Autism Interventions: JEOPARDY!®

It may not be as glamorous as dragging your autistic child to Mongolia to ride horses, or to swim with dolphins and other large, powerful and dangerous sea animals but it is inexpensive, safe and ... effective. Conor goes to bed at Eight Zero Zero (8pm) every night. He would sit and watch the clock move toward 8 every evening. We encouraged him to watch the clock on the TV Guide channel for awhile but the same commercials (Your Huggable Car Dealer, Jim Gilbert Wheels n Deals) play over and over and provide little variety for Conor.

Lately we discovered something new (but old) for Conor as he waits for Eight Zero Zero - JEOPARDY!® . And it has been a blessing. On our local networks JEOPARDY!® is available from 7:30 to 8:00 pm and Conor loves it. Conor knows that Alex Trebek is the host and he sits quietly, and attentively, watching the show with its catchy musical themes, large letters and numbers and colorful but not annoying stage set. I don't know what, or how much, Conor learns from watching Jeopardy but it can only be positive. The level of language used in the show is excellent with an incredibly wide ranging vocabulary and nuggets of information. And there is no need to worry about inappropriate images or language.

Horses in Mongolia, swimming with dolphins, Lupron? Not a chance. ABA for sure. Trail walks and local family swims too. And with a little bit of JEOPARDY!® on the side. If nothing else Conor obviously enjoys watching the show. It's safe, inexpensive, he watches it calmly with Dad, and we both look forward to Seven Three Zero.

autism