Language Supports for Autism
Ten ways to help a child with autism use more language, and the most important one: honor all forms of communication.
Offer choices
Giving choices makes a child feel motivated to use more language. For example: “Should we play with blocks or cars?”
Give wait time
When you ask a question, give the child extra time to think and answer.
Model
Talk about what you and the child are doing to show how to use language in different places and situations, even when using AAC.
Follow the child’s lead
Notice what the child likes or is curious about, and talk about those things while you play together.
Open-ended questions
Ask questions that get more than a “yes” or “no” answer. For example: instead of asking “Is that a car?” you can ask, “What do you have?”
Sabotage
Create situations where the child might need to ask for help. For example, give them cereal without a spoon and wait to see if they ask for it.
Positive reinforcement
Give praise to help the child feel confident and encourage them to communicate more. For example, “Great talking!” or “I love how you asked for help.”
Repetition
Using the same words or phrases many times can help the child learn language more easily.
Contrived misunderstanding
Pretend you don’t know something about a topic, which gives the child a chance to explain, add details or correct you.
Expand on speech
Add words to the child’s speech to make it more complete. For example, if the child says “blue ball,” you can say, “That’s right! The ball is blue.”
Most importantly, honor all forms of communication!