5 IDEAS FOR SUPPORTING COMMUNICATION AT HOME

1. Place things your child likes/wants out of reach. You can put items up high or in containers so that your child has to ask for them.

2. Allow only a few pieces of your child’s favorite toys/foods to be available at one time. You can give small sips of water, a few chips, break cookies into pieces—this will require your child to ask for more. Activities with many pieces such as blocks, puzzles, bubbles, coloring, toy animals, etc. allow many opportunities for your child to communicate with you.

3. Provide limited choices when you aren’t sure what your child wants or needs. Point to or hold out only two items/ choices, and then encourage your child to communicate which one he/she wants.

4. Take time to read with your child as often as possible. You can look at books, magazines, labels on food products, recipes, online books, menus from restaurants –anything with words or pictures! Label everything you see, and encourage your child to point to the words and pictures as you talk about them.

5. Pictures are a great way to help with talking about and understanding new words and ideas, daily routines, and directions. Take pictures of activities/items in your child’s day and talk about what has happened what is coming up next. You can also draw pictures, cut pictures out of magazines, search for pictures online, etc.