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Wednesday 7 November 2012

Tips for Speech/Communication Delays - Pointing

The two speech and communication issues we focused on first were pointing and vocabulary.  I figured that we could decrease tantrums if we could get her to, in some way, using words or gestures, show us what she wanted.  These are still a work in progress, but we have had some great successes!


The tips that I'm going to share with you are things that worked for my daughter.  There are lots of other tips out there, and some of what worked for us might not work for other people.  If your child is having a speech and/or communication delay, work with a doctor or speech pathologist and do research to find out what would work best for your situation :-)

POINTING

Josie did not point.  This took a long time to resolve.  Some of things that worked for us are:
  1. Every time she pointed at something I responded with the name of whatever it was.
  2. I presented her with two choices and tried to get her to point at what she wanted.
  3. Used "I-Spy" books to try and get her to point at things (this worked fabulously.)
  4. Pointed at everything I could and labelled it.
  5. As she started to point at things, used lots of praise and encouragement to reinforce.
  6. Respond to every single "point", even if I couldn't tell what it was she pointed at.
Now, Josie does point.  Sometimes she points to nothing, and she still doesn't point to make choices.  She loves to point and label though.  Still some work to go, but big improvement!

What I'm doing currently in regards to pointing:

  1. When she points at something and says its name, I add another word.  For example, when she points at the banana and says "na-na!" I respond "Yes, that is a YELLOW banana."  When she points at the baby and says "baybee" I might respond "Yes, the baby is EATING."
  2. Continue to give her choices and try to get her to point at which she wants.
  3. Continue to point at different things and wait for 10-15 seconds to see if she labels it on her own.
  4. Use a ridiculous amount of praise and encouragement when she does point, and especially when she points and labels.
  5. Ask her where different objects are to try and get her to point at them.
  6. Continue to respond to every "pointing" effort she makes.

Next tip post will be on increasing vocabulary!

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