How to set up matching activities for autism at the table
Sit next to your child, not across. Put the sample picture at the top, where it stays the whole time. Put the choices in a row below it. Then say the instruction once and wait. No second instruction, no pointing at the answer.
Start with two choices that look nothing alike: a sock and a fork, not a sock and a shoe. When your child gets those easily, move to the printed rounds, which show four choices under each sample. Move the correct card to a different spot every turn. A child who always taps the left card is matching the spot, not the picture.
Keep it short. Three to five minutes is plenty: one easy win, three to six turns, then something your child loves. If your child pushes the page away, stop and write that down. That is information too.
Start with the exact same picture
The first pack, Match Identical Object Pictures, uses real photos of everyday things: pants, a sock, a fork, a shirt, a hat, a spoon. The sample and the right choice are the same photo. Say “Match the same picture.” A correct response is pointing to the matching photo or placing it next to the sample.
If your child needs help, point to the sample, then sweep your finger across the choices once. Next turn, make the gesture smaller. Count helped turns separately from turns your child did alone. And try not to name the object while you teach. If you say “sock”, you are teaching listening, and you no longer know if your child matched by looking.
- Sample stays visible while your child chooses.
- Two choices first, then four.
- Same words every turn: “Match the same picture.”
- Shuffle the position of the right answer.
Then a different picture of the same thing
Matching two identical photos is a start. Real life is messier. The horse in the book does not look like the horse on the farm. In Match Different Examples of the Same Object, the sample is a horse and the choices include a donkey, a zebra and a cow. The right answer is a different horse. Your child has to see what makes a horse a horse.
During teaching you may name the object once, then drop the word. Match New Examples on First Presentation goes one step further: you show a picture your child has never practiced, say the instruction once, and do not help at all. That only works the first time a picture is seen, so after one go it becomes a teaching picture. Use a fresh photo from a magazine or your phone next time.
Matching by color, shape and size
These three packs ask your child to ignore what the object is and look at one thing about it. In Match by Color, a red sample matches a different red picture. Say “Match the same color.” Start with two colors that sit far apart, like red and blue. Print these pages in color. In grayscale the task stops making sense.
Match by Shape works the same way with stars, circles, rectangles, squares, triangles and ovals. Say “Match the shape.” Check that color does not give the answer away. Match by Relative Size shows balls, blocks, bowls and hats in small, middle and large, and your child matches the size. Print at actual size and never shrink one card on its own, or you can flip which one is bigger.
Letters as shapes first
Match Identical Letters treats letters as pictures. The child finds the same S, Z, H, L, U or C. Naming the letter is not needed, and during a check you should not say the name either. If your child is stuck, put the two letters side by side and trace them with your finger, then try a different letter.
Match Uppercase to Lowercase Letters is harder, because the shapes no longer look alike. Say “Match the small letter.” Afterward, look for the same pair in a picture book or on a name card. Neither pack shows that your child can read. It shows that your child can tell letter shapes apart, which is useful for later reading work.
Teach first, then check on a different day
Every pack has six practice rounds and six check rounds, with the answers on a separate adult page. Teach with the practice rounds and help as much as needed. On another day, use the check rounds: say the instruction once, write down the first response, and give no hints between attempts.
The log uses three letters. I means correct on its own, H means correct with help, X means wrong or no answer. If most turns are I, try a new example or a different adult. If you see lots of X, go back to fewer choices and teach again. Share the log with your child’s BCBA or therapist. A printed check is a snapshot of practice, not an assessment.