Read a few parent and professional testimonials at the bottom of this post if you’d like some firsthand reviews.

Is this book appropriate to use for kids who have not yet been diagnosed with autism? YES! In this manual I’m sharing what YOU need to know in order to work with toddlers and preschoolers with autism – those formally diagnosed, as well as toddlers and preschoolers who have signs of autism but are not yet diagnosed with anything beyond language delay, and even children who have a few “quirks” or characteristics of autism that need to be addressed.

Is the treatment manual written for parents as well as therapists? YES! The book is written for parents and professionals who work with very young children with autism, including speech-language pathologists (like me!), occupational therapists, early interventionists, teachers, and ABA therapists. I get tons of email from ABA therapists who love my resources because my strategies are rooted in science they use, yet play-based and developmentally appropriate for their youngest clients.

I’m already working with a child. Can I use this approach for a child who has been in therapy for a while? YES! My hope is that you’ll take the ideas in The Autism Workbook to help you get started or to help you start over if you’re stuck! If you’re working with a young child with autism who hasn’t made significant progress, chances are, you’re working on the wrong things! Let me help you get back on track!

What’s included? In this 230-page treatment manual, you’ll find seven core or “big picture” focus areas that will be included in the treatment plan for nearly every child who demonstrates markers for autism. Next, you’ll find five additional special considerations for children who are struggling to master the core components presented in the first section. This will be your “back up plan” when a child needs a more specialized intervention to make progress with language development.

I’m using the word “plan” here very intentionally. As you probably already know, many traditional speech therapy techniques are not appropriate (meaning… they flat out don’t work) for kids with autism simply because of the nature of autism. Until you understand the differences kids with autism have as they learn language, you won’t be as ready or equipped to develop an effective plan. And if you don’t have a plan, you know what happens… nothing!

My mission is to make sure that doesn’t happen to you!

I’ll teach you how to plan!

In this manual, I’ve tried to make designing treatment plans as easy as possible – not only for busy therapists, but for parents who want to know EXACTLY what to do to work with their own children at home. As it turns out, this also benefits therapists who can use this information for parent education – especially now for teletherapy sessions.

At the heart of this process is asking and answering the right questions about a child.

For each of the focus areas, you’ll find a one-page summary and a list of questions to help you determine if the focus listed in each chapter is right for your particular child. Like my other treatment manuals, I’ve summed up this information in a “chart” that’s so simple to share and explain. This one is called the Autism Workbook Worksheet and I know it will be tremendously helpful for you as you select your overall goals and share the information with parents – or with a child’s therapists or team!

This information can be super important for parents who know in their gut that a child isn’t making the progress he could be because the interventions and approach aren’t a good fit for their particular child. It happens… even when excellent therapists have the best of intentions.

As a parent, you can help change that dynamic by providing a new direction for your child’s therapists. Some of the best ideas I’ve ever learned about working with children with autism have come from parents who taught me a new strategy.

For example, in 2011, a mom began implementing structured teaching (Focus 11 in The Autism Workbook) with her child because a psychologist mentioned it to her as a potential treatment option. I am forever grateful she asked me about using TEACCH that day! I had to go home and research on my own so I could be caught up to her for the next visit. It opened up a whole new realm of treatment ideas for me for children like hers – a busy, busy little guy who wouldn’t stay with people or play with toys long enough to learn anything!

But the question I get most at teachmetotalk.com is, “Where do I start?”

Wondering how to get started can feel insurmountable and overwhelming. Parents may want to quit before they even begin. Therapists end up doing their “same ole’ things,” even if they’re resulting in very little success with a child.

I don’t want that to happen to you.

I’ll teach you what to do!

In the book, I explain what to do and how to do it so that you feel empowered as you put together a plan for a child! As therapists and parents, we need ideas (and lots of them!) to help us know where to begin and then to keep us on track and moving forward.

Does that sound like something you could use?

Me too!

That’s why I wrote it!

Like the other therapy manuals I’ve written, it always begins with me reading and reading and reading so that I can get better and better at what I do.

Thankfully, I get to pass that along and help other people who are also out there looking for a better way to help a child they love.

Order your copy today

Laura

“I purchased the book on autism and have watched the #400s series podcasts. Laura Mize has been more effective in teaching autistic tendencies, than many professors, shadowing professions, and the 100s of books, articles and classes or videos, or live workshop speakers, have been at teaching effective practices for a child with ASD. Some of the many lessons she has taught, which I will now use, to be a more effective Interventionist, include but are not limited to: red flags, typical behaviors, self-stimulating behaviors, not taking away toys, rather showing child to play with toy appropriately. She gives examples of child’s actions, “inappropriate,” explains the reason for: why the child is engaging in these behaviors and how they can be replaced with more appropriate, effective functional and age-appropriate skills.” Contact form – teachmetotalk.com

“Good Morning Laura,
I received your book (The Autism Workbook) yesterday and it is absolutely amazing! As I evaluate young children (0-3) for developmental delays and write plans for them with their parents, there are a ton of ideas that are ready to use. Others that reinforce what I have been doing, and saying, all along. Thank you so, so much for writing this incredible book and pulling everything together in one place!”   F, Michigan

“Thank you very much for sharing your knowledge, experience, and guidance.
I’m a parent who bought the autism workbook and it’s the only clear resource I found to make a change in my son. I’m really thankful to Ms. Laura for helping out people like us all over the world.” Mom from YouTube

“I just want to tell how fortunate I feel to have found your website and you!! I became a special instructor in EI almost a year ago and I started with hardly any applicable training. I felt so lost and confused as how to help the kids I work with learn how to use words and play. Honestly, I didn’t even understand the importance of play, although I always played with my kids. But, once I started to watch your podcasts and get some of your manuals I felt a weight had been lifted off my shoulders and that I could finally teach these kids and their families something of value from a real therapist and based on research!. Thank you so much for seeing the need to help other EI service providers and providing a forum to share your knowledge and years of valuable experience. I’m sure you get a lot of these emails every week if not every day, but I wanted to make I could add to those notes of gratitude!! THANK YOU again!!” Therapist

Watch a podcast …DISCUSSING AUTISM WITH PARENTS… PART 1… #437 $10 CEU FOR 1.5 HOURS CREDIT

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Playing peek-a-boo is a time-honored ritual between babies and parents. Many times parents of young children with developmental delays miss out on this fun because they’re not sure how to modify the game for a toddler with special needs. 

A mom may have instigated peek-a-boo a few times to try to quiet her fussy baby, but when her child didn’t seem to understand or respond, she assumed he didn’t like it and then she stopped trying. No one likes to do something when they think they’re not good at it…  

Helping a young child learn to play WITH an adult is a huge first step in helping him learn how to communicate. ALL communication begins with social interaction. Learning to play social games, like peek-a-boo, is the easiest and earliest phase of social interaction and engagement as a child begins to pay attention to and respond to others. Once a child learns to enjoy being with another person, he forms the foundation necessary to help him understand and use language.

Many professionals have written extensively about using relationships and emotional connections as the underlying theory in the treatment of children with social communication delays. This focus is exactly where “speech therapy” should begin for many toddlers.

In my practice as a speech-language pathologist who specializes in infants and toddlers, I spend as much time working with parents as I do children!

As early interventionists, we should use early therapy sessions to teach parents HOW to play these games with their own children. We do this first by modeling how to play the game with the child demonstrating the strategies we use to help a child learn to participate. We invite parents to play along too, so that they are comfortable. We show them how to read a child’s cues and adapt the game to meet the child where he or she is developmentally building on each tiny success. Finally, we coach parents to reinforce a child’s attempts so that they can continue to play together long after the therapy session is over.

Let me give you an example…

I teach parents to approach a game like peek-a-boo with several different steps, or goals, we want a child to achieve. In sessions, I don’t leave the way a parent plays to chance. I tell them specifically how we’re going to set up the game so that a child can learn to do one small part and then gradually add another small part until he or she is participating in (and loving!) an entire game.

This is how the game peek-a-boo is written in my therapy manual Teach Me to Play WITH You and it’s EXACTLY how I teach parents to play when I’m treating their child. Again, I provide detailed instructions so there are no lingering doubts about what goals we’re addressing, or even how we play.

PEEK-A-BOO (excerpt from Teach Me To Play WITH You)

How to Play:

Cover your child’s head with a blanket and then ask, Where’s _____?? Ask several times and build anticipation with your voice.

Jerk the blanket off with a big gesture and say, “Boo!” Specifically say, “Boo,” rather than “Peek-a-boo,” “Pee-pie,” or even, “There she is,” because “Boo” is a word your toddler is more likely to be able to say.

Child’s Goals:

Watch his responses. We want him to connect with you by looking at you, smiling, and laughing when you remove the blanket. If he doesn’t laugh, be more fun! Smile bigger! Squeal! Increase your own level of energy, animation, and excitement. Try a tickle or jiggle to get him going.

After a while, we want her to move or giggle in anticipation that you are going to take the blanket off her head.

Next we want him to try to remove the blanket by himself. Help him if he gets stuck.

After a few days playing this game, we want her to try to cover her own head when you give her the blanket to begin the game.

You can help him learn to initiate the game by saying, “Where’s _____?” when his head is even partially covered with a blanket at other times during the day.

An indication that he’s really “learned” the game comes when he initiates the game with you by reaching out on his own to get a blanket and then covering and uncovering himself. Place a blanket in front of him and ask, “Play boo?” If he doesn’t pick it up, point to the blanket so that he learns to get the blanket by himself to begin the game.

Toddlers learn through repetition. Young children with difficulty paying attention need even more repetition. Play this game over and over throughout the day with several repetitions each time so that he “learns” the game.

Saying “Boo” might not come right away, but if she’s doing all of the other parts, we know she’s understanding the routine, with or without the word. Keep trying to elicit this word by saying, “Boo” many times during play to help her learn to imitate you. Once you’ve played this game many times for several days, pause just before you say, “Boo!” Smile and look expectantly at your child as if to indicate that it’s her turn to say “Boo!” Since you’ve played this game many, many times now and she knows what comes next, your child may surprise you and say it on her own! 

As with all of our play routines, eventually your child should play this game several times in a row before moving on to another game or toy with you during your 1:1 play time.

———————————————————————————

When we’ve established this game during sessions and parents report success with the basic routine at home, I make sure to give them great ideas for how to use this game in other ways. Therapists call this process “carry over” and it’s very important that we address carry over with each new skill and activity. So for a game like Peek-a-boo, here’s how carry over looks:

Ways to Expand the Game:

1. Hide under the blanket, and let your child take the blanket off your head. Say, “Where’s Mommy?” If your child doesn’t try to uncover you, uncover yourself. Better yet, have someone else help your child take the blanket off your head to teach him that he can do this part of the game.

2. Get a new person to play either role by being the person who hides or calls the child as he hides.

3. Play with another obstacle. Hide behind a pillow, a door, behind the shower curtain during bath, or behind the couch when your child is playing nearby. Call your child as you did before saying, “Where’s ____?” Or ask your child, “Where’s Mommy?” Then pop out and say, “Boo!”

4. When your child masters this game and can cover and uncover her own head easily, introduce the next activity, “Where Oh Where.”

By teaching a parent why and how to play these kinds of games, we exponentially increase therapy time for a child, and that’s when real progress occurs!

———————————————————————————-

If you need more help using and teaching early and easy social routines, I’ve written the instructions for most of the games I routinely use in speech therapy sessions in my therapy manual Teach Me To Play WITH You. For more information about this book, click here.

The post How to Play Peek-a-boo! Advice for Parents with Toddlers with Developmental Delays appeared first on teachmetotalk.com.

Yesterday I received these great questions from a new SLP about podcast #403 Teach Social Games First. I started typing my reply, and then I thought I’d answer them here in case you’re wondering about these things too! You mentioned you did the routine 5 or 6 times before taking a break. Is that for every child or does it depend? Also, is the 5 or 6 times with one song/rhyme/fingerplay or more than one? You guessed it, the number of times I do a social routine is really child dependent! My point is that you’d never play the game once or twice and then stop. Kids need repetition to learn anything new and especially for something that’s hard for them. If a child is having difficulty interacting with other people, then social games are usually new AND hard! You’ll need to repeat the game often enough so that they begin to participate (or at least tolerate you “helping” them participate), recognize the game, and finally, hopefully, enjoy the game. I’ve found that in the beginning if I repeat a game several times, a child is more likely to try to participate more quickly rather than playing the game once or twice this session, then once or twice in the next session, etc… For the second part of your question, stick to one game until a child participates, recognizes, and likes that game, and then pick a new game and introduce it using the same method… repeat, repeat, repeat. When he’s learned two games, then alternate the games for a while, and then introduce the new game using the same method… repeat, repeat, repeat, and now you’re playing three games together. How many social games should you start with? One, two, three? Does it depend on the student? Like I mentioned in your first question, I introduce one game and play it for a while until a child participates, recognizes, and likes the game, and then I pick a new game and introduce it with the same method. For some kids, I can teach 2 or 3 social games in one session and we stick to that for a few weeks to master those games gradually increasing what I expect for a child to begin “do his part.” For example, in a game like “Ring Around the Rosies,” the first step is for the child to fall down with me at the end of the game. When do you suggest introducing another routine? Introduce a new game when a child is happily participating in the first game. Sometimes it’s fast! It may happen within 10 minutes after I’ve played the first little game for a couple of “rounds” (5 or 6 times in a row with the same game) and the child keeps wanting more. For some kids, it takes several sessions with one game and many, many, many repetitions before a child begins to respond. LUCKILY… many kids with language delays, even those with autism, respond pretty quickly and the results are soooo amazing that therapists and parents are elated. Parents tell me they end up playing the same game over and over for days, but it’s because their child loves the game and they’ve all having a great time interacting and playing together. They are especially motivated as they begin to teach their child NEW things to do and then finally, NEW THINGS TO SAY. Many times, the first words we hear from a child, especially those with autism, is during a social game. Next week, I’ll share some personal stories like that. But you do not have to wait until then to get going with social games! I have several resources for you to read below so that you too can have success with this method. One more piece of advice…. DO NOT GIVE UP IF THIS DOESN’T WORK FOR YOU RIGHT AWAY! Chances are, with a few tweaks to YOU (not your child!), you’ll begin to see success like… More eye contact, giggles, smiles, and belly laughs JOYFUL participation with you Hints that a child recognizes the game – “a twinkle in his eye” A child first attempts to “do his part” in the game such as uncovering his head for peek-a-boo on cue More advanced participation in games like doing a few hand motions in games like clapping during “If You’re Happy and You Know It” Initiation with favorite games such as pulling your hands to play “Ring Around the Rosies” And then finally… Words! As they begin to “fill-in-the-blank” with expected and familiar words to complete lines during the game. For example, a child will begin to say “Go!” when you say, “Ready… Set…” and wait for them to fill in the word. I’ll be honest, sometimes…. it feels like magic! But it’s not magic… it’s science. It doesn’t work with every time with every child, but it is a very successful strategy when a child is developmentally ready. Here are a few resources to get you started: Teach Me To Play WITH You is an entire therapy manual filled with step-by-step instructions for teaching dozens and dozens of social games. If you’re completely new to social games, as a parent or professional, this book is for you! The Autism Workbook: Developing Speech Therapy Treatment Plans for Toddlers and Preschoolers with Red Flags for ASD  has a chapter geared toward social games with recommendations specifically for teaching kids with autism or suspected autism. Podcast #0403 is specifically about teaching social games to kids with autism or suspected autism. The pdf includes specific questions to help you decide which kinds of social games will work best with a kid – such important information to consider for “hard” kids!! There’s a link to watch below. As I mentioned before, I can’t wait to share several success stories next week from parents and SLPs who are using social games! If you have one you’d like for me to share, email it to me at Laura@teachmetotalk.com with the subject line SOCIAL GAME SUCCESS. Have a wonderfully playful, peaceful weekend!! Laura teachmetotalk.com I’m resting this weekend… you can find rest too! Matthew 11:28 The Autism Podcast Series… Teach Social Games First #403… teachmetotalk.com…Laura Mize

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we’re trying our best to teach a toddler something new and all he can think about is how to get away! We need a way to help busy toddlers learn to stay and play!

Too often we try things that don’t work like…

Behavioral Redirections… as in “No no. Sit down.”

Pleas… as in “Please listen to me. Please come back.”

Coercion… as in holding the child down as you say through clenched teeth, “You need to sit still.”

Threats… as in “If you don’t do what I say, you can’t go outside later.”

We’ve all done it… and unfortunately, it usually doesn’t result in a happy child who is ready to learn.

So… what’s a frazzled parent or therapist to do?

The BEST way to help a busy toddler learn to stay and play with you is by giving him a reason to include you, rather than running off to do something else. You have to make yourself and what you’re doing as interesting as possible.

I’ve written A LOT about this here at teachmetotalk.com, but if you’re looking for a quick fix, the best tip is using a social game to draw a child in, teach him a fun way to participate, and finally, help him learn how to enjoy being with you.

The good news is…

It Can Be Easier Than You Think

And certainly more successful than the things you’ve tried that haven’t worked!

An example of the kind of game I use in therapy and teach parents to play at home is a cute play routine I call UP DOWN.

How to Play:

Sit down on the floor with your legs stretched out in front of you, and seat your child on your knees facing you. Hold your child’s hands. Lift your child up on your knees saying,

Up….. Up…. Up…..                                                                                                                 

(Slowly lift up your knees on each word and build anticipation with your voice.)                                                                                                  

Down!                                                                                                                 

(Quickly lower your legs flat touching the floor.)

Experiment to see how fast or slow your child likes for you to raise and lower your legs. Most children like the slower pace going up and prefer a fast-paced, crash-landing on the floor as a big surprise for “down.”

Isn’t that an EASY, cute game? I love it!

But here’s how we make it even better. We look at teaching a child how to begin to respond and then gradually up the ante from sitting through the game, staying with you for longer periods of time, beginning to participate, and then finally, learning to initiate the game with you. Here’s how…

Child’s Goals

Watch for her response to this game. We want her to connect with you and enjoy your time playing. You can see this by a smile, increased eye contact, and hopefully, even a “twinkle” in her eyes.

If he doesn’t respond positively, be more fun! Increase your own level of animation. Try a big hug after “down” to get him laughing and smiling.

Vary your speed or the number of times you say, “Up – up” to find what your child likes best.  For a child who won’t stay in one place for very long, quickly move to “down.”

Another goal for this game would be for him to reach for your hands as you hold both palms out and up, as if to invite him to play. Wiggle your fingers toward him as an invitation for him to grab your hands.

After you’ve played this one for a while, help your child initiate this game with you by putting him on your lap and then asking him if he wants to play by saying, “Up? Up?” but don’t hold his hands to begin. Leave your hands in your lap, or even put them behind your back, to see if your child will initiate grabbing your hands to begin.

Toddlers learn through repetition. Children with difficulty paying attention need even more repetition. Play this game over and over throughout the day with several repetitions each time so that he “learns” the game.

As with all our play routines, eventually your child should play this game several times in a row before moving on to another game or toy with you during your 1:1 play time.

Now we can make the game even better by expanding it to new people and new contexts.

Expand the Game:

1. Play with a new person. Have the person watch you several times to learn how to play the game exactly like you do.

2. After your child likes this game, expand how and where you play. You could play this game by picking your child up from the floor, bed, or chair. Lift him high into the air for “up,” and then crash him down on his feet or bottom for “down.

3. If your child seems scared when you lift her up, which is called gravitational insecurity, try the next game, “Humpty Dumpty.”

Find other games and instructions like this in my therapy manual Teach Me To Play WITH You from teachmetotalk.com. These ideas are the BEST way I know to teach toddlers to stay with you, play together, and enjoy being with you! Once you get them to that point, then they’re ready to learn other things from you… including HOW TO TALK! Start here. Today.

For therapists, get a downloadable pdf of this game to share with parents and other caregivers who are working to help busy toddlers learn to stay and play!

Up Down

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(This information is from my course Early Speech-Language Development: Taking Theory to the Floor. If you’re an SLP and want a comprehensive overview of treatment strategies for toddlers with language delay, get it today! It’s pre-approved for ASHA CEUs for SLPs.)

Benefits of Using Social Games as a Therapy Strategy

Benefit #1:

Social Games motivate children to stay in close proximity and maintain interaction with you.

My favorite quote about this is from a book called Giggle Time by Susan Aud Sonders:

“Games increase a child’s staying power.” 

Staying power means that you’ll teach a child to stay with you, rather than running away or using other avoidance behaviors – a HUGE problem during therapy sessions. Rather than pleading with a child to return, or chasing around after her, or even trying to punish him (PLEASE don’t do that!!), keep toddlers so engaged that they don’t leave in the first place.

Don’t believe it’s possible?

This does take some finesse, but it can be done when you introduce fun social games as the primary activity during therapy sessions.

Begin by introducing one game and then playing it several (or even many!) times to help a child “learn” to enjoy the routine. If a child doesn’t love it at first, no problem. Keep trying! Many times, we quit too soon and don’t hang in there long enough for a child to begin to like the game.

Remember… repetition is your #1 strategy to help any toddler learn anything – including language!

Since social games will be your primary therapy activity, it also means that you’ll need to know more than 2 or 3 different games. During the courses I teach, I suggest that therapists know 10 to 15 different social games they can easily modify for any kid in any setting.

In my live courses, I ask therapists to make a list their favorite social games. If you’re a therapist, stop right now and list your own “go to” social games. If that’s hard for you, I can help!!

Learn my favorite social routines in my therapy manual Teach Me To Play WITH You. In the book, you’ll learn dozens of fun games to use with toddlers to help them learn to stay with you! These games are easy to teach parents and other caregivers  – even older siblings!

The best part of the this book is that I’ve done all the hard work for you. You’ll not only find the words and directions for these little songs and games, but you’ll also receive a list of GOALS for each game. This way, you’ll know exactly how to implement the game to get the best results. Read more about Teach Me To Play WITH You.

Benefit #2:

Social Games provide practical and natural ways to target joint attention and reciprocity with young children who are easily distracted, busy, or avoid interaction.

Any therapist will tell you that designing strategies and activities for working on these kinds of social interaction skills can be tremendously challenging. Read more about joint attention and reciprocity or turn-taking.

You can only say things like ‘Look at me!’ or ‘Pay attention!” so many times before a toddler begins to resist your efforts or tune you out.

However, when you use a social game, these goals are automatically built in.

You’ll be targeting improvements without adding a new “layer” for the activity – which is sometimes why playing with toys during therapy with these kids can be frustrating too. When the child avoids you in favor of the toy, you begin to suspect that you need to try something different.

Social games are the easiest strategy when this is a problem.

Not sure what I mean by social games? I can fix that!

My book Teach Me To Play WITH You will teach you dozens of games to play with toddlers. These games are easy to teach parents and other caregivers  – even older siblings! The best part of the this book is that I’ve done all the hard work for you. You’ll not only find the words and directions for these little songs and games, but you’ll also receive a list of GOALS for each game. This way, you’ll know exactly how to implement the game to get the best results. Read more about Teach Me To Play WITH You.

Benefit #3:

Social Games teach the power of an emotional connection with another person.

When kids seem to avoid others, there’s little opportunity for them to learn things from other people. This explains why toddlers with social interaction quirks NEARLY ALWAYS have communication delays.

Because communicating and interacting isn’t coming naturally, we have to give children REASONS to learn to want to be with you. If a child’s delays are significant, then we have to make those reasons for interacting practically irresistible.

One way to do that is by using little games and rituals that bond a child with you. Emotional bonding occurs anytime two people share a pleasurable experience. (For more about bonding, read here (an academic article) and here (parent-friendly). When that experience is memorable and fun, kids want to repeat it over and over. Social games provide a nice framework for this kind of emotional bonding and learning to connect.

Communicating always involves at least 2 people. If you’re working with a toddler who is slow to warm up to others, then you’ll need to address this before you focus on teaching them to communicate. My book Let’s Talk About Talking will help you understand what activities are most successful in helping late talkers learn how to interact and respond to others.

An extension of this bonding concept is benefit #4…

Social Games create opportunities to build in AFFECT which drives all communication. (Greenspan).

You may be wondering… what’s affect? A person’s affect is the expression of emotion or feelings displayed to others through facial expressions, hand gestures, voice tone, and other emotional signs such as laughter or tears. Individual affect fluctuates according to emotional state.

Kids with difficulty interacting do not always notice another person’s affect during day-to-day routines. Their eye contact may be minimal and they don’t appear to be watching your face or hands as you talk to them or go about your business. A child may be so busy or tuned out that they don’t seem to understand your words or “care” that you’re talking to them.

BUT… once you begin a social game – complete with big hand motions and animated facial expressions, a child may begin to tune in! Your affect will help him do this and is one step closer to helping a late talker begin to understand and use words.

These benefits translate nicely into practical goals for a child with language delays as listed here:

Goal #1 – Stay with you.

Goal #2 – Pay attention to you.

Goal #3 – Enjoy you.

Goal #4 – Begin to understand and use nonverbal communication.

So… there you have it…. 4 reasons for including social games as a primary goal for late talkers and 4 outcomes or a list of initial goals we work toward with late talkers. If you need more information about how to increase social interaction, check out the resources I mentioned in this post:

Teach Me To Play WITH You

Let’s Talk About Talking

Early Speech-Language Development: Taking Theory to the Floor

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The new estimate represents a 15 percent increase to 1 in 59 children.

This is a change from 1 in 68 children.

These numbers are updated every two years by the CDC and based on an analysis of medical records and, where available, educational records. The data point used is with 8-year-old children from 11 monitoring sites across the United States. Information obviously can’t be collected in real time; this update used records from 2014. There was variability in the estimates between the 11 sites. Significantly higher numbers were reported at sites where researchers had full access to school records. This leads us to believe that autism may still be persistently underreported. (Isn’t that scary?)

Below I’m summarizing the information released in the new CDC report from this post at  Autism Speaks:

*Nationally, 1 in 59 children had a diagnosis of autism spectrum disorder (ASD) by age 8 in 2014, a 15 percent increase over 2012.

* Estimated rates varied, with a high of 1 in 34 in New Jersey (a 20 percent increase), where researchers had better access to education records. On the low side, autism’s estimated prevalence in Arkansas was just 1 in 77.

* The gender gap in autism has decreased. Boys are 4 times more likely to be diagnosed than girls. Every 1 in 37 for boys will be diagnosed with autism versus 1 in 151 girls. This appears to reflect improved identification of autism in girls. Many times little girls do not fit the stereotypical picture of autism seen in boys.

* White children were still more likely to be diagnosed with autism. This is likely due to better access to services. The diagnosis of ASD among Hispanic children still lagged significantly behind.

Here’s a big take away message for those of us in early intervention:

* Disappointingly, the report found no overall decrease in the age of diagnosis.

Most children are still being diagnosed after age 4, though autism can be reliably diagnosed as early as age 2.

My favorite quote from the article:

“Earlier diagnosis is crucial because early intervention affords the best opportunity to support healthy development and deliver benefits across the lifespan.”

If you need help identifying and treating autism in toddlers, please check out my CE course on DVD Is It Autism? Recognizing and Treating Toddlers and Preschoolers with Red Flags for ASD.

The post 1 in 59… New Autism Rates in the US appeared first on teachmetotalk.com.

In this post, I want to share my very best strategy for teaching parents to work on improving joint attention at home. I call this strategy…

Show, hold, and give.

Show a child the item that’s necessary for the next step. As you show him, you’ll ask him to look as you name it and talk about it. After he’s looked at you and the item as you talk about it (a big part of joint attention), move on to let him…

Hold the item as you prepare to use it. You’ll continue to talk about what you’re doing using the keywords (listening is a big part of joint attention), and then move on to ask him to…

Give you the item so that you can use it.

Real-Life Application

Let’s look at this example in a diaper changing routine. To introduce the activity, say something like,

“Let’s go change your diaper. First, we need a diaper.”

Point toward the diaper as you’re walking to it and before you pick it up. Once you have it, hold it up to show him the diaper. Say something like,

“See! It’s the diaper!”

You may even hold the diaper in one hand and point with your other hand to teach him to watch for your point as you say other words like, “Look! We have a diaper!” Then say,

“We have the diaper! Here. You hold the diaper.”

Let him hold the diaper while you’re getting things ready to change him. Then say,

“Now we’re ready. Give me the diaper.”

Offer your hand so he can give you the diaper. If he doesn’t hand it over, ask a couple more times. If he doesn’t hand it over, use your free hand to help him put it in your open hand.

Expand the Routine

Expand your “Show – Hold – Give” routines by letting a child hold several items as “the next” step in the routine. For diaper changes, she could first hold a wipe, then the clean diaper, then her pants or any other item that comes next in her family’s changing routine.

Read more practical strategies to help you improve a toddler’s joint attention skills in my therapy manual Let’s Talk About Talking…11 Skills Toddlers Master Before Words Emerge. This resource is in hot demand.

The post “Show, Hold, Give”… Improving Joint Attention in Toddlers appeared first on teachmetotalk.com.

It’s also tricky when we’re working with super active little guys or kids who are intensely interested in “doing their own thing.”  Remember – joint attention means BOTH of you know you’re talking about the same thing and are actively sharing the experience.

Here’s the list I use with parents to help them look at their child’s joint attention skills.

Questions to consider:

1. Is a child able to listen and respond to you when he’s busy with something else?
2. When you point to something, does your child look at it?
3. Will your child try to show you things? Does she point to get you to look at something?
4. Does she seem too occupied or distracted to listen to you or look at what you’re trying to show her?
5. When you show a child something new, is he able to listen to you and turn his attention to include that new thing?
6. Do you seem to disappear to the child when you bring out a child’s favorite food, a preferred toy, or some kind of screen?
7. Does the child often lock his eyes on the items but never look back at you?

If you answered “no” to questions 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, and 6 or “yes” to 7, there’s a reason for concern.

I’ll admit, working on joint attention can be very challenging, but there are effective strategies you can implement TODAY which will make a big difference. Tomorrow I’ll share a few of those!

This is an excerpt from Let’s Talk About Talking. Get your copy today while it’s still in stock!

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The post Joint Attention…Questions for Parents appeared first on teachmetotalk.com.

I like this SEAT acronym to help me remember the 4 reasons!

1. Sensory Stimulation

2. Escape or Avoidance

3. Attention

4. Tangibles

Sensory Stimulation means that a child is seeking sensory stimulation by doing something he enjoys or he engages in a behavior to remove something he doesn’t like. In plain language, a child does something simply because it feels good! The behavior itself is what the child craves. Examples of sensory stimulation behaviors children might use include thumb sucking, hand flapping, rocking, stroking your hair when you hold them, or rubbing a body part that’s been hurt. Other examples might be getting down on the floor to closely monitor spinning wheels on a train or standing one inch away from the television. What a child says can be self-stimulatory too. Echolalia (repeating what they’ve heard someone else say or quoting from a book or movie), excessive jargon (long strings of sounds with no discernible words), and other repetitive vocalizations like humming or using a phrase like “digga digga digga” can be self-stimulatory – noted when the child isn’t directing what she’s saying to anyone. Self-stimulatory behaviors can be soothing and calming and may occur when a child is overstimulated and overwhelmed. At other times, the behavior occurs when a child is alone or even bored. With this behavior, a child is telling you… I like how this feels.

Escape and Avoidance behaviors are the things a child does to get away from something he doesn’t like or doesn’t want to do. The most straightforward example is running away! Other behaviors may not be so obvious. If a child’s crying results in mom (or me!) moving on to something new, rather than completing what we’re supposed to be doing, crying serves as an escape/avoidance behavior. A child who doesn’t want to eat may hit his sister at dinnertime or spit in his food because it usually results in getting him removed from the table – which is exactly what he wanted in the first place! Tuning out language can be another form of escape and avoidance for some kids; in this case a child is telling you… This is hard or unpleasant, so I will shut down or move away from you to avoid it.

Attention Seeking behaviors are used when a child wants you to focus on him. Crying is a classic attention-seeking example in babies and toddlers who can’t yet communicate in other ways yet. A toddler who is more vocal may whine to get your attention. A chatty kid may even say “Mom…look!” as they perform a silly trick… over… and over… and over again. Sometimes negative attention is better than no attention at all. When you’re fully engaged in another task like taking an important phone call or getting dinner in the oven, a child may raise holy you-know-what by doing things they know they’re not supposed to do (flinging the remote across the room, pulling down the curtains, harassing the cat) until you stop what you’re doing and attend to them. A child is saying… “Notice me!”

Tangibles include objects or activities a child wants, and their behavior results in access to these items. For example, a child may repeatedly try to climb out of the cart while you’re in the grocery store because he wants to open the Pop Tarts now. A child may pitch a little fit because she knows you’ll give her the iPad or turn on her favorite show. With these behaviors, a child is saying… “I want that!”

While most of these examples lean on the “negative” side, all behaviors, even those that are positive, fit this model. A child may happily pick up his toys because you’ve promised that he can go outside (access to a tangible activity) once he’s finished. A child who is reluctant to interact with people may perk up significantly when you introduce roughhousing because he enjoys that kind of attention during play. Don’t overlook the routines that are going right – you’ll get lots of invaluable information to help you manage more challenging times. Negative behaviors can be more easily recognizable and “real” for us as adults because those are the ones we want to change!

Talking is a behavior too. When a child says, “Cookie!” his reason or function was to obtain a tangible snack. When she says, “Stop!” the word serves as an escape behavior. When a toddler shrieks, “Moooooooom!” you know you better get in there and see what’s going on; her behavior has your attention!

Of course, there are additional reasons (or functions) of behavior beyond these four, but this method is a very good initial way to begin to analyze why a child is doing something – especially when the behavior seems to make no sense or when what you’ve tried hasn’t worked.

By reading these examples, I’m sure you’ve noticed that a child may use the same behavior for different reasons. Running away can mean escape/avoidance or sensory seeking. Crying can be for your attention, to get something tangible he wants, or for escape/avoidance. Behaviors can and do sometimes have more than one function. Multiple functions (or reasons!) can lead to a little more confusion when you’re trying to address what’s going on, but at least you’ll have somewhere to start!

It may not be enough to look at these reasons without considering context – or what happened before and after the behavior. ABA folks recommend the ABC method for collecting and analyzing data surrounding the child’s behavior. Look for that in an upcoming post!

To understand how you can use this model for analyzing a child’s puzzling behaviors , listen to this podcast. We walked through this model together using a real life scenario with an SLP and her two year old client.

In case you want more information, here’s a link with lots of research references –

Functions of Behavior

To help you remember this method, search 4 Functions of Behavior and SEAT to find cool infographs. I found several I like…

4 Functions of Behavior from honuintervention .com

SEAT from autism.net via Pinterest

Until next time…

Laura

The post “Why is He Doing That?” Analyzing a Toddler’s Puzzling Behaviors appeared first on teachmetotalk.com.

If you’ve picked up any parenting book or studied anything related to educating children for at least 5 minutes, you know that you should be reading to a young child pretty much from the time he exits the womb…

That’s fantastic advice for all parents and books are certainly a wonderful choice for speech-language pathologists who work with young children.

There’s no wrong way or right way to go about reading to a young child who is meeting all of her developmental milestones. You read. She listens. She understands. She talks. End of story. That’s typical development.

BUT using a few special strategies with toddlers with speech-language, cognitive, and other developmental delays can make books exponentially better teaching tools!

By changing HOW we read to a toddler who is having difficulty learning to understand and use words, we can help him link meaning to words and eventually begin to use those words to talk.

I’ve also had incredible success using books to teach young children to play with toys. Most toddlers, even some who aren’t yet talking, have no difficulty learning to play. However, many of our little friends with developmental delays don’t instinctively understand what to do with toys until we teach them. Young children who are on the autism spectrum or who are at risk for autism really struggle with developing and expanding their play skills. They may prefer to line up or spin a toy or hoard a group of toys rather than play. Toddlers with cognitive delays may chew, throw, or ignore a toy, much like a younger baby would, rather than play purposefully.

This fall I’ve worked with several families who have desperately needed these strategies since each of these kids have had HUGE visual interests and strengths, but also have had significant language delays…. in other words, these little guys love books and videos, but they’re not talking, following directions consistently, or playing with many toys. Each of these kids had also plateaued in therapy sessions and needed some new ideas to jump start their progress.

Earlier this month I filmed a video specifically for one child’s therapy team and extended family to provide concrete instructions for using books more effectively during therapy.

After watching, I realized how beneficial it would be to share something like this here at teachmetotalk.com to reach many, many, many more families.

Let me highlight a few of the goals for reading books with toddlers so you don’t miss them when you’re watching! Some of these things may be pretty subtle to you as an adult, but each can be a BIG step for a young child with a speech-language delay or disorder. As we read books in this way, we help a child learn to:

1. Pay attention.

2. Share an experience.

3. Understand new words.

4. Follow simple directions.

5. Play with toys purposefully.

6. Use early gestures such as pointing, waving, and clapping.

7. Imitate early vocalizations and play sounds.

8. Repeat familiar words.

Let me remind you that this entire list, ALL of these skills, are a part of learning to talk and are necessary steps for every young child before he or she begins to use words. Toddlers who are verbal pick up these skills pretty quickly. Our friends who are late talkers will need some help mastering some (or all) of these important milestones.

And just so you know, I could probably expand this list to 25+ goals for reading books with toddlers, but I don’t want to overwhelm you!

If  you’re a parent, I don’t want to scare you either. If your own child isn’t doing these things yet, THAT’S OKAY. You can play a big, big part in helping him!

If you’re a therapist, these are the same strategies we should teach parents so that they too can continue to work with a child long after a therapy session ends. I believe the best way to teach moms, dads, and everyone else involved (including preschool and daycare teachers, grandparents, and older siblings who are eager to help!) is to model or SHOW them all of the things they can do with a book! Explain what you’re doing as you read so that a parent or teacher understands your purpose and more importantly, knows that he or she can successfully use these same techniques. If your program isn’t set up for you to work with parents and other caregivers, or if you’re uncomfortable with direct teaching, sending them a link for this post is much, much better than doing nothing : ) If you’re looking for information to share with larger groups of families within your agency, program or school, here it is! As long as you credit me and link back to this article, please feel free to share this post on your websites and social media pages.

So no matter what your role is, whether you’re a concerned parent or a therapist perusing the internet, my purpose is to give you some different things to try. I want you to SEE and HEAR examples of reading a cute and fun book and hopefully, work in at least a couple of new ideas, for you and for that sweet little one who’s listening!

In this video I’m using a book from one of my all-time favorite series for toddlers… Little Blue Truck. This version is Christmas-themed, but the strategies can be adapted for ANY children’s book. All you need is the book, the kid, and you! If you’re working on play skills too, gather some toys or props similar to the ones in your book.

Although the video was not filmed with a child, it’s EXACTLY how I and other effective pediatric speech-language pathologists use books to target a multitude of goals during speech therapy with toddlers.

As you watch, think about how you can adapt these strategies. Sometimes a few tweaks here and there are all you need to make reading books much, much better! I wish you fantastic success as you read to your little ones!

One more thing… I hope you notice a predominant strategy is REPETITION! Toddlers need to hear things over and over and over in order to learn how to understand and then say a new word!

Finally…. you can watch now : )

Link for the book in case you want to get it:

Until next time –

Laura

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My therapy manuals are SO helpful for therapists who work with toddlers birth to 3. Click the links for more info!

Teach Me To Play WITH You

Teach Me To Talk: The Therapy Manual

Building Verbal Imitation in Toddlers

The post Using Books to Teach Toddlers Language and Play… VIDEO from teachmetotalk.com appeared first on teachmetotalk.com.

At teachmetotalk.com parents and therapists ask me for specific activities. Lately a couple of different people have asked me for some new play ideas for cars. One insightful mom took it a step further and asked this great question:

“What if your just-turned three-year-old boy is into cars, trucks and buses? How does pretend play look for a child with normally developing language? And what would it look like for a child with language delay or with possible autism?”

Today for the show I thought we’d combine both of these questions. Let’s talk about the differences in how play looks first and then we’ll finish up with play ideas for cars!

Typically Developing 3 Year Old

• Combines longer play scenarios and exhibits “planning.” For example, for a birthday party a child may set up the party, bake the cake, welcome her guests, and then act out singing “Happy Birthday” and blowing out the candles. With cars a child will string together several related events. On the show we discussed examples.
• Uses new endings for familiar events or play routines.
• Begins role play and fantasy play.
• Builds things and substitutes items during play.
• Talks out loud in short 3 to 4 word sentences as he plays along with a variety of noises and sound effects. Uses language to mediate or control events so he’s narrating what he’s doing as he plays to himself and with other people. Cars may talk to each other or he’s talking about the cars or to the cars as he plays.

There will be some variation in this according to temperament. Kids who are quieter will naturally talk less than a child who is naturally more chatty. Toddlers who seem to shut down under pressure may talk less if they think you are listening. Children who like your attention may talk more in an attempt to pull you in to play, especially if you’ve been super fun before.

Language Delay

A 3 year old child with just a language delay will do the same kinds of things in play. Remember the examples:

• Combines longer play scenarios and exhibits “planning.”
• Uses new endings for familiar events or play routines.
• Begins role play and fantasy play.
• Builds things and substitutes items during play.

The main difference is the complexity and maturity of language. You won’t hear the same amount of words – less variety, shorter utterances. He may only use sound effects and more single words and occasional phrases.

Autism or Red Flags for Autism

Now let’s look at how a child with autism or red flags for autism might look as he plays with cars.

• Not as much variety during play
• Less mature play – child may still explore or construct rather than playing
• See more repetitive or self-stimulatory movements
• May exhibit less flexibility in other ways during play
• Difficult time letting another person join at all – pretty solitary
• Child may fixate on a certain play action
• Less true pretending
• Limited language if there’s a significant language delay
• For a child who is echolalic, you may hear a favorite script related to cars, but you’ll not little spontaneous language.

Listen to the show:

Top 10 Play Ideas with Cars

1. Plastic Tubes – buy from a home improvement store like Lowe’s or Home Depot
2. Make Ramps – go simple with an open cardboard book or swipe a cookie sheet from the kitchen
3. Water play – car wash or “bath”
4. Drive through paint – great for kids who are obsessed with watching the wheels
5. Make tracks in play-doh
6. Sensory box or tray – crumbled up Oreos for “dirt”
7. Masking tape on the floor
8. TEACCH activity (on my DVD Steps to Building Verbal Imitation Skills in Toddlers)
9. Big transport truck that holds lots of cars
10. Color Sort – use as a transition activity for kids obsessed with colors who don’t usually play many toys – receptive language and listening practice too

If you’d like more information about setting goals for toddlers with language delays, check out this post and Teach Me To Talk: The Therapy Manual.

The post #314 How Play Differs Among Toddlers with Typical Developing Skills, Language Delay, and Autism appeared first on teachmetotalk.com.

A mom recently asked me for suggestions for teaching her child to use other people’s names. Many times, children with autism or social communication delays have difficulty learning to do this. Sometimes late talkers struggle to call anyone by name. Here are ideas that have worked well for me:

Play calling games!

1. The Mama Game

To help a child begin to use a person’s name, set up a game that I call “The Mama Game.” Since I’m usually working with mothers and their children during therapy sessions, and since it’s the one word moms want to hear most, “mama” is the name we target first. Actually, you can use this game to teach a child to say anyone’s name!

The most success I’ve had with this game is when we’ve placed the child in a confined area. I’ve used a crib or play pack, behind a baby gate, or in a room with a closed door and me. Mom hides outside the room, behind the door, or bends down below the crib so that the child can’t see her. Then I model calling, “Mama. Mama. Maaaaaaamaaaaaaaaa” several times using an exaggerated, playful, and animated tone of voice. I can’t stress how FUN and ‘over the top’ you need to be when you’re playing this game.

After calling for mom in this way several times, Mama excitedly jumps out from her hiding place with a big smile and shouts, ”Mama! Here’s Mama! Mama!”

Then we all laugh and smile and hug and tickle. We want it to be very clear that this is a fun game that we all want to play again.

And then, we play it again. And again. And again, until I think he’s ready to begin to try to imitate “Mama” when I model this word. If he even hints that he’s trying to say this word on his own, I ask Mom to pop up with the biggest reaction she can muster so that he links his action (saying the word) with her return.

Coach mom or anyone else you’re playing with to increase their affect if they’re not being as excited as they should be. Sometimes this one change in how mom reacts is what entices a child to begin to try to say “Mama.” When a mom can’t seem to respond as happily as she should, I go in to “goofy” mode to help everyone loosen up and let go. Making a fool of myself seems to encourage most parents to try a little harder : )

Expand the Game

Older siblings are GREAT at playing this game with mom and younger brothers and sisters. The act of having someone else “call” you and label you as “mama” sometimes helps a child solidify this concept. If you have no other children, then have Dad, grandma, your sitter or even a neighbor come in to help you teach your child this fun game. Don’t try to do it alone. Having another person call you “mama” is what makes this game work. Watch a video with more recommendations.

2. Simon Says – The Toddler Version

To teach a child to correctly identify people using their name, include at least 3 people in this game so that a child can get it “right” or “wrong.”

This game works particularly well for children who seem to be “stuck” on one person’s name. For example, if a child calls both mom and dad “Da,” we work on this game to highlight the difference between the two and the consequences of using an incorrect label.

In this more advanced game, say a person’s name and then give a simple direction such as “Mommy… pat your head” or “Daddy… jump up and down.” Have the adults model the game for a while before it’s the child’s turn to direct the game.

At first you may have to cue the child with what to say, especially if he doesn’t seem to know how to take his turn. An adult should “whisper coach” the child. By this I mean, get behind him, bend down, and whisper in his hear exactly what to say. “Say…. Daddy… clap your hands.”

If a child isn’t this verbal yet, modify the game by saying something like, “Let’s all jump. Let’s take turns! Whose turn is it? Mommy…jump!” After mom jumps, then ask the next person such as, “Daddy…jump!” To simplify the game, especially in the beginning, use the same action word for several turns and change only the person’s name.

When a child isn’t verbal enough to add the second word, but she can say some approximation of “mom” or “dad,” then I cue her to use that single word and I supply the command.

For a while, pause after saying the person’s name for emphasis. Eventually, you’ll shorten your pause to sound more natural as in “Mommy, look at me!” Shaping the target response in this way will help the child begin to sound more conversational.

Again, everyone playing should exude playfulness so that a child becomes super interested in the game.

Expand the Game

To help ensure that a child generalizes using a variety of names, add other people to the game whenever possible. This ensures that the child will begin to generalize the skill. Older children can be fantastic play partners for this game.

Over time, be sure to embed “calling” in more casual conversation so that it does become spontaneous. Parents of children who struggle to use names may need more specific recommendations so that they can provide the level of practice a child needs. During sessions, I spend time with parents brainstorming situations when they can work on this at home.

Do you have any fun calling games? If so, I’d love to hear them!! Leave a comment below or email me at Laura@teachmetotalk.com.

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If you’d like other practical and FUN therapy ideas like this, you can find those in Teach Me To Talk: The Therapy Manual. It’s always on sale when you use a coupon code!

The post CALLING GAME…Tips for Helping a Child Learn to Call People by Name appeared first on teachmetotalk.com.

Do you waffle between a diagnosis of language delay vs. autism for a child who is a late talker, but may have additional delays and other “quirks”?

With toddlers, getting an accurate diagnosis can be tricky!

In this podcast, we’ll discuss 7 behaviors or differences in children with autism that differentiate autism from other kinds of speech-language delays and disorders in toddlers and preschoolers. This information is evidence-based so you can trust it!

Listen here:

Seven Characteristics that Differentiate ASD from other Developmental Language Delays/Disorders 

• Eye Contact and Eye Gaze – difficulty paying attention to faces and following your point after 12 months
• Orienting to One’s Name – inconsistent responding to own name most of the time by 12 months
• Pointing to or Showing Objects of Interest – does not point or show objects to others by 15 months
• Pretend Play – does not demonstrate how familiar objects are used by 15 months and doesn’t show true “pretending” in play such as feeding a baby doll or using one object to represent another object by 24 months
• Imitation – does not watch other people to copy their actions and body movements such as waving; does not imitate sounds and words by 16 to 18 months
• Nonverbal Communication – does not understand and use variety gestures by 16 months; displays “flat” affect or limited facial expressions or body language
• Language Development – exhibits delays and differences in both language comprehension and expression as compared to same-age peers; may talk but not communicate with others. **Expressive skills may be at a higher developmental level than receptive skills in autism. **

This information is a section from my course Is It Autism? on DVD. If you’re an SLP and have not taken this course yet, you should! It’s filled with information for SLPs, other therapists, and even committed parents! Part One focuses on diagnostics and learning the “official” criteria used when a child receives a diagnosis of ASD. Part Two is all about intervention. You’ll learn the 10 best approaches/goals for designing comprehensive treatment plans for toddlers at risk and who have already received the diagnosis.

The post #311 Seven Characteristics that Differentiate Autism from Other Language Delays appeared first on teachmetotalk.com.

Research reveals that there are several risk factors that let us know that a child’s late talking is likely a part of a child’s developmental differences, rather than the only issue. I’ve started a series of articles to address this concern. In this post, we’re addressing the fourth red flag:

DECREASED PRETEND PLAY SKILLS

What is pretend play?

Pretend play skills are different from other kinds of early play we see in toddlers. Early play includes activities such as dumping objects in and out of containers, stacking blocks, pushing a car across the floor, or even brushing their hair with a toy brush. Those kinds of exploratory, constructive, and functional play skills are important and come first. Early play sets the stage for pretend play, but those early play activities are not the type of play that we’re discussing. Many parents (and some therapists!) miss this significant distinction.

Pretend play means just that… pretending.

During pretend play, a toddler begins to use his imagination. By looking at what she’s doing, she shows us what she’s thinking. Essentially, play is a cognitive skill.

If a child can’t tell us what he’s thinking and we can’t read his little mind, how do we know when a toddler is pretending? There are some important clues. Pretend play occurs when a child:

• Uses an object to represent another object. For example, a child may use an empty wipe box for a bed for a doll or a stick as a spoon to stir imaginary food.
• Assigns properties to an object. For example, she may blow on her plastic food as she pretends it’s “hot.” She may pretend that her teddy bear is crying and then comfort the bear with a hug or kiss as she says, “Shhhh, don’t cry” or “It’s okay.”
• Refers to invisible objects.  For example, he may grip an invisible steering wheel as he pretends to drive his car or fight imaginary bad guys.

Why is pretend play important for language development?

Pretend play is an important marker for language development because when a child begins to pretend, we know that he’s becoming symbolic. He’s learned to use one object to represent another object.

That’s what words are – symbols. Words are symbols that represent objects, people, events, and even abstract concepts like emotions (happy, angry, or frustated) or physical states (hungry, tired, or hot).

When a child doesn’t substitute one item for another or pretend that he’s using something that’s not there, he’s not establishing the cognitive or mental foundation for using words meaningfully.

Diagnostic Implications for Decreased Pretend Play

Toddlers who don’t pretend with toys often have cognitive delays. Cognition is essential for language development. Remember that cognition means how a child thinks, learns, processes the language he hears, remembers events, pays attention, and plans his next move. We see a child do all those things as he pretends. Pretend play is real evidence that a child’s cognitive skills are developing and maturing.

A lack of pretend or imaginative play is also associated with autism. (For other diagnostic criteria for autism, take a look at my course Is It Autism? Recognizing and Treating Toddlers and Preschoolers with Red Flags for ASD.) Many times toddlers who go on to be diagnosed with autism do play, but upon closer inspection, you realize that all of their play activities are those earlier types of play we previously mentioned – exploratory, functional, or constructive.

Children with motor and muscle tone issues, such as cerebral palsy, may also have limitations in their pretend play because of the physical aspects of playing. Keep in mind that pretending is mostly a mental or cognitive exercise. Even when a child’s body movements are restricted, he can still use his imagination to pretend.

On the other hand, when a nonverbal toddler is obviously pretending during play, we don’t worry as much about their speech and language development. We know that the foundation for language is developing, even if words aren’t there yet!

Ways to Improve a Child’s Pretend Play Skills

You can help a child learn to pretend using a four step process. Last fall I devoted an entire podcast to this topic. For a full explanation, listen to the entire show here. Here’s a brief summary to get you started:

1. Help a child learn to use familiar toys appropriately or functionally.

In other words, a child will begin to use a toy or an object in the way it is intended. For example, push a toy car, stack blocks, throw or roll a ball, read a book, pound a hammer, etc…

2. Help a child learn to use objects herself.

It may help to think of this as “on” or “to” herself. Begin with familiar objects from daily routines:

• Everyday items – phone
• Dishes- cup, spoon, plate, bowl, fork
• Toy Foods – variety of plastic foods
• Bath & Sleeping Items – toothbrush, brush, washcloth, blanket, Band-Aids
• Early Dress Up – hats, shoes, glasses, gloves, backpack/purses/bags, crowns

3. Help him learn to use objects on another person. 

With all the items we’ve discussed, the next goal is to use the object on another person. For example, a child would try to give Mommy a drink from his cup or brush Daddy’s hair. Sometimes this step comes easily for a child and he will naturally begin to expand object use in this way. However, in some children with developmental delays, we’ll have to teach (even over-teach) this step. Keep at it! This is particularly challenging for children who don’t consistently include other people during play. (This may also be a red flag for autism.)

4. Help her learn to combine objects in pretend play.

Combining objects means that a child will use more than one object together during play. For example, she will feed a baby doll with a bottle or cover a baby doll with a blanket.

If you introduce combining the objects with other things too soon, you may lose the child, so don’t rush it. I often see this is play when I’m introducing baby dolls. If the child is more interested in using the objects himself, then back up and play at this level for a while. This results in the child staying with you and interacting better.

This process of teaching early pretend play usually takes some time to develop. It likely will NOT happen in one session, or even over a couple of months, particularly for children with moderate to significant receptive language and/or cognitive delays. For specific toy suggestions, look at this post.

Recommendations for Parents

The most important recommendation I can make for parents of a child who is struggling with learning to pretend is to pursue professional assistance. Begin by discussing your concerns with your pediatrician or another healthcare professional. Ask for a referral to a speech-language pathologist or state early intervention program to evaluate your child’s overall language and cognitive skills. If your doctor dismisses your concerns, get another opinion! You know your child better than anyone else ever will. If you’re feeling uneasy about your child’s development, trust your instincts!

Early intervention is especially critical for a child who is not trying to communicate and not learning to play. As I’ve said in other posts in this series, maturity alone usually does not resolve these kinds of issues. By this I mean that a child won’t “grow out of it.” Intervention is absolutely necessary!

In early toddlerhood and throughout the preschool years, I believe that specialized developmental therapy services are critical. This period is when we can make the MOST difference in a child’s outcome. It’s when developing brains are most “ready” for growth.

Parents of a child with any kind of language delay will benefit dramatically from having a professional or team of professionals teach them ways to successfully address their own child’s needs at home. Therapy doesn’t need to be a once or twice a week thing when a child attends therapy or goes to preschool. By working with therapists and teachers who have had experience treating other children with similar backgrounds, you’ll be able to trust that you’re doing everything you can to help.

WRAP UP

In summary, a toddler who isn’t pretending during play may have difficulty acquiring a broad range of developmental skills including learning how to talk. These challenges may overlap into additional areas of development including a child’s cognitive and fine motor skills. Social skills will also be affected if a child doesn’t learn how to pretend so that she can pretend with friends as she gets to be preschool-aged.

Assistance when a child is young can be highly successful for significantly improving, and in some cases, even eliminating these problems.

If you’re a parent, I hope that this information will help you understand what may be going on with your own child.

If you’re a therapist, this is the kind of information that doctors and other professionals may not be sharing with parents of a child with a language delay. It’s up to us to help families understand the depth of a child’s issues and provide hope that therapy, along with consistent parental commitment, can make a huge difference!

Keep watching for additional posts in this series! Next we’ll discuss repetitive movements.

Laura

Product Recommendations from teachmetotalk.com for Helping Toddlers with Language Delays

Toddlers who don’t pretend during play will also have difficulty learning to understand and use language. My best resources for parents include:

Teach Me To Play WITH You is my first book written for both parents and professionals. In this therapy manual, you’ll learn my best tips for helping a toddler learn how to consistently interact with you during fun games and social routines. This can be the starting point for therapy for any child who isn’t playing yet because you’re teaching them the kinds of play that comes first. There’s an entire section on early play routines using familiar toys that most families already have in their homes. Each activity is written in a “homework format” with step-by-step instructions and goals that are clearly delineated. Parents and therapists who have used this method rave about how quickly they noticed changes in their toddler once they implemented these methods.

Teach Me To Talk the DVD focuses on expressive language or what a child says. In this DVD, you’ll see the 6 beginning strategies I teach parents of late talkers. The DVD is filled with video clips of children with a wide range of abilities from 12 months to 3 years. It’s a great starting place for most parents (and therapists!) who want to learn real life ways to work with a toddler with language delays. You’ll see lots of great examples for helping a child develop early communication skills during play.

If you’re more of a reader or if you want detailed goal lists for both receptive and expressive language matched with activities to use with toddlers and preschoolers, take a look at my book at Teach Me To Talk: The Therapy Manual. There are specific activities for teaching early play skills in several chapters. This book was written for speech-language pathologists, but many parents use it as their basis for “at home” therapy.

For therapists (and ULTRA committed parents who are working with their children intensely or parents who don’t have access to services and need professional-level information), my CE courses that best address early language skills or a lack of play are:

Is It Autism? Recognizing and Treating Toddlers and Preschoolers with Red Flags for ASD is a course on DVD. Part One entails a comprehensive look at the diagnostic criteria for autism so it takes some of the guesswork out of this process. If you’re a professional and find yourself wondering if a child would or wouldn’t get an ASD diagnosis, this course is for you! Part Two is all about intervention. You’ll learn the most effective treatment strategies and approaches to jump start progress in a toddler with red flags for autism. There’s a section on developing early play skills.

Early Speech-Language Development: Taking Theory to the Floor. In this comprehensive 12-hour course on DVD, all areas of language development (social, receptive, expressive, and intelligibility) are addressed. You’ll see lots of examples of toys and activities to improve early play skills.

Steps to Building Verbal Imitation in Toddlers is a course that outlines how to move a nonverbal child toward using words and phrases in a sequential, step-by-step approach. This course includes an entire section (it’s Level One) on teaching a child to imitate actions during play, which is the first step in learning to pretend.

All courses are approved for ASHA credit for speech-language pathologists (and if you’re in IL, it’s preapproved for EI credit!) with a certificate of completion for other therapists to use toward licensure or certification requirements.

Need a coupon code? Join my email list and you’ll get one! It’s on the last page of the FREE parent eBook. You’ll also get emails with the most current sales with coupon codes not published here on the site. Sign up in the green banner.

Links to Milestones

Follow these informative links to the Center for Disease Control website with lists of skills and pictures to show you what’s normal for a child’s age range. Remember that most babies will have easily achieved the skills listed there – meaning that the standards listed are set at a minimal level to account for a wide range of “normal.” (In other words, the bar is pretty low.) If a child hasn’t met all the skills on these lists or especially exhibits the concerns in the bottom “Act Early” boxes, there is a definite reason to speak to your child’s doctor or healthcare professional.

12 months

18 months

2 years

3 years

4 years

**Photo credit: sciencedaily.com**

The post Pretend Play Skills…An Important Marker for Language Development in Toddlers appeared first on teachmetotalk.com.

Research reveals that there are several risk factors that let us know that a child’s late talking is likely a part of a child’s developmental delay, rather than the only issue. I’ve started a series of articles to address these concerns. In this post, we’re addressing the second red flag which is:

DIFFICULTY WITH JOINT ATTENTION

What is joint attention?

Joint attention can also be called “shared attention” and it occurs when two people focus on the same thing. Usually an episode of joint attention begins when one person does something to alert someone else to an object or event using:

• Words such as “Hey mom!” or “Look!”
• Gestures like pointing or showing an item
• Nonverbal methods of gaining attention such as eye gaze. For example, the child looks at something and then looks back at you as if to say, “That’s what I want you to notice!”

The examples above cover a child’s ability to initiate joint attention, but responding to others is an important aspect of joint attention too. This means that a child may be happily playing with a toy, but if you call his name, he looks up at you. Another example is that she attends to what you’re trying to show her. When you point to something across the room, the child follows your point with his eyes. A child recognizes and welcomes your attempts to engage her, to talk with her, and play with her.

When I explain joint attention to parents, I talk about a child’s ability to shift his attention between an object or event and another person. Three participants are involved in this “triad” of attention – the child, you, and the item/occurrence. There’s mutual focus. Beyond both people actively participating, both also understand that they are paying attention to the same thing and it’s purposeful for both parties. That’s what constitutes the “sharing” principle in joint attention.

Why is joint attention important for language development?

Joint attention is a social skill, meaning the way a child interacts with other people. That’s what communicating is – a way of interacting with another person. Communication begins with this shared attention and engagement piece. When a child doesn’t notice that you’re trying to get him to include you or share an experience, there’s not much real interaction going on between the two of you.

Babies and toddlers must regularly interact with other people before they begin to listen to your words. Over time with consistent listening and attending to what you’re saying, they learn to understand what you’re saying by linking meaning to your words.

This is how I “draw it out” for parents who have difficulty seeing the correlation between their child’s lack of consistent interaction and delayed language skills. When I’m using this illustration, I draw an arrow when I’m saying “leads to,” as you can see here:

Interaction leads to listening.

Listening leads to understanding language.

Understanding language leads to using language…

Using language (such as gestures, facial expressions, eye gaze) leads to talking.

Of course, there are exceptions, (which point to different reasons a child isn’t learning to talk), but generally, this is how speech-language skills emerge.

Frequency Matters

Another important consideration is the frequency of a child’s ability to shift his focus and share experiences with others. A child’s skills don’t have to completely absent in this area before it’s a problem. If a child’s joint attention skills are best described as “hit or miss,” there’s still usually a language delay.

Here’s why…opportunities for learning language are limited for this kid because he’s not tuned in to what he can learn from others during exchanges virtually all day long. On closer inspection, much of this child’s day may be spent “doing his own thing” rather than seeking out someone else to play and interact with or responding when someone tries to engage her. When a child doesn’t demonstrate strong joint attention in hundreds of interactions with others every day, he is at a serious disadvantage for learning to talk. He’s missing all of those potential opportunities for learning the language.

Signs of Difficulty with Joint Attention

Toddlers who have difficulty with joint attention inconsistently respond to your words, your gestures (such as pointing at something for them to look at), and your actions. They may appear to avoid others or ignore what’s said to them. They seem to tune out their own names and other verbal directions. Things need to be their own idea or they’re not really interested. Adults may have to work pretty hard to get and keep this child’s attention.

Kids with joint attention issues don’t use increasingly mature ways to gain attention from others. For example, a toddler over 12 months may fuss or cry when something is wrong, but she doesn’t make attempts to tell or show you what’s happened.

Contrast this with a child who has mastered joint attention. A typically developing toddler is quite adept at interjecting their will. They frequently interrupt and try to direct a parent’s activities in order to get what they want, even before they begin to talk. They look toward, point, or lead parents, and then they continue to use any way they can to make sure that mom or dad complies with their request.

An issue with decreased joint attention is even more serious when a child also has difficulty with other social skills such as making eye contact with other people and sharing frequent warm, joyful expressions with others during close interactions.

Diagnostic Implications for Decreased Joint Attention

When a child doesn’t consistently display joint attention, we become concerned about the social aspects of language development. Toddlers with various developmental delays can certainly show lapses of decreased joint attention, but when a child’s joint attention is consistently limited or absent, we do become concerned about autism. We should look for other red flags or deficits of ASD (autism spectrum disorder) not to confirm the suspicion, but as a way to address a child’s core issues.

Ways to Improve Joint Attention

There are plenty of things you can do to establish solid joint attention skills during everyday activities at home. Strategies to improve joint attention with young children begin by working on eye contact and his ability to look at your face when you’re talking to him. I encourage parents to give a child something worth paying attention to – be fun to look at and listen to as you’re playing or talking together! Use interesting objects to capture a distracted toddler’s attention. Frequently model gestures, such as pointing and showing items, so that a child will first begin to understand these important nonverbal ways of communicating and eventually use them to initiate interaction with you. Position yourself to make eye contact and sustained interaction easier for the child. Get on the same level. For example, if he’s up on the couch, sit on the floor so that your eyes are across from his. For additional ideas, read more about joint attention. If you’re more of an auditory learner, listen to my podcast about joint attention.

Recommendations for Parents

The most important recommendation I can make for parents of a child who is struggling with joint attention is to get professional assistance. Begin by discussing the concerns with your pediatrician or other healthcare professional. Ask for a referral for a developmental assessment. If your doctor dismisses your concerns, get another opinion! You know your child better than anyone else ever will and if you’re feeling uneasy about your child’s development, trust your instincts!

Early intervention is especially critical for a child with joint attention and other social skill problems since maturity alone does not resolve these kinds of issues.

By this I mean that a child won’t “grow out of it.”

Intervention is absolutely necessary and may look different over the course of a childhood for a kid with social interaction differences. In early toddlerhood and throughout the preschool years, I believe that specialized developmental services are critical. This period is when we can make the MOST difference in a child’s outcome. It’s when developing brains are most “ready” for growth.

Parents of a child with any kind of social-communication problem will benefit dramatically from having a professional or team of professionals teach them ways to successfully address their own child’s needs at home. When this happens, intervention isn’t a once or twice a week thing limited to therapy or preschool. By working with therapists and teachers who have had experience treating other children with similar backgrounds, you’ll be able to trust that you’re doing everything you can to help.

Special note for/about professionals…

Sometimes a speech-language pathologist may be reluctant to discuss the importance of joint attention and other red flags for autism with parents opting for more general terms such as “language delay” or “late talker.” This can occur when a therapist is unsure if a child would meet the diagnostic threshold for receiving an official diagnosis of autism. A therapist may be afraid of being “wrong” or overstepping their bounds. In some states, therapists are discouraged from offering a diagnosis and must refer a child for further testing from a developmental pediatrician, neurologist, or another medical specialist.

While I understand these issues, it’s not an excuse not to talk honestly with families. As I’ve stated in previous posts in this series, when we don’t share the full extent of a child’s issues with parents, I believe that we’re essentially withholding important information. I don’t want to be that kind of professional (or that kind of person) so I have “the talk” with parents, even when it’s uncomfortable for everyone.

If you’re a parent and working with a professional who you sense may be holding back, be direct. Bring up the subject yourself. Take a deep breath and ask, “Do you think this is more than late talking?”

WRAP UP

In summary, a toddler with limited joint attention may have difficulty acquiring a broad range of developmental skills including learning how to interact with others and make friends, how to talk, how to understand words, and how to process and use incoming information. These challenges may overlap into additional areas of development, but early intervention (when the child is young – before 5) can be highly successful for significantly improving, and in some cases, even eliminating these problems.

If you’re a parent, I hope that this information will help you understand what may be going on with your own child. If you’re a therapist, this is the kind of information that doctors and other professionals may not be sharing with parents of a child with a language delay due to limited social skills. It’s up to us to help families understand the depth of a child’s issues and provide hope that therapy, along with consistent parental commitment, can make a huge difference!

Keep watching for additional posts in this series! If you missed the first two, check them out here and here! Next we’ll discuss receptive language delays.

Laura

Product Recommendations from teachmetotalk.com for Helping Toddlers with Language Delays due to Limited Joint Attention

Kids with decreased joint attention will have difficulty learning to understand and use language. My best resources for parents include:

Teach Me To Play WITH You is my first book written for both parents and professionals. In this therapy manual, you’ll learn my best tips for helping a toddler learn how to consistently interact with you during fun games and social routines. It’s the starting point for therapy for any child with limited joint attention. Each activity is written in a “homework format” with step-by-step instructions and goals that are clearly delineated. I get emails every day from parents who rave about how quickly they noticed changes in their toddlers once they implemented these techniques.

Let’s Talk About Talking is a comprehensive therapy manual targeting the 11 prelinguistic skills all toddlers master before words emerge.

If a child has a confirmed diagnosis of autism, I highly recommend my therapy manual The Autism Workbook for help planning which core communication skills a child needs to strengthen so that he learns to interact with other people, use and understand words, play with toys and same age peers, and much more.

**Photo from mom-psych.com**

The post Joint Attention in Toddlers: Why It’s Important for Language Development appeared first on teachmetotalk.com.

We’re continuing our series with the 11 skills toddlers must master before words emerge.

Today we’re talking about skill #10 – INITIATING INTERACTION WITH OTHERS

When we talk about initiation skills, we’re meaning that the child does something to try to begin interaction with you. By doing this, he’s taking an active role in learning to communicate. He’s not just left to respond or wait for an adult to begin interaction with him or to notice when he needs something. He can actually start the process. When a child is extremely passive, he’s unlikely to become a functional communicator because he’s really not learned that he has power and is “in charge,” so to speak, of what’s happening in his own little world.

Just like the other skills we’ve discussed in this series: Initiation doesn’t begin with words. A child can initiate contact with another person using eye gaze, a gestures, or even another kind of vocalization. These kinds of initiations emerge BEFORE a child learns to initiate by talking.

Teaching a child to initiate is an important step in learning not only how to talk, but more importantly, in learning how to communicate. Here’s how I explain this to parents:

Communicating requires 2 people. Somebody has to begin this process of interacting – and we call that initiating. The other person responds – (in turn taking. We’ll talk about that specifically next week!)

A lack of initiating is a red flag for autism in young child. Some parents attribute limited initiation to shyness, but they are two different issues.

Teaching a child how to start interaction (or conversation when he’s really talking!) is an important part of helping him learn to get his needs met and to redirect your attention. In today’s show, we’ll talk about specific ways you can help a child learn to initiate. Click below,  listen below (or on iTunes) for how to accomplish this.

Ways you can help a child learn to initiate:

1. First of all, begin by paying attention to what he likes and what captures his interest. You’ll use those things to entice him to try to get what he wants! Talk about those things with him. Point to those objects. You’re essentially teaching him…I am noticing you and what you’re noticing. 
2. Arrange her environment so that she needs you to get what she wants. For example, don’t set out her sippy cup for her. Put treasured items on a high shelf and wait until she notices then lets you know in some way that she would like for you to give her the item. Wait her out (within reason!!) to give her a chance to show or tell you what she needs. I gave TONS of examples in the podcast. Listen for ideas! If you’d rather read suggestions, check out this post of mine A Little Frustration Can Go A Long Way! Using Withholding and Sabotage Effectively to Teach a Child to Talk. (P.S. Please don’t misinterpret these strategies and use them in a mean-spirited way! Read the article to make sure you’re not violating the #1 principle here… Frustration is quite different from FAILURE!)
3. Present NOVEL materials to increase her interest. There are several fun ideas in the podcast.
4. You can also target initiation with your well-established social games. For example, if your son likes to ride on your back, get down on the floor and look at him as if to say, “Hey! Wanna play?” but wait him out a little before you get on your hands and knees. If your little girl likes to swing in a blanket, leave the blanket out so she can get it and bring it to you to begin the game.
5. Gradually introduce the concept of distance into your initiation/sabotage games. Move away so he learns to seek you out in order to get what he wants.

Wishing you lots of success with these ideas!!

Laura

Ready for the next show? Here it is!

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As I mentioned earlier, limited initiation skills is a red flag for autism. My new course will help you not only reliably recognize signs and symptoms of autism (part one), but better yet, learn how to treat these red flags and core issues of ASD in toddlers and preschoolers. Get more information about that course on DVD here.

If you’re working with a child who isn’t imitating or using words and need a step-by-step guide for helping him learn to talk, I highly recommend my book Building Verbal Imitation in Toddlers. If you’re an SLP or another therapist and would rather take a full course on DVD (with continuing education credit!) outlining these strategies so that you can SEE how this looks with toddlers and preschoolers, I have one for you with this information Steps to Building Verbal Imitation Skills in Toddlers. 

———————————————————————————————————-

If you’ve missed the earlier shows in this series, check them out below:

#275 Introduction Show – Why These Skills are Important

#276 Overview of Skills 1 – 5

#277 Overview of Skills 6 – 11

#278 Responds to Things in the Environment

#279 Responds to People

#280 Building an Attention Span

#281 Developing Joint Attention

#282 –  Developing Early Play Skills (part one)

#283 – Early Play  Skills (part two)

#284 Understands Gestures

#285 Understands What Words Mean (Follows Simple Directions!)

#286 Vocalizes Purposefully

#287 Imitates Others

The post #288…11 Skills Toddlers MUST Use Before Words Emerge…#10 Initiates with Others appeared first on teachmetotalk.com.

Recognizing and Treating Toddlers and Preschoolers with Red Flags for Autism

Whenever I ask therapists to list their needs for future workshop topics, overwhelmingly the #1 answer I receive is AUTISM!

Many of us struggle to decide if our youngest clients are late talkers, are a little “quirky,” or if they truly meet the guidelines for an autism diagnosis.

In this course, you’ll gain the skills and confidence you need to reliably identify the signs and symptoms of autism in toddlers and young preschoolers using the official DSM-5 criteria. We’ll discuss that complex information in detail and break it down so that you truly understand what autism is and isn’t.

Even when you’re not responsible for giving an official diagnosis, you can be assured that you’ll be equipped to help parents understand what’s going on with a toddler who is missing developmental milestones and exhibiting red flags that may suggest autism.

More importantly, you’ll be able to provide the best, evidence-based intervention for your youngest clients who are clearly at risk. You’ll learn strategies to address the core deficits of autism that can be incorporated into initial treatment plans of toddlers and young preschoolers enrolled in speech therapy and early intervention programs.

Counseling and coaching parents who are just beginning to recognize that their child has a developmental problem can be challenging, intimidating, and even scary for therapists who don’t feel that they have the expertise to answer a parent’s tough questions. After this course, you’ll be better equipped with the information you need to navigate these important, real life discussions.

This course is offered in two parts and may be purchased separately or together.

Part One – Is It Autism? Recognizing Toddlers with Red Flags for Autism Spectrum Disorder focuses on screening and diagnostic information for toddlers and preschoolers (as opposed to older populations) helping you become more confident in your ability to accurately identify the signs and symptoms of autism in your youngest clients. (4.5 hours)

Part One Course Objectives:

• Separate “late talkers” from children with red flags for autism and other global developmental delays/disorders using criteria firmly grounded in evidence-based practice
• Definitively determine which toddlers should be referred for further evaluation for autism (and which ones shouldn’t!) using a list of behaviors that are easily observable during assessment and early therapy sessions
• Reliably identify the diagnostic criteria for ASD in your youngest clients with video examples so you’ll know what to look for with your own caseload
• Explain core deficits of autism to parents using easy-to-understand descriptions
• Identify co-occurring conditions and diagnoses which may prevent or delay an autism diagnosis in toddlers

This course is offered for 0.45 ASHA CEUs (Intermediate level, Professional area).

Part Two – Is It Autism? Treating Toddlers and Preschoolers with Red Flags for Autism Spectrum Disorder focuses on intervention! Laura teaches and demonstrates how to use 10 different treatment approaches to target social, cognitive, and language skills in young children ages 1 to 4 who have been diagnosed with autism or who have red flags in their development -social, communication, and behavior challenges- which put them at risk for continued delays. You’ll see video clips from REAL LIFE therapy sessions to further explain these treatment strategies with a list of additional resources to help you sharpen your clinical skills. (6.5 hours)

Part Two Course Objectives:

• Incorporate principles of evidence-based practice for ASD into your sessions with toddlers
• Design first sessions for toddlers with fabulous, fun, and family-friendly intervention activities to target the core deficits of autism for your most difficult clients
• Coach parents and caregivers effectively through this process
• Receive ‘copy ready’ handouts to share with families and teams
• Get TONS of developmentally-appropriate treatment resources for toddlers so that you can revisit this information over and over again
• Excellent for ALL Pediatric Therapists who assess and treat toddlers and young preschoolers (SLP, PT, OT, Developmental Therapists)

This course is offered for 0.65 ASHA CEUs (Intermediate level, Professional area).

Order now:

Part One Only – $80

Part Two Only – $110

Entire Course – $175

Price includes DVDs, course manuals, and required CE paperwork for ONE participant.
**Additional participants may be added for $50 each. Please select ADD CE PARTICIPANT during checkout and enter the additional participants’ names as instructed.**

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION

How DVD Courses Work for CE Credit for Therapists

This course is offered on DVD and may be ordered separately as Part One or Part Two or purchased as the combined set. In order to receive continuing education credit for your professional license or state and national certification, complete the set of forms included in your packet, return them to us by mail or email, and then we’ll send you a certificate of completion. For SLPs – because we’re an approved ASHA CE Provider, we will file ASHA credit for you when you complete the ASHA CE Participant form included in your packet.

Satisfactory Completion

Participants must complete an Assessment of Learning Outcomes, a Program Evaluation Form, a Request for Certificate of Completion, and an ASHA CEU participant form (if applicable) to complete the course and receive a certificate of completion. Those forms can be mailed back in the pre-addressed envelope included with your purchase or emailed to forms@teachmetotalk.com.

Course Presenter 

Laura Mize, M. S., CCC-SLP, is a pediatric speech-language pathologist specializing in young children ages birth to five with communication delays and disorders in her private practice outside Louisville, Kentucky. She earned a B.S.from Mississippi University for Women and an M.S. in Speech-Language Pathology from The University of Southern Mississippi. Laura holds her Certificate of Clinical Competence from ASHA. Her website teachmetotalk.com, her podcast “Teach Me To Talk: The Podcast,” training DVDs and therapy manuals reach a world-wide audience of parents and professionals who work with children with developmental speech-language delays and disorders. Her materials are used by pediatric therapists and speech-language pathologists in private practice, early intervention programs, grad schools, preschool programs, and continuing education conferences throughout the USA, Canada, South Africa, Philippines, Hong Kong, Singapore, Israel, Australia, India, Zambia, and The UK.

Speaker Disclosure 

Financial – Laura Mize owns teachmetotalk.com and The Laura Mize Group and therefore receives a salary, compensation for speaking, and royalties from teachmetotalk.com product sales.

Nonfinancial – Laura Mize has no financial or nonfinancial relationships with any author, publisher, or SLP whose work she recommends in this course.

ILLINOIS EARLY INTERVENTION PROVIDERS

The course is approved!

FEEDBACK FROM PREVIOUS COURSE PARTICIPANTS:

“This is the third course I’ve taken from Laura and I always enjoy her work. Thanks for presenting wonderfully user-friendly information about autism that I can go back and use TODAY.” Kathie, SLP, Indiana

“Excellent job! This is the kind of conference I’ve been waiting for – for 15 years! It should be a requirement for all early intervention therapists.” Dawn, SLP, Ohio

“I would highly recommend this course to ANY SLP who sees pediatric populations. Great evidence-based, immediately applicable strategies!”  Katie, SLP, Minnesota

“This chart you provided has completely changed how I do therapy with toddlers and explain treatment to parents!” Gretchen, SLP, Texas

“Laura, please have more trainings! I have spent years wasting time and money going to trainings that had no benefit or practical information. Yours was wonderful, interesting, informative, practical, and motivating!” Melissa, DT, Indiana

“Incredibly useful information for busy therapists!! I’m excited to go back and share with my team members who are PT and OT! I wish they had come too!” Joy, SLP, Illinois

“I deeply appreciated the functional examples to support coaching.” Anne, SLP, Missouri

Additional Courses for Pediatric SLPs and other therapists with CE Credit

The post “Is It Autism?” Course on DVD… Now Shipping appeared first on teachmetotalk.com.

Today I logged in to find out that the new book I released yesterday is a #1 Best Seller on Kindle!

Don’t have your copy yet?

You can get it… right now…

Here’s how:

Only $9.99 – click the picture to order!

More info about the new book…

If you’re wondering if your toddler has autism, then this book is for you. No parent dreams of finding themselves in your position, not truly knowing what’s going on with your child.

I can help you understand what autism is, and what it isn’t, so that you can begin to wrap your head around this very complicated diagnosis.

With over 20 years experience as a pediatric speech-language pathologist who specializes in treating toddlers and preschoolers ages birth to 4 and through my website teachmetotalk.com, I’ve worked with thousands of families with late talkers. I’ve spent my career helping parents determine if their child has a delay in his or her communication skills, as well as guiding them to know when there are signs that point to something more.

This book will help you begin to sort it all out too, no matter where you find yourself.

• You may be just beginning to question how your child’s development is progressing and you want to know if your concerns are valid.
• You may have been worried for a while now and are pursuing evaluations and therapy to address your child’s delays.
• You may be a parent whose child has been newly diagnosed with autism. This information will point you in the right direction as you seek answers for yourself, your family, and most importantly, for your child.

To demystify autism, I’ve listed the “official” diagnostic criteria professionals use when they assess children for autism and then explained that terminology using every day, real life language.

Because the official criteria can be too “medical sounding,” I’m also including real-life descriptions and stories of how autism looks (and doesn’t!) using the words of parents themselves.

You’ll also see the questions I hear time and time again from concerned parents and I’ll share the same answers I give them.

If you’ve been asking yourself, “Is it autism?” I can help you answer that question.

Feedback from readers:

“This is the BEST book on the market for understanding the difference between late-talker or Autism spectrum red flags. Laura Mize, a world famous speech pathologist, explains each area of deficit for kids at risk for Autism. She not only provides diagnostic theoretical descriptions, but depicts real life examples of what to look at 1-4 years range.

As a mom of a 2.5 year old late talker, I have spent hundreds of sleepless nights trying to understand whether my son is showing “just” speech delay, or a deeper development problem. While classic autism is easier to spot at 2, a vast majority of intelligent, social kids diagnosed with High Functioning Autism, only show very subtle deficits in the early toddler years. Laura Mize is here to tell you, in great detail, what differentiates a late talker from an Autistic child.

In addition, her other books depicting normal and atypical language development will also help parents understand every step of language development. I know where my son stands, I know where he should be in 3 moths, and I know when to call for help is he is not hitting the recommended milestones. Thank you Laura for helping parents like me!!!”  Julieta, Mom

“I have really enjoyed your new book, “Is It Autism?” …I would like to share the book with our families who are questioning whether their child has ASD …I found myself unable to put it down and really feel you have written it in a way that is understandable to just about anyone. I provide EI services… Thank you.”  Denise, Developmental Specialist, Ohio

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Is It Autism?

Helping Parents of Toddlers Understand Autism

If you’re wondering if your toddler has autism, then this book is for you. No parent dreams of finding themselves in your position, not truly knowing what’s going on with your child.

I can help you understand what autism is, and what it isn’t, so that you can begin to wrap your head around this very complicated diagnosis.

With over 20 years experience as a pediatric speech-language pathologist who specializes in treating toddlers and preschoolers ages birth to 4 and through my website teachmetotalk.com, I’ve worked with thousands of families with late talkers. I’ve spent my career helping parents determine if their child has a delay in his or her communication skills, as well as guiding them to know when there are signs that point to something more.

This book will help you begin to sort it all out too, no matter where you find yourself.

• You may be just beginning to question how your child’s development is progressing and you want to know if your concerns are valid.
• You may have been worried for a while now and are pursuing evaluations and therapy to address your child’s delays.
• You may be a parent whose child has been newly diagnosed with autism. This information will point you in the right direction as you seek answers for yourself, your family, and most importantly, for your child.

To demystify autism, I’ve listed the “official” diagnostic criteria professionals use when they assess children for autism and then explained that terminology using every day, real life language.

Because the official criteria can be too “medical sounding,” I’m also including real-life descriptions and stories of how autism looks (and doesn’t!) using the words of parents themselves.

You’ll also see the questions I hear time and time again from concerned parents and I’ll share the same answers I give them.

If you’ve been asking yourself, “Is it autism?” I can help you answer that question.

$9.99 – Click the picture to order.

Get your copy today – exclusively on Amazon. It’s an easy-to-read eBook, so you can get it NOW!

While this book is written exclusively for parents, professionals will also benefit from the latest information about how autism looks in very young children. You can be sure you’re communicating with parents in a way that’s most helpful when they ask you, “Is it autism?” Let me help you know how to respond!

Click the picture to order – $9.99

***In one day, it’s become a #1 Best Seller on Kindle!***

The post Is It Autism? Helping Parents of Toddlers Understand Autism appeared first on teachmetotalk.com.

Balance your ratio of mastered skills to new skills.  This lesson came to me about fifteen years ago from a person I heard speak during a conference who used an ABA approach. It was completely NEW for me. I’d never heard this before in any of my SLP experience or coursework, but it immediately made a HUGE difference in my speech therapy sessions with late-talking toddlers. I now talk about this concept often when I teach courses, on my podcast, and in everyday conversations with families, but I don’t include the word “ratio” as I’m discussing this. Usually I say something like:

“Don’t start at the goal when working with a toddler. Meet him where he is.”

Lots of SLPs mess this one up every single day. Let me give you a prime example:  A nonverbal child comes to us for speech therapy, and we immediately jump in and work on saying words, regardless of his developmental level or readiness to talk. It can go something like this:

“Look! It’s a ball. Ball. Say ‘ball.’”

No response.

“You can do it. Say ‘ball.’”

No response. Child reaches for ball.

“No, no. You have to tell me before I will give it to you. Say ‘ball.’”

Child walks away to find something else he can do.

“Come back. Say ‘ball.’”

Child doesn’t even look back. Why should he? He knows he can’t say it.

That approach can, from time to time, work in initial sessions.  However, for most late-talking toddlers, if it were going to be that easy, they wouldn’t need speech therapy in the first place!

For so many of our little clients, we need to address the prerequisite skills needed for talking – social engagement, cognitive skills, comprehension, and the ability to imitate and vocalize on request using easier, earlier play sounds – rather than beginning with trying to make them say actual words.

Most of the time in therapy, we should begin with what a child can already do, what he’s already mastered or is at least trying, so that we build a pattern on success right from the start, rather than frustrating a toddler by asking him to do things we KNOW he can’t do yet.

ABA therapists incorporate this concept pretty well. I’ve talked with some BCBAs who say they use a 75% Mastered Skills to 25% New Skills ratio for their sessions. They don’t word it that way. I believe their term for this is “interspersal,” and for those of us who aren’t that familiar with the ABA lingo, it basically means mixing it up.

Is that new for you? It could be! Sometimes, without realizing it, an SLP may be working at a 10% Mastered Skills to 90% New Skills ratio, or worse! What kid – or adult, for that matter – do you know who likes for virtually everything new or hard? When we approach it this way, including only new targets that we’ve never, ever heard or seen a child do, it’s almost as if we’re setting a child up for failure. No wonder our little friends seem to get it “wrong” so much of the time when we’re working on brand new skills! No wonder we see so many frustrated kids!

You may be thinking how else you could do it if you’ve never thought about organizing sessions in this way before. It may be too dramatic of a change for you, and as an SLP, you may think you’re “wasting time” to include so many things a child can already do during precious therapy minutes. I get it and truth be told, I don’t adhere to a 75/25 ratio unless I KNOW a child needs that level of success to keep him engaged and trying.

But if you’re like me and you’re always looking for better ways of doing things, give this a try! Here are some simple ways you can incorporate this principle when it matters most:

• Always begin a session, particularly those first several sessions, with something you KNOW a child can do. If you’re working on words, pick a word he says spontaneously and consistently. Use this as your target for the first few trials. This “primes his pump,” so to speak, and gets him ready to respond correctly. If you’re working on signs, select an established sign to begin the session. If social interaction is your goal, play his favorite games first so you’re likely to elicit the responses you want to see, and then introduce newer games.

• When you’re ready to move to something completely new, sneak it in there between easier things you’re asking your client to do. Sometimes a child will surprise you (and himself!) by performing the new skill. Actually, this occurs because you’ve set him up for this success!

• If a child seems to be exasperated when you’ve asked him to do something over and over that he can’t do (meaning he’s responded incorrectly multiple times or he’s NOT responded at all) you should immediately back up to something you know he can do. Gradually work your way back to that more difficult or newer target.

If you’re using a coaching model for speech therapy with toddlers, you may be wondering how you can share more difficult and technical concepts like this with parents. It’s much easier than you think. Talk about it in the same way I have here. Say to Mom something like: “I know you want him to talk and pop out a new word every time you try to teach him to say something new, but usually with late-talkers, it doesn’t work that way. We have to warm him up a bit. Let’s start by asking him to say words we know he already knows so he feels successful, then we’ll move on to a few newer words when we feel that he’s primed and ready.”

I use this example routinely with moms and it comes to them more easily over time as you continue to gently reinforce why it works, again using the same kinds of examples I’ve provided here in this post.

This model of balancing New Skills and Mastered Skills actually does something else for children – it provides enough practice for an emerging skill to be “mastered,” “generalized,” “carried over…” whatever word you prefer.

I hope that last sentence resonates with you as much as it does for me! Sometimes we don’t think of therapy in this way. We’re always pushing for the “new” word, the “new” sign, the “new” everything.  Here’s the truth – when we give a child’s little system a chance to stabilize and catch up through practice, even those “new” goals are met more quickly!

I’m ending this series next week with one final post… “What an ABA Therapist Can Learn from an SLP.” It’s going to be good!! Join me then!

Laura

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If you missed the first posts in these series, catch up!

So… About ABA… Confessions from an SLP

My ABA Confessions Continued… Lesson #2… TIME Matters!

My ABA Confessions Continued… Lesson #3… STRUCTURE Works!

ABA Confessional…Lesson 4… The FUN Parts…Motivate, Pair, and Reinforce!

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