Autism: What games to buy. What skills to promote

Whether you want to find a fun game to push your child’s skills or you are looking for a new game for family game night, The Brain Trainer store is your one stop shop. Here at the Brain Trainer, Dr. Parker, the director, is always looking for new and exciting games that will push cognitive skills.

Looking to push certain skills, try these games.

Attention – concentration of the mind on a single object or thought.

The following games push sustained attention; the ability to stay on task for an extended period of time.

• Selective attention; the ability to remain on task when another action is present.
• Divided attention; the ability to switch back and forth between two tasks quickly.
• Attention to detail; focusing on visual or auditory details.
  • Hue Knew? – by MindWare
  • Pattern Play – by MindWare

Logic and Reasoning – the ability to find patterns and problem solve. Finding alternative ways to look at or deal with situations.

• Chocolate Fix – by Think Fun
• Set Cubed – by Set
• Solitaire Chess – by Think Fun
• Noodlers – by MindWare

Math Skills – the ability to accurately add, subtract, multiply or divide. These games focus on ways to make basic arithmetic skills more automatic.

• 7 ate 9 – by Out of the Box
• Flip 4 – by MindWare
• Math Dice – by Think Fun
• Math Dice Jr. – by Think Fun
• Zingo 123 – by Think Fun

Memory – the ability to recall previously learned information. Working memory focuses on information that is currently being worked on, while short and long term memory focus on information that was learned over a period of time.

• Rock – by Out of the Box
• Letter Flip – by Out of the Box

Processing Speed – the speed at which the brain processes information. Makes completing tasks faster and helps with sports such as basketball, football and soccer.

• 7  ate 9 – by Out of the Box
• Rock – by Out of the Box

Verbal Expression – the ability to convey a message verbally. Verbal expression looks at a person’s ability to accurately and fluently express themselves.

• Word On The Street – by Out of the Box
• Word On the Street Jr. – by Out of the Box
• Smart Mouth – by Think Fun
• Thumb Balls - by Actions in Motions

Visual Processing – the ability to process and make use of visual images. Helps one create mental picture faster and more vividly; helps one understand and “see” word math problems and read maps.

• Backseat Drawing – by Out of the Box
• Noodlers – by MindWare
• Q-Bitz - by MindWare
• Quirkle – by MindWare
• Squint – by Out of the Box

Work Attack – the ability to convert graphic images into intelligible language. These skills are necessary to read, and working to improve them helps make reading more accurate and fluent.

• Letter Flip – by Out of the Box
• What’s GNU? – by Think Fun

Looking for fun party games?

Try the following:

• Smart Mouth – by Think Fun
• Word on the Street – by Out of the Box
• Qwirkle – by MindWare