Notebooks, silly putty, colored pencils, a favorite book..

I did many of these suggestions with all three of my kids when they were little. A mom carries around ever so many things in her purse to entertain kids in public places.

However, if the kid has been diagnosed with autism you call all the junk in your purse a sensory tool kit.

The difference here is if the kid is not on the spectrum it is a nice diversion and helps keep him better behaved. If the kid is on the spectrum the regulation offered by the stuff in your purse is like medicine – necessary to prevent system breakdown.

Image description black and white photograph of woman with long brown hair and glasses smiling. Dark grey text reads: Judy Endow Autistic author and international speaker on a variety of autism-related topics. Read more from Judy on Ollibean and visit JudyEndow.com.