Tyler’s Conversation
As you listen to the recording of Tyler’s conversation about visiting the emergency room and seeing a helicopter, you are hearing the fruits of diligent work by patient teachers, family members, and therapists who helped Tyler move gradually from a non-verbal three-year-old to a teenager who can express his thought fairly clearly. Let us look at some strategies for guiding language development.
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The first part of our conversation is an example of literal interpretation that is characteristic of many individuals with autism. We had been talking about his visit to the hospital just prior to turning on the microphone. Because I was hoping to capture his conversation about seeing the helicopter at the hospital, I asked Tyler, “where did you get an I.V.?” He looked right at me and said, “In my arm.” His answer was, of course, right on target, but I was expecting him to say, “At the hospital.”
Notice I asked Tyler several open-ended questions. Although he is not yet able to answer these general questions well, I still like to give him opportunities to try. I gave him a few verbal prompts to get the conversation going. Although it is tempting for me to fill the silences and to talk to him more, I am trying to wait longer so he can gather his thoughts and formulate a response. Note that sometimes I just said, “..and…” to keep him on track. Every time we say something in an attempt to encourage our friends with autism, we interrupt the train of thought. They sometimes have to take time out to process the new words and start over again on the original question.
Notice that Tyler repeats a question when he doesn’t know the answer. And sometimes he just mumbles “yes” when he didn’t understand the question or when he wasn’t paying attention to the speaker. At that point, I try to give him an prompt by starting a sentence about the topic and letting him complete the sentence. Notice that when given two choices, he automatically selects the second choice. Tyler tends to tune in on the second half of sentences or questions.
Tyler’s communication skills are really blossoming now after fourteen years of developing very slowly. This experience is teaching us to provide lots of enriching experiences so our friends with autism have something to talk about, then to take time to converse with them casually on a regular basis. We welcome your input – challenges you have encountered as well as creative solutions to communication issues. Just click on the comment button or send an e-mail to talk@FAQautism.com.
NOTE TO READERS AND LISTENERS: I am Cathy Knoll, a board certified music therapist and long-time friend of many folks with autism. At FAQautism.com we are committed to providing free, practical, everyday tips for making life better for people with autism. Feel free to send me an email with your thoughts or challenging situations or innovative solution. Send email to talk@FAQautism.com And don’t forget to check out our website for a wealth of ideas and a glimpse into the world of autism. http://FAQautism.com
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