The counting skills that come before math
Many children can say "one, two, three, four, five" long before they can tell you how many cars are on the rug. Rote counting and knowing how many are different skills, and early math practice works best when you split them up.
The packs follow a rough order. Your child’s BCBA or therapist may pick a different starting point, and that is fine.
- Hear a number, find it: you say "Give me the number three" and your child points to 3 among a few numerals.
- Count each thing once: your child touches every picture once, then points to the number for the total.
- Link sets and numerals: pick the group that matches a printed 4, or pick the numeral that matches a group.
- Make a set: "Put 3 blocks in the bowl", with more blocks on the table than needed.
- Compare: the group with more, the group with fewer, the bigger cup, the full bucket.
Counting activities for autism that need only a point
In Recognize Spoken Number Names, you say "Give me the number one" once, pause, and wait. The rounds use numerals 1 to 5. If your child is unsure, show the right numeral during teaching and go to a fresh round. Cover the other rounds with a sheet of paper so only one is visible.
Touch Each Item Once is the one we would start with for a child who counts out loud but gets a different answer every time. Say "Touch each one. Then tap the number." A correct answer has two parts: every picture touched once, then the right numeral. Groups go up to 10. Watch for skipped pictures and pictures touched twice, because that is where most wrong totals come from.
During teaching, count aloud together and move slowly. Then try a new arrangement and say less each time, until your child is touching and choosing on their own.
Math activities for autism with real blocks and a bowl
Make a Requested Quantity is the only pack where the paper is just a setup guide. Put a sturdy bowl on the page and a pile of large blocks next to it, easy to pick up. Say "Put 3 blocks in the bowl" once. Correct means exactly 3 blocks, moved one at a time. Pointing to a picture does not count here.
Two details matter. Always put out more blocks than you ask for, so your child has to stop. And stay quiet until they finish, because a "good" or a smile at the third block tells them when to stop, and then you are counting for them.
Once blocks are going well, change the object. Three apples into the fruit bowl, two spoons into the drawer, four socks into the basket. If your child can only do it with the blocks from the pack, it is not quite learned yet.
More, fewer, bigger, full: comparing groups and sizes
In Find the Group with More, you say "Tap the group with more." In Find the Group with Fewer, "Tap the group with fewer." The groups are counting cubes and counting chips, up to 10. If your child is stuck, line the two groups up one-to-one during teaching. The group with leftovers has more.
Children are good at finding shortcuts. Some pick the group that looks busier or takes up more space. Keep the items easy to count and watch whether your child looks at both groups before pointing.
Compare Overall Size and Recognize Full and Empty use one simple instruction: "Give me the biggest one", "Give me the smallest one", "Give me the full one". The practice rounds use one pair, like a large and a small bowl, and the check rounds switch to a new pair, like a ball, so you can see whether the idea carries over. Snack time works well here: a full cup and an empty cup, side by side. The collection also has Compare Length, Height, Thickness and Width packs that work the same way.
How to run a short session and read the log
Each pack has six practice rounds and six check rounds, with the answers on a separate adult page. Teach with the practice rounds. Use the check rounds on another day, and during a check record the first response only: no pointing, no hints, no correcting between attempts.
A good session is 3 to 5 minutes: one easy win, 3 to 6 turns, then something your child enjoys. If your child wants to stop, stop and write that down. A few turns at breakfast and a few at playtime often go better than one long sit-down.
The practice log uses three marks: I for independent and correct, H for correct with help, X for incorrect or no response. Mostly I? Try a new object or another adult. Some H? Keep the skill and make one thing easier. Many X? Go back to fewer choices and teach again.