Being autistic comes with a lot of difficulties involving behavior, emotional and mental strength, and the ability to socialize. These factors clumped together result in decreased ability to participate in clear and healthy verbal communication.
This makes it imperative that they are carefully treated as autistic children develop differently and depending on the severity of their, can totally avoid communication.
If you wish to learn how to make your child comfortable with speaking and communicating, here are a few tips that may help you.
What Can I Do To Help My Autistic Child Speak?
Encourage play
The best way to naturally instill in children the ability to talk is through social interaction and play. Allowing them to lose in a lighter, more comfortable atmosphere that presents the opportunity to listen, analyze, and respond to language is a smart move that also develops their sociability.
Finding games your child enjoys, finding other kids they enjoy being around and are safe with, and observing how they behave are a few ways to kickstart this tip. Being playful with them is also not a bad idea, and you can try activities such as singing and joining in on their games. As you do this, it is important to mind your body language, not get impatient or rough with them in any way, and also maintain a calm tone of voice as well as good eye contact.
Imitate your child.
Language is an innate ability, and how toddlers can start using it can be done in many different forms. It can be gibberish, nonsensical, and plain childlike, but that is just because they are still developing, just as they are. Paying attention to what the young child says and mimicking them will encourage the child to keep talking and talking, creating a dynamic that allows them to be comfortable with how and what they speak.
Work on your nonverbal communication
Sometimes, the best way to talk is not to talk at all. One could argue that nonverbal communication is much more important than its verbal counterpart, and although the truth behind this statement is debatable, it is undoubtedly useful when it comes to the circumstance at hand.
Simple gestures, comfortable eye contact, and a calm demeanor can be enough to tell children that the person that they are being faced with is someone that they can talk to and maybe even imitate. Professionals would say that the best way to act around a child is to act like a child yourself through exaggerated movements, voice, and greetings. For example, if they point at toys, point at them as well. If they open their arms, cradle them and go all in on that.
Allow your child to talk.
When in the process of teaching your child to talk, you may attempt to fill in those awkward silences and moments of noncommunication. However, this may be a bad move, as allowing your child to open up on their own is key for them to be comfortable with communication. When they do initiate communication, respond immediately and with energy, as it will show them that initiating communication themselves can bring them what they want and realize the purpose of communication.
Make sure to use simple language
This may come off as common sense, but make sure that the words and language you use can be digestible and comprehensible to little children. It makes things easier for them to understand, imitate, and begin their little steps of communication. Through grammar out the window, just try to communicate how a child would. Single words are common, such as single-word commands like asking “Ball” or “TV”.
Follow your child’s interests.
An effective way that you can employ is to simply observe what your child is doing and try to insert yourself. Either by narrating their every move, or helping out with whatever it is they are doing, make them feel like you are interested and engaged with what they are doing.
Have faith in your child.
Perhaps the best tip you can do is to believe in them, walk them along the process, and be as patient as possible. Autistic children will have problems socializing, perceiving their self-worth, and how they can fit in around social settings. Be easy-going and light, and there should be any sign of pressure between you and your child.
Conclusion
Autistic children should not be treated any differently from normal children, they do need a bit more patience, effort, and observation, but they do not deserve any less love. Through years of autism clinical trials, child therapists have learned the best strategies to deal with how children develop, particularly if they have autism. Together, it can be achieved one day that we can create an environment for autistic to grow up normally and have proper childhoods.