Helpful Strategies
There are many things you can do to help your child better understand the world and in doing so make everyone's lives a little easier. The ideas below are only suggestions which you may or may not find helpful.
- Keep all your speech simple - to a level they understand.
- Keep instructions simple ... for complicated jobs use lists or pictures.
- Try to get confirmation that they understand what you are talking about/or asking - don't rely on a stock yes or no - that they like to answer with.
- Explain why they should look at you when you speak to them.... encourage them, give lots of praise for any achievement - especially when they use a social skill without prompting.
- In some young children who appear not to listen - the act of 'singing' your words can have a beneficial effect.
- Limit any choices to two or three items.
- Limit their 'special interest' time to set amounts of time each day if you can.
- Use turn taking activities as much as possible, not only in games but at home too.
- Pre-warn them of any changes, and give warning prompts if you want them to finish a task... 'when you have coloured that in we are going shopping'.
- Try to build in some flexibility in their routine, if they learn early that things do change and often without warning - it can help.
- Don't always expect them to 'act their age' they are usually immature and you should make some allowances for this.
- Try to identify stress triggers - avoid them if possible -be ready to distract with some alternative 'come and see this...' etc.
- Find a way of coping with behavior problems - perhaps trying to ignore it if it's not too bad or hugging sometimes can help.
- Promises and threats you make will have to be kept - so try not to make them too lightly.
- Teach them some strategies for coping - telling people who are teasing perhaps to 'go away' or to breathe deeply and count to 20 if they feel the urge to cry in public.
- Begin early to teach the difference between private and public places and actions, so that they can develop ways of coping with more complex social rules later in life.
- Let them know that you love them - wart's an' all' - and that you are proud of them. It can be very easy with a child who rarely speaks not to tell them all the things you feel inside.
