Welcome to this special edition of our Quarterly Parent Newsletter, where we're excited to kick off Better Speech and Hearing Month! Dive into our feature presentation: a video from Nafisa Obi, our co-founder, who is also a dedicated Speech-Language Pathologist.
In this video, Nafisa addresses several essential topics:
Understanding Communication: What it means and why it's crucial for your child.
The Role of Speech-Language Pathologists: How our specialists connect with and support your child's communication development.
Enhancing Communication at Home: Practical strategies to reinforce early intervention and promote language growth.
We hope this video serves as a valuable resource, providing you with actionable insights to support your child's journey toward better communication. Enjoy the learning, and thank you for being part of our community!
Empowering Communication: Strategies for Enhancing Language in Children with Autism
May is Better Speech and Hearing Month—a time dedicated to raising awareness about communication disorders and celebrating the transformative power of speech therapy. At Essential Speech and ABA Therapy, we're committed to empowering children with autism to navigate the world through improved communication. This month, we're excited to delve into innovative strategies that parents and caregivers can employ to support their children’s communication skills from the comfort of their homes.
Understanding Communication Challenges:
Effective communication serves as a bridge to connection, learning, social interaction, and personal growth. For children with autism, establishing this bridge can be challenging due to difficulties with verbal and non-verbal communication. Early intervention is critical as it leverages the brain's plasticity (or the brain’s ability to grow and change) during the early years, which significantly enhances a child's ability to learn and use new communication skills, including speech development, gestures, and the use of communication aids.
Practical Home-Based Strategies:
Integrating speech therapy techniques into daily home routines can create a nurturing environment for communication. Parents and caregivers play a critical role in their child's communication development. Here are some powerful strategies and activities that can be used at home to enhance communication for children with autism:
Create opportunities for choice: Encourage your child to express their preferences during snack time or playtime. This practice helps bolster their initiative to communicate.
Model language during routine activities: Narrate actions and describe objects during daily tasks, such as dressing or setting the table, to provide a model of language that children can imitate.
Engage in interactive play: Play is a universal language for children and is particularly effective in communication development. By engaging in activities that resonate with your child’s interests, you can introduce new vocabulary and concepts. Through play, children learn turn-taking, expressing their ideas, and understanding the normal flow of conversation.
A Holistic Approach to Therapy:
At Essential Speech and ABA Therapy, we embrace a comprehensive approach that includes speech therapists, BCBAs, RBTs, and occupational therapists. This collaborative effort ensures a continuum of care that addresses diverse aspects of development.Â
Better Speech and Hearing Month is more than just a campaign; it’s a reminder of the ongoing needs of children with communication challenges and the powerful impact of integrated therapy approaches. We encourage parents, caregivers, and educators to explore these strategies and see the transformative effect they can have on a child’s ability to express themselves and connect with the world around them.
Learn More:
Discover more about our dedicated programs and the difference they can make in your child’s life. Learn more about our enrollment process to learn how our tailored therapies can support your child’s journey toward effective communication.