Communication and Interaction

Top tips (ASD)

Children with Autism need structure and routine. You can help them by using visual timetables to help them see what is happening at each step of the day, so they know in advance what they will be doing next. This will relieve some of their anxiety.
You might want to set a specific place for them to do any work or tasks. At school they may have this in the form of a workstation to support their learning. Each child’s workstation may differ slightly, so you could ask your child to help you set one up that will suit them or that they are already used to.
Prepare them for any changes in routine by discussing these in advance if you can.
Help your children to recognise and name different emotions and feelings. You can do this by discussing their own emotions, how characters in books and on TV programmes might be feeling and how you yourselves might be feeling. Alongside naming the emotion, describe it and explain why you, they or fictional characters might be feeling like that. You can also play role play guessing games and ask them to name the emotion and say why.
Use a 5 point scale to support children in managing their emotions.
Use social stories and comic strip cartoons to help children understand different situations and perspectives and address inappropriate behaviour.
Have a visual aid to support wanted and unwanted behaviours
Be aware of your child’s sensory needs and support them in managing that need to help them learn e.g. sound reducing earphones if noise is a problem, comfortable clothes, keep the area surrounding the work space clear to avoid over-stimulation etc.
Play lots of games with your child to encourage social skills, such as taking turns and winning and losing.

Top tips (SALT)

Model speech to the children by repeating words back to them correctly.
Give children time to process what you have asked and respond.
Use simple language and break instructions down into smaller steps.
Encourage children to answer questions, such as who, what, where, when and why? When reading their books. Encourage them to tell you the story in their own words.
Talk about all your experiences in detail, teaching new vocabulary all the time.
Discuss vocabulary in books, making sure the children understand the meaning of tricky words.

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