Parent Resources
Wait Time
Which is really Observe, WAIT, and Listen (OWL) as outlined by The Hanen Centre
When we offer our children time during communication exchanges we offer them time to process the language both receptively and expressively, we offer them the confidence that we are expectedly waiting for them to speak and that we are interested in what they have to say. Watch this short video to learn more about why we give our children wait time while communicating and how we can do that.
Practice using wait time or OWLing with your child during this fun activity!
Taking Turns
These short videos will help guide you teach your child how to take turns at home.
Learning to take turns can be hard for all children. We can support our children in learning how to take turns with simple activities such as building a tower of blocks, drumming on a box, etc. Using simple language (my turn/your turn) plus the addition of hand gestures (non verbal language or signs) can also help support our children as they learn to navigate the concept of taking turns. These short videos are nice examples of easy ways to practice at home.
Social Stories
"Social Stories are a social learning tool that supports the safe and meaningful exchange of information between parents, professionals, and (students) of all ages." (Carol Grey, 1991.
Social stories most often are composed using short, simple stories, often paired with pictures to support understanding of the intended outcome.
"Social stories break down a challenging social situation into understandable steps by omitting irrelevant information and by being highly descriptive to help an individual with an ASD understand the entirety of a situation. It includes answers to questions such as who, what, when, where, and why in social situations through the use of visuals and written text.[13] Social Stories are used to teach particular social skills." (Scattone D, Wilczynski SM, Edwards RP, Rabian B (December 2002)
Helping Children Learn Thinking & Feeling Words
Talk about your child’s thoughts and feelings – Children’s earliest words for thoughts and feelings are usually about things they want, what they are noticing with their senses, or things they are feeling physically. By paying close attention to your child, you can figure out what your child is thinking or feeling, and then put it into a short sentence like, “Oh, you want the red crayon”, “Mmm…you like how that cookie tastes!” or “You’re hot – let’s take your sweater off”.
Talk about your own thoughts and feelings – Once your child is using some language to talk about his own thoughts and feelings, try putting your thoughts and feelings into words as you have conversations with your child. For example, if your child says, “I like chocolate” while eating ice cream, you can share your own perspective (“Strawberry is my favourite.”) This will help your child start to understand that different people have different thoughts and feelings, and that we can use words to talk about these differences.
Use books to talk about thoughts and feelings – Children’s storybooks, especially those with pictures, offer many opportunities to talk about what people are thinking and feeling. Use the pictures to explain the characters’ actions and words, and what they might be thinking or feeling. For example, you might say things like “She looks mad because she missed the bus”, “He thinks the treasure is still in the treasure chest”, or “I bet he feels sick after eating all of that pizza!”
The above information was taken from Lauren Lowry - Hanen SLP and Clinical Staff Writer in the Use “Thinking and Feeling Words” to Build Your Child's Communication Skills. For more information on how to help your child learn thinking and feeling words please visit www.hanen.org or click the button below.