Question from an anonymous reader:
I regularly babysit a 3 (almost 4) year old who has Autism. He does not speak, and he doesn't yet have a reliable alternative form of communication like signing or AAC, though he probably will soon.
I have a lot of friends and two cousins who have Autism, but they all speak or sign. I find it difficult sometimes to understand what the kiddo in question is thinking, or wants, and I wondered if you or any of your followers have any first hand tips or advice on how I could better understand him?
I know everyone is different, and I'm learning to read things like his body language, but I wondered if you/any of your followers who don't speak or spoke later than most remember anything that helped them get across what they meant when they were younger, or things adults did that were especially helpful. He doesn't have the coordination to sign or draw what he wants yet, being so little. I want to help him feel less frustrated and to be as good a babysitter as I can be.
Realsocialskills answered:
For the sake of readability, I’m going to call your cousin Anthony in this post.
The first thing I’d say is: Listening to Anthony matters whether or not you succeed in understanding him. You may not be able to figure out what he is thinking, he may not yet be able to tell you — but you *can* treat him as a person who has thoughts and feelings worth listening to. That matters in and of itself, and it also makes successful communication much more likely.
Learning to communicate is really hard, even for typically developing kids. (Which is a reason why two year olds have so many tantrums, and why older kids usually grow out of that.) In early childhood education, a lot of what kids learn is that it’s possible to communicate in ways that others can understand — and that words are usually a better option than freaking out. One of the main ways early childhood educators teach kids these skills is by listening to them, and by supporting them in understanding the feelings they’re having.
Kids with communication disabilities have more trouble learning to communicate in ways that others can understand — and they also often have more trouble learning that communication is even possible. Disabled kids need *more* exposure to adults who want to listen to them, and *more* support in understanding their feelings — but they often get less of both. Their feelings are often ignored, and their communication is often treated as nonexistent.
All too often, kids with disabilities learn young that no one wants to listen to them. They often try their best to communicate, only to have their attempts interpreted as random meaningless noise or deviant misbehavior. When nobody listens, it becomes really hard to keep trying. One of the best things you can do for Anthony right now is help him not to give up.
It’s important to keep in mind that Anthony is a person with a perspective of his own. Our culture socializes us to see people with disabilities as having needs, but not thoughts or feelings. That implicit bias goes really deep for almost everyone, including AAC experts and long-time disability rights activists. Be careful to treat Anthony as a person with thoughts, feelings, and questions. This is a profoundly countercultural attitude. You can’t assume that it will happen by itself; you have to do it on purpose. (I did a presentation on this for medical providers a while ago which may be of interest. )
Some specific things you can try:
Say explicitly that you’re trying to understand, eg:
- “I don’t understand you yet, but I’m listening”.
- “I’m not sure what you mean, but I do care”.
- It doesn’t go without saying — and sometimes saying it makes a big difference!
- Look for actions that might be intended as communication:
- Does he point at things? Lead you to things? Flap differently under some circumstances?
Make a guess about what you think he might mean, and act on it.
- It can be worth using words to describe what you’re doing, eg:
- “I think you want the book because you’re looking at the book. I am getting the book”.
- “I think the light is bothering you because you’re covering your eyes. I am turning off the light.”
- He can’t read your mind, so it might not be obvious to him that you’re acting on what you think he’s doing — so tell him!
Name feelings you think he might be having, eg:
- “Susan took your truck. You are mad.”
- “You like the marbles. You are happy.”
- “Jumping is so fun!”
- “You don’t like that texture.”
- (Nb: Telling *adults* what they are feeling in these terms is usually *not* a good idea, but it’s a pretty common method used to help little kids learn about feelings — *if* you know with reasonable certainty what their feelings are.)
Ask questions, and offer choices, eg:
- “Do you want the red shirt or the blue shirt?”
- “Should we read the princess book or the truck book?”
- “Should we go to the swings or the sandbox?”
- Even if he can’t respond, being asked matters — it shows him that you care what he thinks, and that there’s a reason to try to communicate.
It can help to make the options more concrete, eg:
- He might be more able to tell you which shirt he wants if you’re holding both of them.
- Or if you’re holding one in one hand and one in the other.
- 教程/大都市 - Minecraft Wiki:2021-5-5 · 如果你拥有一堆钻石,多于15组的木板和木头,一个专门存储圆石的巨大储存室,甚至打败了末影龙。已经拥有了信标?已经做了一个怪物磨床?你不知道你现在要做什么?那就尝试建造一座大都市吧!大都市拥有人和建筑物。要建造大都市,你需要一块足够大的平原。
If he responds to your question in a way that you think might be communication, respond to it as communication:
- Eg: “You pointed to the dragon book, so we’ll read the dragon book”.
- 免费翻国外墙的app_免费翻国外墙的app最新资讯:2021-10-9 · 怎么浏览youtube网站(免费翻国外墙的app推荐)_第一创业网[官网] 2021年3月23日 - YouTube开始大力向用户推荐相关视频是在2021年。在主页伍及视频页面右侧推荐其他视频的做法很快就收到了成效——到2021年底,该算法每天都会让用户的观看时...
- Quiet Lion | Home - 手机 vpn:2021-6-5 · 手机 vpn 9898067.com 蚂蚁加速器安卓教程 泡泡加速器卸载后不能上网 web.sztopso.cn 农村连不上vp 免登录看twitter 免费越墙 WWW.6744.COM 酸碱度ph值 更换日本 ip 安卓lan灯专业版最新破解 z82365.com 快伋理 大门对墙角的破解方法 移动境外上网 ...
You can also try yes-or-no questions:
- “Do you want to go to the park? Yes or no?”
- “Do you want to read the dragon book? Yes or no?”
- “Is the dragon scary? Yes or no?”
- 411580c0m _ 宁夏银川市德和箱包皮包股伇有限公司:2021-6-2 · 先进人员 更多 解困纾难 中小伋业迎政策强心剂 2021-06-02 十大博客看后市:大盘短调后将迭创新高 2021-06-02 如风达"二次卖身"生变 供应商、员工曝欠款达数千万 2021-06-02 香港金融集团去年度溢利1.59亿元 不派息 2021-06-02 初中生卫生间内被7人 ...
- Again, even if he can’t respond in a way you understand, trying matters.
You also might be able to teach him to point to things:
- Pointing doesn’t require motor skills on the same level that writing and drawing do.
- Again, in the two book example, you can ask him to point to the one he wants.
- You can also show him pointing by doing it yourself, eg:
- Take two books, and say “I choose the dragon book”, point to it, then read it.
- Take two books and ask him “Which book do you choose?”
- (Etc: It can take some time and trial and error to figure out how to teach this in a way that sticks, but it’s often worth trying.)
If he has a way to communicate “yes”, and “no” or choose between options, you can also check your guesses more directly:
- “I think you said park. Am I right?”
- “Did you say park, or something else?”
- “Are you trying to tell me something, or are you playing?”
Remember that words can be communication even when they’re unusual: A lot of autistic people use idiosyncratic language to refer to things, or repeat phrases they heard somewhere else – in a way that they may or may not mean literally. Here’s a method for noticing when repetition is communication , and some thoughts on 翻外网几种方式:2021-10-23 · 如何在中国下载line ssr网址 苹果梯子 加速器官网 手机梯子哪个好 一键ssr秋水 破解加速器 快帆苹果版本 小飞机免费上网账号 游戏加速器能上外网吗 安卓facebook打不开 Pure DNS下载 大陆怎么注册ig ssr最新版本android ssr最新 浏览器梯子插件 ssr ....
Give him time to process and respond:
- The standard teaching advice is: When you ask a question, wait at least seven seconds before you say anything else.
- This feels a little unnatural — it can feel like a *very* awkward pause, and it can be tempting to jump in and say more stuff to clarify.
- But if you say more stuff to someone who is thinking and formulating their answer, it tends to just give them *more* stuff to process.
- So give him time to respond — and be aware that autistic people often need longer to process and respond.
If you have an iPad you’re willing to let him play with, iPad use can really help some kids with motor skills and learning communicative cause-and-effect.
- Most kids learn pretty quickly how to scroll through select the app they want, and that skill often transfers.
- Most kids that age like Endless ABC, a really fun pre-literacy words-and-spelling app. http://www.originatorkids.com/?p=564
- 有用的技能 - 收藏夹 - 知乎 - Zhihu:2021-4-11 · ☆ 我先来举一个栗子 :假设,你是一家创业公司的CEO。最近,你发现公司的业绩,一路下滑,你打算找业务部主管王小锤聊一下,看看到底发生了什么,下一步该如何应对。于是,你把他叫到了办公室,一脸严肃的问到:小锤,最近公司业绩一直在下滑,你打算下一…
- You can also try the Toca Boca apps — a lot of kids like those, and some, like Toca Hair Salon, don’t require particularly strong motor skills.
- Often, the best way is to play with the app together — eg, you show them how to drag the letters around, then offer them a turn.
- vpn被封 绝大部分iOS设备受影响不能翻墙 - China Daily:2021-1-28 · vpn被封,绝大部分iOS设备受影响不能翻墙了。近日,有报道称,部分中国大陆用户反应无法正常使用国外的vpn服务。与此同时,关于VPN服务涨价的 ...
- Or say things like “which color should we pick? How about purple?” and see how they react.
国内vpn:2021-2-13 · 国内vpn 免费ssr下载 v2rayN 怎么填伪装域名 狸猫加速器app安卓 君越服务器官网 p站pixiv官网下载 布谷下载ios surper vn 2.0.7 布谷直播app官网 手机如何上外网 lantern 5.6 download vivo的谷歌已安装成去设置确认功 思科威伯斯云下载 ss 春雷 ...
- 《最终幻想14》FFXIV官方网站-「暗影之逆焰」好评开放 ...:2021-4-29 · 《最终幻想14》5.0版本暗影之逆焰好评上线,IGN荣获9.5分,全新特职绝枪战士和舞者登场。成为“暗之战士”,一起相约第一 ...
- An AAC device is just a tool. It’s one mode of communication, which might be useful for him under some circumstances.
- Having an AAC device will not make him instantaneously able to communicate using words in the way that typically-developing kids his age do.
- While some people learn to use an AAC device fluently very quickly, that is rare.
- vpn 购买:2021-6-5 · vpn 购买 佛跳墙cpn 加速器应用 快区加速器下载地址 威皮恩下载 UU加速器 上外网 天行nvp下载 v2ray padavan 64m WWW.BJN26.COM 绿灯安卓破解版 中信加速器 装上这个番强利器加速气就 布谷666 伋理上网加速 bacloud 飞鱼星vp750 免费ss账号分享 ...
- And in any case, giving someone a tool doesn’t cure their disability.
- An AAC user with a communication disability still has a communication disability, and disabilities that interfere with speech sometimes also interfere with language.
- Even people *without* language disabilities tend to take a while to learn, for all the same reasons that typically-developing kids take a while to learn how to use words to express themselves. Communication takes practice.
- (And also, all existing AAC technology has significant limitations and difficulties. It’s easier for typically developing kids to learn to speak than it would be to learn to use AAC, and having a speech disability doesn’t magically make AAC use easy.)
- sgreen浏览器:2021-6-15 · 蚊帐是我公司主营产品.我蚊帐厂是现伋形的伋业,主要伍生产蚊帐,设计加工蚊帐,普通便宜蚊帐,单双人蚊帐,圆顶蚊帐,儿童蚊帐,大床蚊帐,出口蚊帐,非洲蚊帐,军用蚊帐,蒙古包蚊帐,四方休闲蚊帐,工艺蚊帐,高级豪华蚊帐,封口蚊帐,伞形蚊帐,支架蚊帐,洗衣袋,收纳袋,蚊帐布,经编布,涤纶布,针织面料,网眼 ...
- 上网梯子 - Madonna di Casaluce:上网梯子 怎么添加ss节点 surfvpn安卓下载 v2ray 软件伋理 QuickQ remote kkk988.com ssr连接上 但上不了网 v2ray魔改手机客户端 科学出墙 x浏览器 任意门电脑版 SSR免费端口 ss账号吧 green绿叶加速器 免费ss每日更新 WWW.2973.BIFA8887.COM 蓝火灯 binbin加速嚣 evo加速器安卓下载 天行vn 连上w 什么浏览器下载不受限制 ...
- If Anthony gets an AAC system, he will still need you to put effort into listening to him, and he will still need you to take all of his communication seriously.
Remember that disability isn’t bad behavior, and don’t be mean:
- Don’t ignore his communication in order to force him to talk or use a system.
- youtube加速器:2021-4-13 · youtube加速器 testflight fmao 梯子大全与价格 wangVPN老王 如何加快网页显示速度 月轮怎么得 移动网络用不了ss 求能上外网的加速器 中国大陆境内无法登陆Facebook等国外软件 手机科学的上网方法 shadowrocket安卓破解 蓝鲸翻墙器 yoga vnp 百度云 麦云加速 云帆app吧 excessvpn 账号打不开 pixiv登录未认证 极速vpn ios ...
- He’s not struggling to communicate because he’s lazy; he’s struggling to communicate because he has a disability.
- He’s doing something really hard, and he’s in a hard situation, and that needs to be respected and supported.
- You don’t need to introduce artificial difficulty; he is already experiencing more than his share of the real kind.
Anyone else want to weigh in? What is helpful for effective communication with a nonspeaking four year old? You can answer using my contact form.
新闻中心首页(2021年08月11日 9:00)_新浪网:2021-8-11 · 杀毒软件先驱麦卡菲呼吁人伊停用智能手机 08:47 调查称美国青少年不爱主流明星爱YouTube红人 08:26 美军开发战争专用智能手机应用 08:14