Developmental Resources:
Baby Signs
Developmental Milestones- Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
HelpGuide is a trusted guide to mental health and wellness. They are collaborating with Harvard Health Publications, the consumer health publishing division of Harvard Medical School. Their goal is to empower families with the knowledge and support needed to take charge of your life.
The Autism Speaks 100 Day Kit for Newly Diagnosed Families of Young Children was created specifically for families of children ages 4 and under to make the best possible use of the 100 days following their child's diagnosis of autism.
https://www.autismspeaks.org/family-services/tool-kits/100-day-kit
The UC Davis MIND Institute (Medical Investigation of Neurodevelopmental Disorders) was built by Families for Families. It is a collaborative international research center, committed to awareness, understanding, prevention, care, and cures of neurodevelopmental disorders.
http://www.ucdmc.ucdavis.edu/mindinstitute/
Social Thinking Michelle Garcia Winner is the founder of the “Social Thinking” program which focuses on social thinking as a treatment approach for students with social and communication challenges. There are many resources available on her site for speech therapists as well as parents and other related professionals who work with students who need help with social-emotional communication challenges.
Parent Behavior Tips and Strategies
Let the child know what will happen next.
For example, “After you finish the puzzle, it is time to brush your teeth”, or “In five minutes it is time to turn off the computer and start your writing assignment.” For some children it is helpful to set a timer so the child can keep track of how much time is left. So in the example above “In five minutes it is time to turn off the computer and start your writing assignment” you would set the timer for five minutes. Some children need reminders as the time is winding down to 2 minutes, 1 minute, etc.
The First Then Strategy.
For example, if you want the child to work on math and then have a play activity, you can say, “First we will do math and then play a fun game” or “first you need to buckle your seat belt and then we will go to the park” or “first you need to shower and then we will (insert preferred activity).”
Set expectations, be consistent, and follow through.
For example, if you tell your child that you will play a game with him if he plays quietly while you talk on the phone for five minutes, make sure that you keep your end of the bargain (barring unforeseen circumstances). You may need to give him a choice of what activity to do during that time that you are on the phone. If your child can’t tell time, set a timer that your child can see, get off the phone in exactly 5 minutes (barring unforeseen consequences), and play the game. If you do this consistently, your child will come to know what is expected and will believe in what you say. As he improves, you can increase the time.
If you don’t implement expectations with consistency and follow through on your words, your child will not know what to expect. This can lead to anxiety and challenging behavior (e.g., talking to you while you are on the phone, repeatedly asking when you will be off the phone, etc.). Children with challenging behaviors thrive on predictability, so do your best to make their world predictable. Another example of predictability would be having a set routine each night (e.g. first homework…then TV or first put pajamas on…then read a story).
Reward your child for complying with your requests.
For instance, if your child is using a loud voice in the movie theater and you say, “whisper in the theater,” praise the child with a comment such as “nice job whispering”, or “thank you for being respectful in the theater.” If you ask your child to do something they don’t like such as buckling their seat belt, and they comply, tell them great job for buckling!!” give them a high five and lots of attention. Even go home and tell dad in front of your child how great he did buckling his seat belt.
Tell the child specifically what you expect and allow him to earn privileges for complying with your expectations.
For instance, if your child often has a tantrum in a store when he can’t go to the toy aisle, tell him exactly what you expect of him before you go to the store and reward him with a privilege for following that expectation. For instance, you can say something like “We are going to Target. We are going to the school supply aisle to buy paper and pens, and then we will pay and go home. If you can follow directions and be calm you can earn (insert reward) when we get home.” Once in the store you can give reminders (e.g., what was you’re reward again? we are going to get the paper and pens, you’re doing a nice job following the rules)
Let the child know that he can earn a privilege for following the rules. Privilege ideas include playing a favorite game once at home, watching a favorite show, going on the computer, going for a walk, or going to the park, etc. Try to think of a privilege that your child might like or ask him what he would like to work towards.
When the child earns the privilege, praise him with specific language. In the example above you could say, “You followed the rules at the Target. We got the paper and pens, paid, and came home. Nice work! Now you can enjoy some computer time.” Make sure the privilege is something the child wants. You can let the child choose what he would like to work for ahead of time. Children also benefit from nonverbal praise such as high fives, smiles, thumbs up, etc.
Side Note: *If he does not meet the expectation and he has a tantrum in the store, it is very important the child does not earn the reward. Parent follow through is vital. If the child goes home and still earns the popsicle or TV times, he will begin to learn the he doesn’t need to follow the rules because he will earn the reward regardless.
Give Choices
All children like to feel a sense of control over their world. Many children benefit from having the choices limited to two to four options (depending on the child), as they get overwhelmed with too many choices and cannot decide. Examples of choices are: “Do you want to play a board game or watch TV,” “Do you want butter or jelly on your bagel,” “Do you want to wear the green or red shirt?” Again, children with language difficulties often have more success making choices when you show them the options or pictures of the options. For difficult tasks the child may want to avoid, parents can present the choice such as, “hey, do you want to shower now or in 10 minutes.” The child will likely say 10 minutes and now the parent has a verbal contract and the child has warning that the transition will be coming soon.
Get a better understanding of the ABC’s of Behavior
A = Antecedent: What happens before the behavior
B = Behavior: What the child does-an action that is observable
C = Consequence: What happens after behavior
For more information go to: https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/stress-free-discipline/201509/the-abcs-child-behavior
Activities to encourage speech and language development
BIRTH TO 2 YEARS
Encourage your baby to make vowel-like and consonant-vowel sounds such as “ma,” “da,” and “ba.”
Reinforce attempts by maintaining eye contact, responding with speech, and imitating vocalizations using different patterns and emphasis. For example, raise the pitch of your voice to indicate a question.
Imitate your baby’s laughter and facial expressions.
Teach your baby to imitate your actions, including clapping you hands, throwing kisses, and playing finger games such as pat-a-cake, peek-a-boo, and the itsy-bitsy-spider.
Talk as you bathe, feed, and dress your baby. Talk about what you are doing, where you are going, what you will do when you arrive, and who and what you will see.
Identify colors.
Count items.
Use gestures such as waving goodbye to help convey meaning.
Introduce animal sounds to associate a sound with a specific meaning: “The doggie says woof-woof.”
Acknowledge the attempt to communicate.
Expand on single words your baby uses: “Here is Mama. Mama loves you. Where is baby? Here is baby.”
Read to your child. Sometimes “reading” is simply describing the pictures in a book without following the written words. Choose books that are sturdy and have large colorful pictures that are not too detailed. Ask your child, “What’s this?” and encourage naming and pointing to familiar objects in the book.
2 TO 4 YEARS
Use good speech that is clear and simple for your child to model.
Repeat what your child says indicating that you understand. Build and expand on what was said. “Want juice? I have juice. I have apple juice. Do you want apple juice?”
Use baby talk only if needed to convey the message and when accompanied by the adult word. “It is time for din-din. We will have dinner now.”
Make a scrapbook of favorite or familiar things by cutting out pictures. Group them into categories, such as things to ride on, things to eat, things for dessert, fruits, things to play with. Create silly pictures by mixing and matching pictures. Glue a picture of a dog behind the wheel of a car. Talk about what is wrong with the picture and ways to “fix” it. Count items pictured in the book.
Help your child understand and ask questions. Play the yes-no game. Ask questions such as “Are you a boy?” “Are you Marty?” “Can a pig fly?” Encourage your child to make up questions and try to fool you.
Ask questions that require a choice. “Do you want an apple or an orange?” “Do you want to wear your red or blue shirt?”
Expand vocabulary. Name body parts and identify what you do with them. “This is my nose. I can smell flowers, brownies, popcorn, and soap.”
Sing simple songs and recite nursery rhymes to show the rhythm and pattern of speech.
Place familiar objects in a container. Have your child remove the object and tell you what it is called and how to use it. “This is my ball. I bounce it. I play with it.”
Use photographs of familiar people and places and retell what happened or make up a new story.
4 TO 6 YEARS
When your child starts a conversation, give your full attention whenever possible.
Make sure that you have your child’s attention before you speak.
Acknowledge, encourage, and praise all attempts to speak. Show that you understand the word or phrase by fulfilling the request, if appropriate.
-retrieved from ASHA website
