Speech Therapy Activities for Children With Autism
Autism can affect a child’s communication skills. To help improve these essential skills, here are a few speech therapy activities your kid will enjoy.
Children diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder may face many unique challenges, including how they communicate and interpret language. Speech therapy helps improve all areas of communication, such as enhancing their way of expression and vocabulary.
By performing these activities with your child often, you and your child will actively build their gestures or spoken language and teach them how to communicate in a socially acceptable and appropriate way.
In this article are a few speech therapy activities for children with autism that you can do in the comfort of your own home.
Start With Animal Noises
All children love animals, and when we’re trying to build their social and communication skills, we typically start with animal noises. You can begin mimicking animal noises to help develop your child’s communication skills. Using flashcards or toys, ask your child to mimic the appropriate animal noise you make. Soon, you will see that they try to recreate these noises. Thus, improving their communication skills.
Do Sing-Along Exercises
Who doesn’t love a good sing-along activity? Many children with ASD enjoy participating in sing-along activities. This exercise will help introduce your child to new words and sounds and help them associate sounds with objects. Using songs like Wheels on the Bus and If You’re Happy and You Know It are great because they can imitate noises and commands.
Read Their Favorite Book Together
Reading with your child is always an enjoyable activity. However, did you know it could function as speech therapy for your child with autism? As you’re reading with your child, point at each picture and ask your child what it is. You can ask your child to point at a specific image depending on their communication skill level.
For example, if you’re reading a book about colors with a purple cat, ask them to point to it. Engage in the book and create a conversation or ask questions using a yes or no format.
Play Matching and Sorting Games
Categorizing and sorting things will help your child understand the similarities and differences in objects while building their problem-solving skills. A fun way to do this is by sorting pictures you draw or get from magazines. You can mix and match fruits and vegetables or colors and shapes. Puzzles are also a great way to implement this lesson and sharpen communication skills.
Do Facial Muscle Activities
Facial muscle activities are important for children who have weakened oral motor skills. Facial muscles can affect speech articulation, so practice making a funny face together. Have your child practice making faces in the mirror or imitate your looks. You should do this activity before school and before heading to bed.
