We have several kinds of preschool workbooks. All are similar, dealing with the alphabet, colors, shapes, etc. After trying several, our favorite one for Pookie is the Kumon series. The Kumon workbook series for kids 2-8, is especially great for a child with autism. Each book deals with one skill, cutting, gluing, mazes, lower case letters, etc at a time. The pages are bright and colorful. Most importantly, there is just one task per page. Pookie, like many children with autism, gets overwhelmed when presented with multiple tasks at once. He also does much better when the task is well-defined and there is a chance to practice many times.

We like doing these workbooks at home because we are never quite sure how much work Pookie does independently at school. His school uses the HOH (Hand Over Hand) method, in which they literally help a student perform a task, when needed. Sometimes, for example, he brings home artwork from school and the level of cutting is impressive for a 4 year old. But because we work on this skill at home, we can tell that he most likely had help at school. As the parents of a special needs child, we want badly for Pookie to have cut the papers all by himself. We want that great cutting to be all Pookie. But we know he had help; by practicing this skill at home, we know exactly what his skill level is. And I must say, while it is not *impressive* for a 4 year old…it is 100% typical for a 4 year old, and we are working on making it even better.

I highly recommend the Kumon books. Pookie will do an entire book (25-40 exercises) in 2-3 nights. He likes repetition. Geetle, on the other hand, gets bored after a few exercises and spreads her work out over weeks, months. But she also, as a typically developing child, enjoys these workbooks and has learned alot.

While I think they are great for any child, I think they are especially helpful for any person with a developmental delay. They offer the chance to practice a skill multiple times, with each exercise getting just a bit harder. They are focused on one skill at a time and are easy to focus on.

This is not a paid review, just one Mom’s opinion….after spending an afternoon doing My Book of Coloring with her kids