- Tips on communicating with a child with autism
- ‘Act dumb’ and deliberately make mistakes
Due to his diagnosis of ASD with language impairment, my son didn’t talk for a long time. And even when he started to speak, it was difficult to engage him in interactions, verbal or otherwise.
So I learned to provoke a response from him by deliberately ‘acting dumb’.
Deliberately make mistakes
We’re all hard wired to react when someone is clearly wrong or being stupid, especially when we want things to happen a certain way and they’re just not getting it!
It turns out my son is just the same. So by deliberately making mistakes on matters that were important to him, I was able to encourage a response.
Pretend not to know what they want
Situation: I ask my son what he wants on his morning toast, but he doesn’t reply.
Intervention: I put the peanut butter in front of him, which I know he doesn’t want. I put the jam, his preferred option, out of reach.
Reaction: My son gestures that he wants the jam. I place my hand on the jam to reassure him that I understand, and ask him to say ‘Jam please.’ He may just say ‘jam’, or ‘j…’ Any attempt is great, and I hand over the jam.
I do this in various situations, pretending to think he wants one thing rather than the other:
More studying instead of TV
Carrot instead of biscuit
‘Finish’ instead of ‘More’
This book instead of that book
I make him just indignant enough to prompt a reaction, without causing him too much stress! Then I gently encourage him to say what he wants.
Make a mistake
Situation: I’m reading my son’s favourite book aloud to him.
Intervention: I suddenly read a word wrong.
Reaction: My son is surprised and is desperate to correct me. He attempts to say the correct word.
For the best results, I recommend choosing a word that’s easy, fun or memorable like the name of the main character. Choose a dramatic moment in the book. For more on this, please see my post on Reading aloud to a child with autism.
This ‘make a mistake’ method is also useful when you’re practising pointing or trying to expand your child’s range of play.
Summary
Motivate your child to speak up and correct you, by choosing a situation where their efforts lead to getting what they want.
Use this method when you’re reading aloud to them, playing together and in everyday situations.
Autism Hacks 