My child can sing, mimics speech but doesn’t understand it very well, and is very good at talking to herself. He is absorbed in his own world. What can I do to teach him? What should I do if my child is constantly talking to himself immersed in his own world, extremely inattentive, not paying attention to the outside world, and not willing to interact? The child has very little active language and problematic behavior: self-talk.
The answers to all three questions are answered together in the following.
A: First, we all need to remember that not paying attention to the outside world, preferring to play by themselves, and talking to themselves are all characteristics that most autistic children have. We can teach them and help them change these traits, but we cannot ask them to communicate like we (who do not have autism) do.
Regarding “self-talk”, sometimes this is seen as a good characteristic because it proves that the child is at least capable of talking. You can try interrupting his self-talk, changing the subject, asking him questions, and encouraging him to use language to communicate with you. And, since you know your child can talk, you can give him some systematic language instruction, such as naming and expressing the names of objects and answering questions. Most importantly, be sure to reinforce language that is used appropriately. If your child answers your question, you can give him a small amount of food as a reward, or you can give plenty of verbal praise. If your child talks to himself for a short period of time and it does not interfere with his ability to receive external stimuli, then allowing him to do so should not be a big problem. Of course, if the child is talking to himself for a longer period of time and it is interfering with his daily life, then immediate intervention should be given. The problem with talking to oneself is that this behavior indicates that the child’s attention is only on himself and that he is not paying attention to outside people, events, or stimuli. In conclusion, the key is to engage with the child, try to find things for him to do, don’t leave him idle, and involve him more in the outside world. As for not understanding language, it is important to start with the most basic language. For example, let him identify objects and pictures (e.g., put an apple and a book on the table and ask, “Show me which one is the book? Or ask him to “give me the book”). In addition to teaching him to recognize objects, you can also tell him to follow simple one-step instructions. For example, “stand up”, “turn on the light”, “clap your hands”, “sit”, from the simplest (sit, stand up) to the more difficult (sit, stand up). ) to the more difficult ones (open the door) can be taught. Through this method, you can slowly teach him to understand the meaning of language. As for active language, be sure to create more opportunities for communication: don’t anticipate your child’s every need. Try to let him communicate by talking in order to get what he wants, this is a very effective way to encourage active language – he has to talk to get that thing. For example: put his favorite toy, book, food, etc. on a high shelf – he can see it but can’t reach it. Another example (for younger children) is to put something he likes in a clear plastic box (hard to open) and give it to him. Because he wants the object, he is more willing to talk. You model saying: “I want it” or “open it” or the name of the item. Also, for children who are verbal but do not use active language, teach them how to initiate a request for an object. For example, to get him to say “more” or “want” when eating, you can start by giving him just a little of what he likes to eat and put the rest far away from him (where he can see it). When he reaches for it, don’t let him get it, and don’t say anything, but look at him expectantly. If he cries and still tries to reach the food, pick up the food with one hand, point to it with the other and say the child’s name while getting his attention. Wait a few moments. If he still doesn’t speak, (remember, he has language, just not very much) you move the food closer to him, (but still in your hand) point to the food again and use the muzzle to cue “still – want -” but don’t say it. Wait and see, if he still doesn’t say it, you still have to do what you just did, but this time you can say the word “also”. If he needs it, you have to gradually increase the level of prompting until you have demonstrated the word you want him to say in full. After he says the word, you give him the food and praise him. Then, do it again. Remember, always start with the lowest level of assistance (just look at him with anticipation).
My child is five weeks old. There is language, but the language is not too good, too deep language will not express, only after you have said he will also imitate say. He now has active language of need, such as I want so-and-so? Where do I want to go to play? He will initiate it, and when he doesn’t see someone, he will say where did someone go? But if we answer him often enough, he will later say both the question and the answer.
A: Regarding his language, what you described are also characteristics of autism, repetition, etc. If he really wants to know where people are, etc. answers, then he should answer. If you know he knows the answer, you can ignore him and then ask him other questions after a few seconds to distract him and move on to another topic.
Q: What if my child can’t ask questions?
A: Many children with autism have difficulty asking questions. One way to encourage your child to ask questions is to create situations that require them to ask questions. For example, sit with him at a table and show him three things, one of which he doesn’t recognize. Ask him to name the three items (“Tell me what they are all called?”) After he has named two of the items he knows (for example, “ball” and “truck”), remind him (show him), “What is that?” As soon as he repeats “What is that?” answer immediately, then praise him and give him a reward (with primary reinforcement such as food, water, etc.). Do this repeatedly. For the more verbal child, try the following program: Sit with him in a quiet place and talk to him, for example, “I saw a movie yesterday. Remind him to ask, “What movie did you see yesterday?” Wait for him to repeat the question and then reinforce it to him (and, answer his question). Then repeat the process until he can respond independently. The key is to give the child a vague message that requires him to ask a follow-up question; then model the correct question; and then reinforce the child when he asks the correct question. Gradually reduce the level of prompting and reinforcement until the child can complete the question independently.
Q: How can I improve my child’s ability to retell things?
A: To improve the ability to retell things (to retell what just happened), it is important to start by asking your child to recall what just happened. For example, as soon as mom leaves the room, dad asks, “Who just walked out of the room?” Or, as soon as a child puts down a book, the teacher asks, “Where did you put the book?” Then, for example, when you are telling a story to your child, after every page, you ask him what was said on that page just now, and don’t wait until the end of the story. The point is that it is very difficult for a child with autism to answer questions like “what did you do at school today” or to listen to a story and retell it from beginning to end. So take it one step at a time – start by asking him to recount small, insignificant things or small parts of a story; then, let him gradually add details or gradually extend the time between the end of an event and when you ask him about it. For example, let’s say you and your child played a game. At first, as soon as you finish the game you ask him what he was doing; gradually, you extend the interval between the end of the game and the time you ask him questions, and you can ask him some specific questions. If you are telling a story, you first ask what happened in a small part of the story; then gradually expand the content of the question, for example, after reading 3 or 4 pages and then ask him what was said in the story (retelling the events that happened). And gradually increase the length of the story you want him to retell. These methods are often referred to as shaping methods – gradually increasing the difficulty of the task. Of course, when using these methods, make sure you don’t forget to praise him every time he completes a step.
Q: Is it a matter of my child wanting to communicate but not knowing how to do so when she sees a boy she likes every day (no matter what time of day) and hugs and kisses him? What should I do?
A: It does seem like she wants to communicate but doesn’t know how to do it. One solution is to teach her directly how to communicate appropriately with other children. For example, you can play a role-playing game with her at home. Remind her that when she sees a child she can say, “Hey, hello! Do you want to play (with me)?” Or, she can just wave and say “hello. It would be ideal if you could find some little friends to help you, such as her cousins. Have them approach your daughter and prompt (remind) her to say hello. Tell these buddies to say “hello” or “do you want to play” as well, as an example of appropriate behavior. When your child shows appropriate behavior and says “hello,” remember to praise her for her good behavior. If she does want to hug or kiss a child, draw her away from this behavior with physical or hand-holding assistance and model for her, “Hello, would you like to play together?” (or other appropriate words.) Of course, if your child cannot talk, you can teach her to wave, or smile, or share a picture or photo with a child (for example, have a photo ready with two children playing happily together; teach your child to show the photo to one child to indicate an invitation for that child to play with her; and then teach that child how to respond positively to naturally reinforce your child’s appropriate behavior.)
Q: Can a father speak quickly to his child to influence him?
A: Of course, it is best to speak slowly and clearly in order to set a good example for your child. In fact, one of the only negative effects of speaking quickly may be that your child will not understand what you are saying very well, which will be detrimental to his language and social interaction development. Experts usually recommend that (parents) speak clearly and understandably, use simple language as much as possible, and speak at a speed that the child can follow.
Q: My child has very little active language and problematic behavior: talking to himself.
A: First, regarding “self-talk,” sometimes this is seen as a good characteristic because it proves that the child is at least capable of speaking. You can try interrupting his self-talk, changing the subject, asking him questions, and encouraging him to use language to communicate with you. And, since you know your child can talk, you can give him some systematic language instruction, such as naming and expressing objects, and answering questions. Most importantly, be sure to reinforce language that is used appropriately. If your child answers your question, give him a small treat as a reward.
Lots of verbal praise can also be given. If your child talks to himself for a short period of time and it does not interfere with his ability to receive external stimuli, then allowing him to do so should not be a problem. However, if the child is talking to himself for a longer period of time and it is interfering with his daily life, then immediate intervention is needed. The problem with talking to oneself is that this behavior indicates that the child’s attention is only on himself and that he is not paying attention to outside people, events, or stimuli. In conclusion, the key is to engage with the child, try to find things for him to do, don’t leave him idle, and involve him more in the outside world.
As for active language, be sure to create more opportunities for communication: don’t anticipate your child’s every need. Try to let him communicate and talk in order to get what he wants, this is a very effective way to encourage active language – he has to talk in order to get that thing. For example: put his favorite toy, book, food, etc. on a high shelf – he can see it but can’t reach it.
Another example is to put something he likes in a clear plastic box (hard to open) for him (for younger children). Because he wants the object, he is more willing to talk. You model saying, “I want it” or “open it,” or the name of the item.
Also, for children who are verbal but do not use active language, teach them how to actively ask for an object. For example, to get him to say “more” or “want” when eating something, you can start by giving him just a little of what he likes to eat and put the rest far away (where he can see it). When he reaches for it, don’t let him get it, and don’t say anything, but look at him expectantly. If he cries and still tries to reach the food, pick up the food with one hand, point to it with the other and say the child’s name while getting his attention. Wait a few moments. If he still doesn’t speak, (remember, he has language, just not very much) you move the food closer to him, (but still in your hand) point to the food again and use the muzzle to cue “still – want -” but don’t say it. Wait and see, if he still doesn’t say it, you still have to do what you just did, but this time you can say the word “also”. If he needs it, you have to gradually increase the level of prompting until you have demonstrated the word you want him to say in full. After he says the word, you give him the food and praise him. Then, do it again. Remember, always start with the lowest level of assistance (just look at him with anticipation).
Q: How do I teach him to let go of his voice and talk?
A: I have several suggestions for teaching language to children.
First, comment. While your child is doing something, comment/describe what he is doing (drawing a picture, eating ice cream). This promotes language development and is a model of active language (asking direct questions makes the child more passive).
Second, modeling. Model the words your child should say, don’t wait until he says the wrong thing to correct him, tell him he said the wrong thing.
Third, streamline the language. The sentences you say should be short and not too complex. This will ensure that your child is more likely to understand what you are saying.
It also kind of models for him language that he may be capable of imitating. So your language should be at his language level.
Fourth, reinforcement! This is really important at all times! Don’t ignore their active communication – verbal or non-verbal. It is good to teach children to speak by making a communicative sound or using other forms of communication (pointing at things, etc.) and we must be responsive to them.
Also, imitation is very important. If your child does not speak at all and cannot produce any speech at all, you can teach him to imitate your mouth muscle movements (oral imitation). First, teach him to imitate large muscle movements, such as raising his hands, clapping, stamping his feet, standing up, etc. The purpose of this is to teach your child the meaning of “do this” so that when he hears the command “do this,” he will look at you and follow your actions. As soon as he learns to imitate large muscle movements (larger body movements), you can start teaching him to imitate oral muscle movements, such as using his mouth to make “O” or “ah” mouth shapes, stick out his tongue, open his mouth, bite his teeth, and so on. Once your child learns to imitate these oral muscle movements, you can add some vocal imitation exercises to this foundation. For example, say “do this” to your child and then say “ahh” so that your child imitates the sound along with your mouth shape. Imitation is important in all aspects of learning, including learning to speak.
Q: My baby is three weeks old and he has no speech, but sometimes he can produce some very clear speech, but he never says anything when we ask him to. I want to know if he can learn to speak through training?
A: If your child does have the ability to speak and can sometimes produce some very clear language, I am sure he will be able to learn more language. But that doesn’t mean that he can start talking like a “normal” person. In fact, children with autism can still show language differences even when they learn to use language. It’s encouraging that your child is now able to say some words. And, it looks like you can continue to teach him to speak. As for trying to get him to talk when you ask him to, remember that the key thing to remember is that it’s best to let him meet his daily needs by talking. For example, if he wants to go out, you don’t want him to open the door unless he says “open”. You can create opportunities (if you know he does have language) where your child has to talk to get what he wants. Don’t give him anything until he talks (if your child has no language at all, you can still create opportunities by asking your child to either point, show a picture, or make a special sound before he gets what he wants.) For some other suggestions on how to create communication opportunities, you can refer to some of the suggestions I’ve provided here.