tips and strategies at home for families of children with autism. This platform comes with online training videos on effective ABA teaching strategies for autism; featuring role plays, pop quizzes, and home assignments.

However, this online resource platform is not intended to be a certified Applied Behavioural Analysis (ABA) course nor is anyone who has completed the training videos is equipped to become an ABA therapist or any other therapist.

Autism at Home series features lessons and activities on building language, preschool games, and other ABA activities. They also feature videos sharing tips for community trips like visiting the dentist or going to the cinema.

How to be Autism Friendly

According to The Hope Project, the 4As of how you can be autism-friendly are Awareness, Acceptance, Accommodate, and Advocate.

1. Awareness - educate yourself on autism
2. Acceptance - be kind and accepting of differences
3. Accommodate - make accommodations to cater to their needs
4. Advocate - include and stand up for them

4. Agents of Speech

Agents of Speech is a channel “dedicated to providing actionable tips and information to parents of speech and/or language delayed children.” It acts as an online parent coach for parents with speech-delayed children, armed with videos giving explanations and tips on how to teach your speech-delayed children at home.

RELATED: 'Nakakadurog Ang Ganito' Dad Of Boy With Autism Heartbroken For His Son Who Has No Playmates

5. Playtime with Tor

Tor is a speech-language pathologist who is passionate about gestalt language development, and the framework that supports this type of language learning style, called “Natural Language Acquisition.” Her videos are made with gestalt language processors (GLPs) in mind, but are deemed suitable for most children.

What is Gestalt language processing?

Gestalt language processing for autism according to Autism Little Learners is another style of language development. “Children who fall into this style of language development start speaking in “chunks” of language. This often starts with echolalia. Echolalia is when children repeat what another person has said.”

Echolalia is known to be prevalent among individuals with ASD who are verbal and is believed to remain as part of their verbal behavior for some time.

Tor strongly recommends co-watching. Caregivers should be able to get ideas of language models in her videos that they can begin to incorporate into their everyday lives. Tor sings and models language to expose children in an entertaining way.

To be taken with a grain of salt, videos are not intended to replace speech-language therapy, according to Tor. Check out Playtime with Tor on YouTube.

6. Teacher Kaye

A certified speech language pathologist from Quezon City offering helpful tips for language development is Teacher Kaye.

Her channel aims to support parents and caregivers in helping develop their children’s speech and language (especially those who are delayed) through activities that can be done at home.

Her channel also touches on voice, hearing, feeding, swallowing, fluency, and behavior. She shares information, tips, and activities for children with communication difficulties. Sometimes she also goes live on Facebook and offers free consultation.

7. Adam the OT

Created by pediatric occupational therapist Adam Griffin, Adam the OT is a YoutTube channel that focuses on pediatric OT interventions targeted to both OTs and parents alike. The main purpose of his channel is to provide low-cost, easy interventions on pre-writing skills, handwriting and scissor skills, motor skills, sensory and the like that are meant to be engaging and effective. He works with his kids for actual visual demonstrations, which is deemed to be very helpful for visual learners.

These cost-effective activities are things that you can do at home!

8. Autism Behavioural Intervention Association

This YouTube channel’s purpose is to “raise awareness about Applied Behaviour Analysis (ABA) and to promote it as the preferred method of care and treatment for children with Autism.”

Their videos showcase therapists sharing thoughts on ABA therapy, verbal reasoning skills therapy, play and social engagement therapy, communication, learning animals, and parent webinar series explaining autism and what may be helpful, evidence-based interventions. One can learn a thing or two from these videos to tailor fit to your child’s interaction activities. Visit the channel here.

Counting Costs

A health journal on The Direct Cost of Autism and its Economic Impact on the Filipino Family, states that “the total costs for all evaluations that confirmed the autism diagnosis ranged from PHP1,356 to PHP 44,634 and averaged PHP 7,411.80 per child.” That’s for the confirmed diagnosis alone. And for low-income families, such is a great deal not to mention that follow-up intervention can be very costly. Moreover, for children on the autism spectrum, visiting doctors and therapists can be an overwhelming experience because of the sounds, noises, bright lights, and number of people surrounding them. Hence, these videos are a great supplement to enhancing the knowledge of the caregiver and conducting activities and exercises at home.

For a full evaluation and extensive monitoring of your child’s progress, always take time to consult your Developmental Pedia.