Children with autism face significant challenges, especially communication with their caregivers and parents. In addition, they don’t like interacting with new faces or being exposed to unknown environments. Suppose you are a parent or caregiver of an individual with autism and facing challenges with speech and language skills. There are steps that you can take to support your autistic loved one. This includes contacting and engaging with speech therapy for adults in Sydney to help them handle their problems in a better way that will improve their quality of life. Even after engaging a professional therapist, you might need to help with speech therapy exercises at home. It’s critical to note that early intervention with behavior modification and speech therapy activities can benefit the child on the spectrum. This article will outline five incredible speech therapy exercises for children with autism.
Speech Therapy for Individuals with Autism
Teach Them the Essential Words
To build communication, you will need to teach them the essential words. You can begin with a one-word utterance. When you are sure they have comprehended, you proceed to a two-word utterance. You can start your child to master words like “stop,” “help,” “no,” pee,” and many more, depending on how fast they grasp. Such words play a crucial role in understanding what they want and need without struggling to construct sentences. Teach them such words in different setups over and over so you can know what they want. Individuals with autism often don’t love talking a lot or have limited vocabulary. However, they can learn new words over time.
Always Provide Positive Reinforcement
Individuals with autism are often anxious around new faces and negative energy. In their defensive, they tend to be quiet, which can hinder communication with the caregiver. Those with moderate to mild autism often respond well to positive energy, which helps them understand things easily. One of the pro moves is providing them with desirable rewards every time they follow your instructions or respond to their name. This can be one scoop of ice cream, a piece of chocolate, or some extra hours with their toys. Note that the reward you give should be something the individual likes and wants.
Involve In Sensory Activities
Individuals with autism need to stay active to help their minds grow as they learn how to process things. Individuals with autism often have sensory processing disorder, which influences how the brain receives information and how they process and interpret the signals coming from their surroundings. Different sensory activities can help boost their cooperation and communication skills. Some everyday and effective sensory activities include silly putty, footprint painting, playing musical instruments, and scented play-dough. The idea is to help your individual experience different sensations, smells, and textures. Always consider the dislikes and likes while setting up sensory activities on the table.
Consider Communication Boards
Another exercise to boost your individual with autism to improve their speech is communication boards. Even though communication borders are preferred in speech therapy, you can create homemade boards or use digital ones. Your choice will depend on what your child or adult likes more. Communication boards are part of the alternative communication device for people with an autism spectrum disorder.
Time to Engage Them!
These activities are not complicated or expensive. In fact, some of the required items can be homemade, which is easier and more relatable to the kid. However, it’s vital that you engage your professional therapist to guide you on activities that are more beneficial to the autistic person.
