Free Instructional Videos on Autism
Getting Your Child with Autism to Talk
Steven Wertz describes five things you can do now to get your child with autism talking.
Step 1: Identify Key Words
Steven explains the importance of identifying key items and experiences that your child wants and provides tools to help your child learn these key words.
Step 2: Restricting Access to Increase Communication
Steven explains a very important practice that can dramatically increase in your child's desire to communicate. If your child has limited access to key toys, items and experiences, he or she will have a much greater motivation to communicate.
Step 3: Exaggerated Emphasis
Some children on the autism spectrum have difficulty listening at key times. Steven teaches exaggerated emphasis, a method of helping your child to see and hear you, and become more likely to imitate speech.
Step 4: "Pairing" Words with What They Represent
After learning to use key words with emphasis, a third method, pairing, helps your child to understand the meanings of the key words. Steven explains how to do this.
Step 5: Motivate your Child to Talk Using Time Delay
Steven demonstrates a method for dramatically increasing your child's motivation to speak. Time delay methods have been shown to increase the likelihood that your child will try to say key words.
