ADDRESSING ECHOLALIA

HELLO, it’s a great pleasure for me to meet u guys again….I am inspired and really fell in love with this song, what a beautiful lyrics awesome is n't it. It will boost my spirits whenever I listen to this song so I thought I will start the topic with these outstanding lyrics.

When I was just a little girl

I asked my mother, what will I be

Will I be pretty will I be rich

Here is what she said to me

Que sera sera sera

Whatever will be will be

The future is not ours to see

when i was  just a little child in a school

I asked my teacher what should I be

should i paint a picture, should i sing a song

this is what her wise reply

Que sera sera sera

Whatever will be will be

The future is not ours to see....

Intervention strategies:  in the previous session we learnt that our children use echolalia for non-communicative and communicative purposes.  Well JJJ why to wait!!!

Echolalia-non communicative purposes:

• Modifying situations- some situations are stressful or anxietyproducing for the child thus results in the occurrence of echolalia. So what we can do to serve the purpose; creating a structured environment to the child, setting clear expectations, using visual support strategies. Ex; in the classroom child is aware of what’s going to happen in a day will help to overcome confusion, anxietyas well as problem behavior.  
•  Avoiding excessive talking and using simple, concrete sentences can assist the child in more readily  understanding verbal message said thus help in decreasing  echolalia.
•   Always simply verbal messages given to the child.

Echolalia-communicative purposes:

·   Providing appropriate model for the child. Ex; a child uses this echolalic utterance to request to ask for a cookie: “do you want to eat cookie john?. Here the parent provides a more appropriate verbal model for the child to echo, such as “I want a cookie or give me a cookie”, in order to demonstrate a more appropriate phrase.

·  Using visual support strategies by pairing visual symbol with written words. Ex; a picture symbol of a toilet with the written words, “I have to go to bath room” is positioned in close proximity to the child.

·  Initially physically guide the child to pick up the written card with the picture cue in it, and read the words/picture to assist in making an appropriate verbal request.

· Use simplified verbal responses and the responses should match the child’s true language level.

· Emphasize a relationship between child’s echolalia and environmental references (such as people and objects). Ex; when the child says “look there is Siva aunty” the parent responds by saying, “let’s go to Shiva aunty” and directs the child to wear his sandals.

·  Most of the times support verbal response with a visual strategy. Ex; a child with autism goes to different locations after school. He perseverates, stating “go to swimming?” to ask about days location. The parent develops a daily visual schedule representing the locations the child is scheduled to go after school. When the child perseverates, “go to swimming?”, he is referred to his visual schedule, which he readily comprehends. 

· Use of picture exchange communication system. Ex; if the child asks for puzzle not satisfied the puzzle you are handed to him, picture exchange communication system implemented to teach the child to request for specific puzzle like I want number puzzle or I want animal puzzle, rather than relying upon the generic echolalic utterance of, “I want puzzle”.

· For helping the child to avoid echoing question, ask him a question and help him by giving answer to that question. Ex; where did we go now?  Followed by I went to…………

Fine...... hope to find it useful... i am sure you are looking forward to put them in practice.... i wish u luck and take care

HELPING CHILDREN WITH SOCIAL COMMUNICATION DIFFICULTIES

Namaste(hello), I am here to talk about what works best for improving social skills in our super stars,why to wait!!!!! maximize your arousal level......... ready start 1,2,3

Social skill development is an essential curricular area for students with autism and other related disorders, and is also a crucial component of any intervention plan for changing problem behavior.

I know you are curious to know the strategies for social skill development, so do I;

ü  When addressing social skills, it is essential that the child have the opportunities to participate and interact in a variety of natural environments.

ü  Children with autism and other related disabilities need explicit teaching to develop social skills and understanding social situations.

ü  One of the most helpful methods for teaching social skills is the use of social stories. A social story is a description of a social situation which includes the social cues and appropriate responses and is written for a specific situation.

ü  Visual supports should be an integral part of a comprehensive social skill program for our children.

ü  Cognitive picture rehearsal: another instructional strategy which presents information in a visual format. This method involves presenting a sequence of behaviors in the form of pictures or photographs with an accompanying support. The child is guided through repeated practice of the sequence of behaviors.

ü  Educating peers: this can be done informally or in a more structured way. Young children can be provided with prompts to initiate and maintain interaction with autistic children.

ü  Peer modeling: allowing or providing structured opportunities to children with autism to copy the model who is demonstrating the selected social skill.

ü  Peer initiation:  this procedure involves teaching socially competent peers to initiate interaction with child with autism. It’s not only structures interaction between socially competent students with those with autism; it provides additional skill development opportunities for our children.

ü  Group therapy: developing social skill instruction with in a structured small group setting. Steps to be followed  for group setting:

J Assessment and identification of skills for instruction

JIdentifying the skill and skill components and when they are used

J Modeling the skill

JOpportunities to practice

J Strategies for generalization

ü  Direct skill instruction:  teaching selected skill in a natural environment. some important steps to be followed

JTask analysis of the skill considered important to the child in natural setting

J Sequential teaching of each of the task, by using modeling, repeated trails, prompts and reinforcement in a natural setting

J Generalization in to different settings

ü  Antecedent prompting or teacher or parent mediation: delivery of an initiation prompts by the teacher, followed by reinforcement to the child with autism for successful engagement in positive social interaction.

ü  Role play: helping child to role play the situation or selected social skill

ü  Provide opportunities to increase independent participation in a variety of events.

ü  Self management: teaching children to monitor their own behaviors, this can be done by facilitating independency by gradually reducing prompts and increasing the time to acquire the selected skill.
i will talk more about social stories in near future......bye bye take care:):)