Mum reveals how she calms down autistic son using bucket of uncooked rice

A MUM has revealed how she uses uncooked rice to calm her austistic son, and even gives it to him as a birthday gift.

Holly Winter, 41, who lives in Farborough with her husband Paul Stevens, 44, is mum to Coral, 10 and Aaron, 8.

Holly Winter discovered that her son Aaron, who has autism, was instantly calmed when he plunged his hands into a bucket of uncooked rice

The bridal designer revealed that she discovered the unusual calming technique while working for a local autism charity earlier this year.

The mum-of-two found that when Aaron plunged his hands into the uncooked rice it had an instant soothing effect on her son.

Speaking to Fabulous Digital she said: “My parents thought I was joking when they asked me what he might like for his birthday and I told them to get him five kilos of rice!”

Holly says that since the lockdown she has even been able to use the rice during home learning with Aaron.

Holly, who is also mum to Coral, says that people now give Aaron rice for his birthday

She continued: “He likes finding things in the rice so we hide small toys, sweets and messages.

“Now we’re home-schooling, I’ve tried to incorporate it into lessons.

“For example, when he had to identify verbs and nouns in sentences, I first made sure he knew what nouns and verbs were by writing eight examples of each on folded sticky notes and hiding them in the rice.

“When he found each, he had to stick the nouns on one wall and the verbs on the other.

“He also loves putting his hands in water beads and we have another bucket full of those.”