That trampolines are a favourite to many children in the autism spectre, is no secret to us. But that they can be so effective in promoting verbal communication, was a surprise to me.

Some weeks ago I was jumping around in the trampoline with Jamie, a 6 year-old, non-verbal boy from Virginia. We didn´t know each other particularly well yet, but I had access to his long-term nanny before meeting him, which gave me a big advantage. As an expert on his behaviour, her advise was crucial to me.

Johnathan was a five year old boy.

He loved “Woody”, the character from the famous kids’ movie “Toy Story”. He was always wearing the same boots as Woody, and would imitate Woody’s poses.

While riding on the horse he would pretend to be Woody riding his horse “Bullseye”.

Tyler was a three year old boy. He was non-verbal, but was sometimes vocalizing, especially when he wanted to express his excitement and happiness.

Tyler loved to throw rocks and a plastic fish toy in the water and look at their splashes when they touched the water. He was choosing rocks of different shapes, and of different sizes. We could see a smile illuminating from his face with each splash.

What do you like to do when it snows? As an adult, your answer is probably staying inside where it’s warm and cosy. However, if you’re a kid, you probably want to be playing outside.