Fish tank for Autistic Child

And that is the key. Your friends will need you to put the stop of the tiger oscar in the 29 gal tank with a school of cardnials. And no, you should really re think the common placo in that 10 gal.

But the rest of it, work with the kid. This is double for a child with ASD. -Plan- the tank. Get a good color photo of the tank and have him help pick out the different elements that make it up. Fish, filter, rock, decorations...make a list of things you will need. Have his parents use it like a checklist when they take him to the store so they can visually show him the plan in progressing. Discuss before hand what you are going to go look for and have ideas and back up ideas.

Let me stress this thing again, because in my experience it is key for working kids with ASD and most of us "norms" have trouble getting how it can effect them. Lets say you are planning on getting black gravel with neon flakes in it. You and him and his folks have been talking about that is the best "plan" for the tank. But when you get to the store, they are out. 99.9% of the time, with kids with ASD, this is what leads you a melt down. They have a plan for how things are going to occur, and when it doesn't go that preplaned way, their minds just are not wired to cope with it. You and I can cope with disappointment, but this is a key skill that ASD kids have a difficult time learning, and as a result have a difficult time communicating their frustration. So it is good to have a plan and a backup plan. "I would like to have black with neon flakes, but if they are out and only have black, or red, or blue "that is okay, and the tank will still be really cool and the fish will like it."

So I would, with the family, develope a checklist that they can use to mark off the things they will need to purchase/obtain. You use your expertise to make sure they get the right size filter, correct ammount of rock, quality food, approprite conditioner, etc.
This can and should be a good skills development thing with him. It is going to help him with planning and patience and the enjoyment of a reward for a job well done in a tank he can enjoy. If you do all the work in the tank design, its going to have the same effect as if mom and dad got a new sofa.

So don't feel lost. Be there with the seeded filter media cause kids can't stand to wait for a tank to cycle! In fact, throw a fresh one in one of your tanks now so its good and ready to go! In all honesty, I am guessing and hoping, that when this build is done it is going to be one of the most memorable and rewarding builds you will have done in the hobby. It may look like a sororiety threw up in there, but the joy it brings will more than make up.

And again, I don't want to come off as a "know it all" on this subject. In fact, as a parent of ASD, you quickly learn that you know absolutely nothing. These are just approaches that I have used with some success in my situation and some of the methodologies I have witnessed some of my son's therapists in using.
 
I had this exact same experience with a friend of mine at work. Her son is not severe, but can not handle making choices or decisions if there are too many. So, we basically did the tank while he was at school, he came home and there it was and he loved it. We did not do any kids pirate ships etc and he thought it looked like a lake. I did orange and yellow male guppies, red cherry shrimp, Cory cats with a few snails, small driftwood and low light plants. My advice is keep it simple.
 
im autistic, may not be as sever as some. but i am obsessed with african cichlids.. infact just baught more today, its kinda hard for me to give advice for another that is autistic but i am sure you will do great! why not a 29 gallon and get like a lil group of shellies or smaller mbuna group? like a small group of yellow labs? if it was a bigger tank, i would have done red zebra, yellow labs, and cabult blues :)
 
this sound like its going to be a really cool tank setup

are you doing fake plants or real ones?
if you did go with live plants,maybe use the hardier species such as pigmy chain sword(carpet), amazon sword plant(centerpeice),hornwort or najas grass(mid-top)


it sounds like it would be a little more work but the would improve the water quality.

that being said, you should also show him some of the neon colored fake plants,they are always exciting and eye catching
 
I have a son who is also on the lower end of the Autism scale and also has ADHD. I have always had tanks and as a result, fish are now his "thing". When he was younger(he is 7 now) his favorite fish were guppies, although now he prefers khuli loaches, weather loaches, and ghost shrimp. Also when he was younger, he did some major damage to my fish. He even put my male bettas in the same tank one day. So Please, for the sake of the fish, make that tank childproof.
 
Other fish to consider are Gold barbs, Rosy barbs, and Cherry barbs. I especially like the Gold barbs and they have a great yellow coloration with flashes of iridescent green, black and red.
 
Just a heads up, I'm a manager in a home for ALD specialising in autism. Research autism and the colour red as it can cause some autistics to become unsettled or exhibit challenging behaviour. I do agree it's fundamentally a great idea but has to be monitored closely. In most cases fish tanks would end up broken..... All depends on the person etc. if you need any info don't hesitate to contact me, I find it funny to say but I am a specialist in autistic care and autism.
Tony
 
My 9 year old son is autistic and he likes looking at all the tanks, he doesn't really gravitate to any of them in particular but I have noticed he likes the angelfish and discus because they interact with his presence. He also likes the betta tank for the same reason I think.
 
my brother never got a diagnosis--we are talking 40 years ago, I am not sure the term "autistic" had been invented yet but at any rate was not in common use--but looking back I am pretty sure that is what it would be called today.

He loved the natural world, it was people he had trouble understanding. He would lie under a bush for hours and observe insects, never hurting one just observing what they did and where they went. Or birds, or leaves, or anything, but particularly animals. If you read or hear Temple Grandin's work she has much great advice on the subject.

I would build him a tank just like you describe doing for your sister's office--as simple and natural a scene as you can depict. If your skills are inclined to an Amano-style landscape tank that would be awesome. The message is "this is what life is like in the world of the fish, isn't it neat?"
 
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