Strategies that help children with autism learn these skills:

• Child will become more aware of others and what others are doing
  
• Using little predictable routines so as to become more predictable (Click, Click, Click Game)
  
• Becoming the source of things that the child enjoys
  
• Exaggerating facial expressions
• Using an expressive voice
• Interrupting routines
  
• Imitating the child (Drum Imitation Game)
  
• Expectantly waiting for a response after trying to interact with the child
• Using visual rather than verbal communication (pictures, demonstrations, gestures)
  
• Using music including a more melodic voice, funny and repetitive sounds

• Becoming interested in playful social interaction
• Being playful while interactive
• Talking less and using predictable language
  
• Demonstrating simple (not too many steps) playful routines
  
• Being observant and noting what the child enjoys and using this information
  
• Adding an enjoyable sensory experiences to play (i.e. swinging, jumping, tickling, water play)
  
• Shifting attention rapidly between people, activities and toys
• slowing down the routine so that it it not so rapid and then gradually speeding up as the child can successfully shift attention
• using an indrawn breath, a more emotional voice, or an exaggerated facial expression to draw child's eyes to your face
  
• playing games where looking at someone or listening to someone is part of the game
  
• reducing or eliminating competing distractions (i.e. turn off television, remove toys that are not being used in the game, reduce the number of people in the room)
  
• Paying attention when routines change
• providing information about when routines will change including visual schedules, transition songs (e.g. Clean up songs)
  
• Making clear endings to one game or activity and then a clear beginning to the next activity (e.g. saying "All done ______, Time for ______" with each activity having a name that is always the same)
  
• Paying attention when the topic is not a preferred topic or the game is not a preferred game
  
• Start to teach a child to pay attention by interacting with the child using preferred topics or playing a preferred game
  
• Integrate new topics or games gradually but keep some aspects or elements of the preferred topic or game (e.g.
  
• Let the child know how long you will be talking about a non-preferred topic or playing a non-preferred game
  
• Noticing what a play partner is looking at, doing, feeling, and trying to accomplish
• play games where noticing is part of the game and required to accomplish the goals of the game
• pre-teach language skills needed to understand what others are doing, feeling, or trying to accomplish
• model noticing what others are looking at, doing, feeling and trying to accomplish and model this in such a way that the child can understand that is what you are doing