What’s inside this article: A list of language and communication milestones in the order that they typically develop in children to use as a tool for identifying developmental gaps in autistic children. These milestones were obtained from The SCERTS Model: A Comprehensive Educational Approach For Children With Autism Spectrum Disorders. Childhood development is extremely complex. …
What’s inside this article: Nine evidence-based strategies that can help children with autism develop or improve social skills. Includes teaching strategies, play strategies, and educational programs developed to aid social development. If you have an autistic child who is verbal but needs help developing social skills and conversation skills, you’ve come to the right place. …
Transactional Supports are part of the SCERTS Model developed by Barry M. Prizant (author of my favorite book Uniquely Human), et al. SCERTS stands for: Social Communication Emotional Regulation Transaction Support. The SCERTS model is a framework/guide for addressing emotional regulation and social communication in children. SCERTS follows the strength-based model and was created after 25 years of research. It …
Prompting, using a prompt hierarchy, is a strategy used in both ABA therapy and discrete trial training (DTT) for teaching new skills with simplified and structured steps for children with autism. In other words, using prompts, new skills are taught one step at a time, before combining the steps to complete the whole skill. There is …
What’s inside this article: What social scripts or social narratives are, the key features that should be included, step-by-step instruction to making your own social narratives, and an overview of some commonly used types of social stories. Social stories are a visual teaching tool for teaching children social skills, life skills, routines, and expected behaviors. …
DIR Floortime is a play based therapy for children. This therapy technique was developed by Dr. Stanley Greenspan as a way to connect with the child while using their interests and passions to develop engagement skills, symbolic thinking, increase logical thinking, and improve interaction. This is an evidence-based strategy and Dr. Greenspan encouraged parents to learn this technique …
What’s inside this article: Strategies that help children with autism to think more flexibly and ways to help reduce the impact of rigid thinking on day to day life such as coping strategies and coping tools. Disclaimer: This post contains affiliate links. Rigid behavior and thinking are part of autism’s diagnostic criteria. At times, this interferes …
Listening skills are so important because it is actually the most important part of communication. You should not assume that listening is done automatically or that your child has the skills to listen to instructions and comprehend the information they were given – even if they are able to repeat back to you what was just said. …
As parents, it’s our duty and responsibility to keep our children safe. We babyproof our homes Teach stranger danger Use car seats or booster seats in the car Helmets and knee pads for bike safety We lock cabinets and gate stairs it’s an endless list. But if your child is autistic there may be additional …
What’s inside this article: An overview of how lack of structure negatively impacts children’s behavior, the importance of structure for all kids – especially those with autism, four simple but actionable ways to implement more structure in your children’s lives. Disclaimer: This post contains affiliate links Honestly, all families can benefit in one way or another …