Talk Autism by Debbie
Let's talk about Autism. The ups and downs for guiding an individual that is on the spectrum. Let's not forget about the parents and other children during out talks.
Talk Autism by Debbie
Hand Signs & Brighter Futures: Unlocking Effective Communication in Children
Can nonverbal communication unlock the door to effective language development for children? Discover how simple strategies like sign language, pictures, and token boards can transform frustration into meaningful communication. In this episode, we share personal stories that highlight the dramatic impact of introducing language early and consistently. We also debunk the common myths around sign language hindering verbal development and emphasize the importance of involving the entire family in these practices. Join us as we explore how gestures and visual aids can be seamlessly incorporated into daily routines to help children express their wants, needs, and feelings more effectively.
Equip your child with the tools they need to build a robust vocabulary and communication skills. We discuss why correcting third-person speech and ensuring consistent practice at home are vital. Learn about various communication methods, including sign language and visual aids, specifically designed to support nonverbal children. Additionally, we touch on alternative treatments like laser therapy for speech development and stress the importance of thorough research before considering such options. Personal updates add a lighter touch to our discussion, including training a new dog and sharing our warm wishes for a wonderful 4th of July. Tune in to find out how consistent and inclusive language practices can make all the difference in your child's communication journey.
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Hi everyone, I hope you're having a good weekend. I'm doing okay. So today what we're going to talk about is the nonverbal, or what I call low verbal. And what I mean by low verbal is if your child is only parroting or scripting. Parroting would be copying what you just said. Like if I say, are you ready, they'll repeat. Are you ready'll repeat, are you ready? They won't say yes, I am ready, and we'll talk about that too a little bit. And then the scripting is if they watch a certain show, a tv show that they like, like bluey or whatever they like to watch, and then they script what was being said, you hear the next next day or later that day, everything that they've been saying. They'll script what they heard on the TV. So, anyway, we're going to talk about language. The first thing I want to say is language, language, language, and I don't care how you get it into them. It's very important. Earlier the better, but it's also never too late, okay. So don't feel. You know. Well, my child is three, four or even older and he still is nonverbal. Like I said, it's never too late to get that language into them, and sometimes people will come.
Speaker 1:I had this experience and I'll share a little bit about it with you. That, um, I had a student. He was nonverbal, but he was also deaf, so and the parent said to me that he has a severe behavior problems. Well, he really didn't have severe behavior problems. He had a language problem. Because here he is, he was six years old, never been to school and no language. So as soon as I got the language into him, which was American Sign Language or sign language, his behavior changed and he was smart. He was a very smart kid and they thought he was not a smart kid, but he was. He was very smart.
Speaker 1:So language is very important because you know, think about it. If you cannot communicate your wants, your needs, your feelings, you know you're going to be frustrated and you're going to strike out. And you know, especially a child that doesn't have the vocabulary to begin with cannot express his wants and needs and you know they're going to have some behavior problems. So sometimes the behavior problems are a language problem. So what you need to do, first of all, all the family needs to be involved. So whatever you choose to do, is everybody needs to be on the same page. So if you choose sign language, then everybody needs to learn it.
Speaker 1:And don't buy into where some people say, well, if you teach them sign language, they're never going to talk. That is not true. If they are able to communicate and then they start to talk, they will drop the sign language. It's just in our nature to do that, so don't feel that they can't the sign language. It's just in our nature to do that, so don't feel that they can't learn a language. A lot of times, especially when I was working with the deaf, doctors would say don't teach them or they'll never talk. Well, no, no, no, they will talk if that's their goal.
Speaker 1:And sign language. You need the language first foremost, and when I worked with the deaf kids, parents needed to know day one. Start using it. Now, if you choose another method, you can also do pictures and token boards where they point with what they need. There's that kind of situation too. So those are some ideas to help. But whatever you choose to do, you need to start it as soon as possible and be consistent with it.
Speaker 1:Sign language is a natural system. It also has a grammar with it. I suggest using their wants and needs and, even if you're not doing the sign language, use the pictures and have them use pictures and things like that. You can also like set up a thing, a schedule with pictures in your home. We do a lot of that. Teachers will do that in schools and stuff like that. Okay, this is next, do this. Then you get that kind of a thing. But also there's like a picture board that they can point, and I think there's even one that can be put on their iPad and it will make a sound like I want to drink, or things like that, to kind of help them so they can least tell their wants and needs and how they're feeling, if they're feeling sick or sad or not feeling good. You know, it's got to be very hard for anyone not to be able to communicate their wants and needs.
Speaker 1:Also, with our children, our first verbal or language is really our visual. If they're not talking, then they're maybe pointing, gesturing, those kind of things, and that's okay. You want to include that into that. There's nothing wrong with gestures but you also want to form some type of a full language with them. It's a very critical factor that we have. Our kids have a basic language and I know as parents we want them to be able to talk and we want the best for them.
Speaker 1:Now, I'm not sure I'm not a doctor or anything like this and I don't know a lot about it, but I have heard I have a parent that her son didn't talk, he was nonverbal, and she got laser treatments and I guess they're like on the back of their head somewhere, and I think I mentioned this once before. Now you'd have to do this research and figure it out because I don't know a lot about it. But then he became verbal and he started with parroting and that's okay, you know. If they're nonverbal and they start to just parrot you, that's okay. So then, but if you're at that point where they're been parroting a lot or scripting a lot, then you need to start doing some other activities to help them get away from the scripting. Like, let's say, the example I used earlier, where if I say are you ready? And he says, are you ready, instead you say you know, correct it and just say yes, I am ready, and then have them say that Another thing is use pictures, like get pictures of objects, apples, whatever, and say is this an apple?
Speaker 1:And what you want them to be able to start saying is yes, that's an apple. And then that way they're learning to communicate better efficiently. Learning to communicate better efficiently. So just do those kind of type of those things, use like little flashcards and do them every day. Or another thing you can do is like let's say they like rhymes and you say I'm going to use the one that this child is Baa baa black, and then he's got to say sheep, okay. Or Humpty, dumpty, sat on a, and then you want them to say wall. So those forms of communication will help them to be able to make full sentences and be able to communicate with other people and get away from just the parroting that they're talking on their own and you just have to form that habit, that behavior with them. So if they're saying like I said, if they're just parroting everything you say, they don't, they just need the training. So do those kind of things to help them. Like I said, flashcards what is this? That is an apple is another way to do it too. So you kind of have to figure out where they're at and just give them that extra practice be able to respond to something, and they will. It'll take time, it's not going to happen overnight, but it will work and I've seen great progress with this.
Speaker 1:Where I got this from, was a behavior specialist that I work with. Her name's Carrie, and she has taught me some things that I, you know, we can never, never too late to learn. We can always learn how to, how to improve, and she, she's been very beneficial to me. So, anyway, those are. Let me. Let me just check here. I want to make sure I covered everything on this. Yeah, it's what it is.
Speaker 1:Is you working with your child to have correct form of vocabulary? Working with your child to have correct form of vocabulary? So another thing is to sometimes kids will I don't want to forget this will use themselves in the first person, like they'll say Andrew ready, andrew ready, instead of say yes, I am ready. So those are some things that we can work on. If they say Andrew's ready, say just repeat, say yes, I am ready, okay, those kind of things. I think that's about it. But anyway, I wanted to just talk to you about because a lot of our kids are nonverbal and so we need to kind of work on that.
Speaker 1:But, like I said, the most important, important, important, important thing is any kind of language and you have to decide which one that you will choose that works for you and your family, because it has to be a family thing. It can't be just one person. They have to at least be able to communicate within their home with all the people that are in their home, so everybody has to be able to be on board for that. So, if it's with pictures or if it's sign language or any of those things, and also check out the laser treatments I'm not sure about them, you know, but this lady did this for her child and he's now talking. So that's what worked, and I did read a little bit about it. But do the research on it because I don't know a lot about it.
Speaker 1:So, anyway, I hope you guys are having a blast. Last weekend and I will talk to you soon, and sorry that I haven't been putting out enough podcasts, but summer is just slamming me, with everybody wanting me to work with their kids and I have a problem saying no, and I got a new dog that I'm trying to train. So, anyway, I hope you guys have a blessed weekend and the 4th of July is coming up here and so a lot to celebrate, and God bless you all. Bye.
