How to Practice Speech Therapy for Autism at Home

Does your child with autism spectrum disorder struggle with communication skills? If so, you may want to consider speech therapy. With school out for the summer, now is a great time to start at-home speech therapy for autism.

Here are a few tips to get you started:

Create a Communication-Rich Environment in Your Home

This means providing opportunities for your child to communicate throughout the day. This could include labeling objects around the house, using picture symbols to support communication, and setting up a daily routine with visual support.

Encourage Your Child to Practice New Skills

Try to find natural daily opportunities to encourage your child to practice new skills. For example, if they are asking questions, you can prompt them during mealtime or while reading a book together.

Encourage Lots of Talking

This may seem obvious, but it’s essential. Talk to your child often, even if they don’t respond. Describe what you’re doing as you do it. For example, “I’m putting on my shoes so we can go outside and play.”

Read Books Together

Reading is a great way to work on communication skills. Take turns reading pages or sentences aloud. Talk about the pictures in the book and what’s happening in the story.

Play Games Together

Games are a fun way to practice communication skills. Try playing games like charades or memory tiles. You can also make up your own rules for their favorite games to make them more challenging.

Make it Visual

Use pictures or gestures to help your child understand what you’re saying. This is especially helpful for nonverbal children who have trouble understanding spoken language.

Make it Fun

Children with ASD often respond well to highly structured and repetitive activities. However, that doesn’t mean speech therapy has to be boring! Incorporate some of your child’s favorite activities into your at-home speech therapy sessions.

Choose The Deron School

The Deron School offers a state-approved private school program and services tailored to your child’s needs. If you believe that your child would benefit from our wide array of resources and services, don’t hesitate to contact us with any admission inquiries.