Listening

From Kate Wilde: :How can we help our children on the Autism spectrum talk more? How can we encourage our very talkative Autistic children to have conversations? One answer from the Son-Rise Program would be to listen, and by listen I mean really listen. The kind where you are not thinking of the next thing to say or play with your child.The kind where you are just taking in and marveling at the splendid sounds, words and sentences your child is making.

Verbal communication is made up of two components, one person talking and another listening. If no one is listening then a communication is not taking place. By us modeling listening we are helping our chidlren understand how to listen to another.

When we listen we will hear our children make sounds and words and thus be able to respond with an action to the sound. This will encourage our children to want to use their language more.

When we listen we can respond with a comment about what our children are saying, helping them to understand how to respond to another persons topic of conversation.

Next time you enter your playrooms to play with your children instead of focusing on talking to your children, focus your attention on listening instead. You may be amazed by what you hear.