In Texas play group, children with autism learn to socialize through Legos

From The Dallas Morning News. In the picture, Alex Eddings, 8, worked with a Toy Story 3 Lego set at a recent meeting of Plano Lego Lovers.

PLANO, Texas -– Carla Graham's Lego Lovers are creating more than castles and spaceships. They're building social skills.

In a year and a half, the group has grown to more than 100 members, many of whom are autistic. Graham started Plano Lego Lovers as a way to bring together kids who have a passion for Legos but difficulty with social situations. The idea came to Graham as she searched for a play group for her 10-year-old son, Ian, who has Asperger's syndrome, a form of autism.

"Legos were all my son was interested in," Graham said. "He needed to have something where he was forced to communicate with other kids. With Legos, they have to talk to each other and work together."

In a year and a half, the group has grown to more than 100 members, not all of whom are autistic. The club meets once or twice a month at schools and area restaurants. Recently, about eight children convened at a Yumilicious frozen yogurt shop in Plano.

Children on the autism spectrum, or with other learning differences, struggle with developing social skills. Graham said the gatherings provide opportunities for the kids to practice those skills by discussing their shared interest in the colored building blocks.

"They learn how to share, which is incredibly difficult for them," Graham said. "They learn how to look beyond themselves at what somebody else is interested in and explore those possibilities."

At a recent meeting, some kids toted elaborate Lego sets with detailed instructions, while others came with just a handful of bricks and their imaginations. Although they started working on individual projects, within minutes they were asking one another about their creations and explaining their own.

According to Graham, even the smallest steps make a difference.

"If you can get them to where they all feel comfortable as a group, you're breaking through some amazingly hard barriers," she said. "It's a tremendous baby step. We try to rock their world a little bit each time and hope that they land on their feet."

Baer Ackerman, a Plano child psychiatrist, said he has referred patients to the group and sees a clear improvement in their social skills and their ability to form friendships.

"A lot of people think that these children are introverted or anti-social, but in reality they're just like everybody else," Ackerman said. "They're very interested in being social; they just need some practice because it doesn't come naturally to them."

Daniel LeGoff, a pediatric neuropsychologist, said he began using Legos as therapy for autistic children 15 years ago because the kids seemed to gravitate toward that particular toy.

"Over time we developed some techniques using Legos that helped these kids identify, interact and communicate better with each other," said LeGoff, who works at the Y.A.L.E. special-needs schools in New Jersey.

According to a paper published by the Autism Research Centre at the University of Cambridge, children with autism and Asperger's syndrome often are drawn to Legos because of their systematic and structured nature.

"One key component of Lego therapy is that it's kid-directed," LeGoff said. "It's not just us rewarding them for complying with our directions. They're personally invested in their projects, so the social skills stick with them and cause internal change."

Susan Maddock, whose 6-year-old son, Collin, is a member of the Plano club, said she was not expecting immediate change, but she considers his progression priceless.

"To see him interacting with the other kids is the greatest for the mom of an autistic child," she said. "Back in February, he was only able to build sets with instructions. For him to be able to build things with his imagination is a huge step."

As his mom talked, Collin explained the features of his impromptu hovercraft to other children.

Club membership has grown through referrals from doctors with children who enjoy the program. Ackerman said the parents also appreciate the opportunity to share problems and network.

"Not everybody is into Legos, but for any of my patients that are interested, I always give them a card and encourage them to get involved," Ackerman said. "Even if the club isn't right for them, it doesn't make anything worse. It can only help."