01/29/2020
What do children and playdoh have in common?
What do children and playdoh have in common? They are both molded into what we would like them to be. Much like playdoh, our children need to be molded into smart, generous and independent people to be successful in the future. Especially, a child with special needs that benefits from extra attention, support and care. They are a different type of play-doh, one that is a bit more challenging to work with, however the results and final product are more fulfilling when you have the finished product. As a speech-language pathologist, I typically use this metaphor when I describe how parents can increase their child’s language abilities and develop their overall communication skills. Of course our children are not colorful toys that we can form into stars and circles, but this metaphor holds true with how we can help raise our children. Especially, when our child might have an underlying condition or diagnosis that hinders their growth, such as a learning disability or Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD).
Children are born with a blank slate and it is our job to introduce and facilitate different types of language and learning into their everyday lives so they have a strong foundation. There are many ways to expose our children to language throughout the day. Some examples are listed below…
Explaining turn-taking skills to a child with ASD at the park: This is the perfect place to introduce your child to socialization and other children. Babies communicate using jargon which imitates the tone and pitch similar to typical speech. This gives them the foundation to communicate with others later on when they begin to speak. This is the ideal place to expose your child to turn-taking with peers their own age. Have them take turns throwing a ball, going down the slide or jumping on a trampoline.
Expose children to different textures during feeding time: During feeding time, label every object in front of the child and its function (e.g., “a knife cuts food and a spoon scoops cereal.”). As the child is eating, model for them the correct way to hold and place the food into their mouth, chew the food and then swallow. Feeding difficulties often to lead to speech delays later on, so it is best to provide an accurate model early on. Categorize the food items the child is eating (e.g., “corn and cucumbers are vegetables.”). Oftentimes, children with special needs are observed to have a difficult time touching or eating new textures. This is something new to them visually, texturally and sometimes auditorally. Feeding time is the best time to expose them to new textures that they can be exposed to.
Bath time: During bath time, label every object and explain the procedure (e.g., “first you turn on the water.”, “then you put in a rubber duck into the tub”, etc.). As the child is bathing, you can extend on various topics; such as, animals that live in the water, how to swim, etc.
Even though these tips and strategies may seem clear to us, we do not always use them on a daily basis. It is important to remember that all first experiences and visuals are new to our babies and we have to explain the world around them. By exposing them to as much language and knowledge earlier on, it will decrease the chances of them having struggles in school and work in the future. We also have to constantly repeat, provide examples with visuals and describe in order to instill novel vocabulary and functions to our children.
We want the best for our children and if we don’t expose them to new vocabulary and functions, then how do we expect them to be independent individuals? Nursery, pre-school and school teach our children to read, write and count. However, it is our job to expose them to the basic language skills in order to understand and use these functions appropriately. This begins in the home. We must provide our children with a strong foundation in order for them to succeed in the future. Their output is largely determined by our input.
