Problem Solving Techniques

Many children with ASD have trouble with problem solving and my son has a hard time with this as well. When problems do arise, my son usually did not know what to do, as a result he usually became quite upset and stressed out to the max. He does not function well under stress and his ability to interpret and act appropriately is always greatly affected.

We have worked on this for years and he is getting rather good at solving his problems and hopefully learning from his mistakes. I find I get rather wordy with my son and that loses him so I taught him to ask himself these questions below for problem solving.

1. What is the problem?

2. What caused the problem?

3. What could be done to fix the problem?

4. Which idea is the best way to fix the problem? Plan how to do it.

5. Does the plan work?

6. Was the problem solved? What did you learn? What would you do differently? What do you need to do so it will not happen again?



Here are some activities to help teach problem solving:








Win or Lose by How You Choose by Judge Judy Sheindlin

Directions- Ask the questions out of “Win or Lose by How You Choose!” and see if your child can choose the right answer from the ones provided for the problems that they can face every day.













Use games and activities to teach problem solving skills:

Checkers
Chess
Riddles


Rush Hour- (made by Think Fun, Binary Arts company) Several different editions available. Rush Hour is a sliding block puzzle. The goal of the game is to get a red car out of a six-by-six grid full of automobiles by moving the other vehicles out of its way. However, the cars and trucks (set up before play according to a puzzle card) obstructing your path are so intertwined that a typical puzzle requires many moves to complete. Ages 8 years and up / Single Player


Hoppers- (made by Think Fun, Binary Arts company) Hoppers is a peg solitaire jumping game - set the frogs on the pond, then start jumping until only the red frog is left. 40 challenge cards let you start simple, then grow your skills 'til you're an expert. In no time at all... you'll be the smartest frog in the pond! Ages 8 years and up.


Subtrax- (made by Think Fun, Binary Arts company) It’s a whole new twist on the classic favorite peg solitaire that challenges players in a whole new way. Patience, problem solving and puzzling skills are put to the test as players jump over a field of blue pegs, one-by-one, until only the orange peg is left. Sound easy? Think again. New diabolical solitaire game pattern defines which way a player can jump, increasing the level of difficulty. Challenges start simple then build in complexity as players develop their strategies. Guaranteed to keep players entertained for hours and improve sequential thinking skills. Ages 8 to adult.


Quoridor- (made by Gigamic) The Amazing Maze. The goal is to be the first player to reach the opposite side of the board. Your opponents are putting up fences to block your chances and slow you down! Can you find the shortest route in this game of mazes and madness? Ages 6 & up.


Pylos-(made by Gigamic) This award-winning game is ideal for competitive strategy players as they compete to place their last ball at the very top of the pyramid. Skillful moves and 4 levels of play test a player’s ability at vertical thinking… and strength of friendship! Two players are given 15 marbles each. They take turns to make a pyramid. The winner is the player who saves the most marbles and is thus the last to complete the pyramid. Ages 8 & up.


Quarto-(made by Gigamic) Each of the 16 pieces has 4 different attributes. The aim is to line up 4 pieces which share the same attribute. Problem solving skills and strategic planning soon come into play as it is your opponent who chooses which piece you play, not you. This game has also won numerous international awards. Ages 8 & up.


TriBond- is a popular board game distributed by Mattel. It asks the question - "What do these three things have in common?" Players try to guess the "common bond" between the three clues. It follows in the tradition of Trivial Pursuit, Outburst and other popular adult board games that require a wide range of knowledge but Tribond requires some problem solving ability as well.


TriBond- These activities utilize the popular board game TriBond to build on students' skills in deductive reasoning, drawing conclusions, problem solving, reasoning, and listening. It also integrates as many subject areas as the teacher desires. (4th grade on up.) TriBond Activity Packet


Tantrix- Tantrix is not just an intriguing collection of puzzles, it is also a wonderful strategy game. The aim is to produce the longest line of your color, whilst blocking your opponent. Play it a few times and you'll will become addicted. Great for teaching children problem solving and logic skills. Supplied in a smart storage bag. For 2 to 4 players.


Rubix Cube- is a 3-D mechanical puzzle. In a classic Rubik's Cube, each of the six faces is covered by 9 stickers, among six solid colors (traditionally white, red, blue, orange, green, and yellow). A pivot mechanism enables each face to turn independently, thus mixing up the colors. For the puzzle to be solved, each face must be a solid color.


Blokus- A fascinating geometric and spatial strategy game for the whole family based on very simple rules that take less than a minute to learn. Only the corners of the pieces played may touch! Blokus has a depth to challenge experts and beginners. 2-4 players


Bedlam Cube Retro- Colorful and bright this cube looks very appealing, however it can also be infuriating! Once you have taken all the 13 pieces out of the box there are over 19,000 ways of getting them back in, the problem is finding even one!


Square Up- The fast and furious two player tiles game. A brilliant game where players have to match the colorful tiles on their shakers by sliding tiles as quickly as possible. For 2 players. Age 6 and above.


Brainspring- A 3D 'brain ache' puzzler which taxes even the most spatially aware problem solver.


Chaos- You never know what's going to happen in this game. Take turns stacking discs on the wooden board; any stack with four discs is redistributed in all four directions around it - resulting in total Chaos! Includes 24 wooden discs and wooden playing board. For 2 players. Age 8 and above.


Pentago- This fast and fun strategy game will have you hooked. Object of the game is to create a row of five marbles in any direction, the mind twisting part is that you also twist one of the four game blocks as part of the move meaning the game board changes all the time! For 2 players. Age 8 and above.


Qwirkle- Combining well thought strategy with quick thinking challenges, Qwirkle is played by creating rows and columns of matching colors and shapes. This game requires no reading and the rules are simple to learn. For 2 to 4 players. Age 6 and above.


Mancala- A totally compulsive, classic game which younger children love, as it involves no dice or cards. Just capture the most stones. Play time under 15 minutes. 2 players. Age 7 to adult.


Ingenious- Strategy for all! Ingenious will totally capture you from the first time you play. Start off with your tile tray and six tiles and the aim of the game is to place tiles on the board scoring points as you go! Strategy for all the family! For 1 to 4 players. Age 8 and above.


Fifteen Puzzle- The flipping, sliding, take-anywhere puzzle that's simply perplexing and downright fun! Slide it, flip it and solve it. Building problem-solving skills and developing strong logic was never so simple. Ideal for travel. Age 8 and above.


Gambit- Gambit challenges you to turn nine rows of mixed-up tiles into single color sets of five, but if your opponent spots your strategy, you could be slid off track. For 2 players. Age 8 and above.


Super Marble Run Vortex- Test the skill and ingenuity of your young engineer by building marble runs and watch then fall, spin and whirl. The building process will help your child's development of problem solving skills and creativity…as well as being great fun. Age 4 and above.


ThinkFun River Crossing- The perilous plank puzzle! Help the hiker across the river without getting his feet wet or eaten by crocodiles! Move the planks between the tree stumps in a snap, using our hero's magnetic feet. 40 beginner-to-expert challenge cards. Age 8 to adult.


Dado Cubes- Dado combines art and science as you explore architectural principles of proportion, balance, structure and colour. A new twist on classic building blocks, the slits on each cube are interlocked to create an unlimited number of three-dimensional structures. Constructed horizontally, vertically or nested together, Dado encourages visual spatial development and problem solving. Not just another set of building blocks, these are fun for all ages. 10 pieces. Age 3 to adult.


Lonpos Pyramid Puzzle- An innovative game of patience. Lonpos is an innovative game of patience, accompanied by continuous challenges, intelligence training and long-lasting fun in playing! It consists of 12 building blocks in various forms. The player starts with a given problem consisting of a small number of building blocks the goal is to build the blocks into a rectangle or pyramid with the remaining building blocks. Comes with full instruction booklet containing 101 puzzles.


Games that I made for problem solving: (feel free to change to suit your needs)

*These game are free, however they can only to be used for classroom and personal use. They may not be published on any websites or other electronic media, or distributed in newsletters, bulletins, or any other form or sold for profit.

Sink or Swim

Resist the Temptation

WWJD? and Moral Dilemmas Card Game




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Our Favorite Problem Solving Computer Games: (The whole family would sit around the computer and play these together.)


Myst- is a graphic adventure video game. Myst puts the player in the role of the Stranger, who uses a special book to travel to the island of Myst. There, the player uses other special books written by an artisan and explorer named Atrus to travel to several worlds known as "Ages". Clues found in each of these Ages help reveal the back-story of the game's characters. The game has several endings, depending on the course of action the player takes. Upon release, Myst was a surprise hit, with critics lauding the ability of the game to immerse players in the fictional world. The game was the best-selling PC game of all time, until The Sims exceeded its sales in 2002.


Riven- is the sequel to the highly successful computer game Myst. The story of Riven is set immediately after the events of Myst. Having been rescued from the machinations of his sons, the main non-player protagonist Atrus enlists the help of the player character, to free his wife from his power-hungry father, Gehn. Unlike Myst, which took place on several worlds known as Ages and linked together by special books, Riven takes place almost entirely on the eponymous Age of Riven, a world slowly falling apart due to Gehn's rule, and his tampering with the Age.


Myst III: Exile- is the third title in the Myst series. As in previous games, the player assumes the role of the Stranger, a friend of Atrus. A member of the D'ni race, Atrus can create links to other worlds called Ages by writing descriptive books. In Exile, Atrus has written an Age for the D'ni to live on while rebuilding their civilization; it is stolen, however, by a mysterious figure. The Stranger pursues the thief in an attempt to reclaim Atrus' book.


Myst IV: Revelations- is the fourth installment in the Myst computer game series. The plot of Revelation ties up loose ends from the original Myst. The player is summoned by Atrus, a man who creates links to other worlds known as Ages by writing special linking books. Nearly twenty years earlier, Atrus' two sons nearly destroyed all of Atrus' linking books and were imprisoned; Atrus wishes to see if his sons' imprisonment has reformed them. The player ends up traveling to each brother's prison, in an effort to recover Atrus' daughter Yeesha from the brothers' plot.


Myst V: End of Ages- is the fifth and final installment in the Myst series. As in previous games in the series, End of Ages's gameplay consists of navigating worlds known as "Ages" via the use of special books and items which act as portals. On each Age, the player solves puzzles and discovers story clues hidden in the Ages or written down in diaries and journals. The player's actions in the game decide the fate of the ancient D'ni civilization.