finding
the words
by Marge Blanc
When They're "In There" Somewhere!
Helping your child retrieve the language he knows!
Part 3
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ello, dear readers! And welcome to our continuing topic, language retrieval in our kids with ASD. Let's begin Part 3 with an important observation: as long as our kids are in the process of developing language, they all will be challenged "finding" their language when they want it!
In this column, we will look at how our kids struggle to find the words they want to say... and what you can do to help! Like little Colleen at the tea party we described in the first two columns, all children with ASD face the changing and challenging conditions of "real life" in ways most other kids don't have to worry about. Many situations create stress and "disregulation," and finding the words to communicate is the last thing kids can do!
As we think about strategies that might help our kids, let's first look at what adults do to mitigate their own word-finding "glitches." We all use "small talk" to buy a little extra time until a "lost" word pops out. A typical scenario to retrieve a person's name might sound something like this, "Wow, good to see you. You know, it's been a long time. Nice to see you...Ralph."
As clever as our strategies are, we don't always have time to use them! Think about the well-considered and kind language we usually use with a child...until his safety is at risk! Then what comes out of our mouth sounds more like, "Sit down!!" or "Stop that!" When stressed or put on the spot, we really don't sound too different from our children!
Yes, we're all in the same boat, at least sometimes! So, our best strategy when our child is in a "retrieval crisis" is to diffuse the situation. Increase the calm and maximize the squishes. Your child shouts, "No!!" or "Don't touch me!" and you know she can say, "I don't want to do that now." Remember that those words are still in her head, and please know that with time, your child will be able to access them more and more reliably! This is because you will give her appropriate practice using them under conditions that are a little less dire! Keep reading, and we will show you how.
Some of you might have a burning question at this point. You might be thinking, "But my child uses 'movie talk' all the time! It's almost too easy for him to 'find' it! Is this 'retrieval'?" This is an excellent question, and to answer it, please refer to the 2005 Digest series, Natural Language Acquisition, to understand how echolalia fits in. Yes, it's natural; and, yes, it's part of your child's language development process; but, no, if your child is in an early stage of acquiring language, he is probably saying these words by picturing the movie in his head, and trying to voice-over the sound track as he "hears" it. While this is a natural stage for our visual kids, it does not require language retrieval, as we're describing it here. It will be awhile before your child has developed some original language (that isn't part of a sound track!) that he can then try to retrieve!
Let's continue our detour for a moment longer, because, even if your child is generating original language, you will want to figure out which language is appropriate for practice! To prepare you to consult with a Speech-Language Pathologist to determine your child's "language level," please look over the language development sequence from the Digest series. It describes the six stages of language your child goes through.
So, when your child is ready, you will be ready to use the next strategy. You'll use it when you play with your child, at a time when you have a half-hour alone together, plenty of alerting and calming activities, and the potential for fun! You will surround your child with the right language, the language that's at his developmental level. If he is at the simple phrase stage, you'll use simple phrases that match his mood. You'll say things like, "Come on!" "It's here!" "Get it!" "Wow!" and "It's gone!" In this way, your child will hear and begin to produce an entire level of language, rather than just particular words or phrases. There is a big difference. If we ask kids to imitate words, say something scripted, or give specific answers, we have robbed them of the opportunity to develop and "generalize" language naturally, both at the same time! Yes, it happens simultaneously...even in our kids!
And I'll tell you how. First, you'll want to consult with a Speech-Language Pathologist to determine your child's language development level. Target language your child will like, and use sentence patterns from this level. Avoid over-using the same pattern, because if your child "over-learns" it, it will actually inhibit retrieval of the language he wants to say. But by modeling an entire level of language, with a variety of sentence patterns, vocabulary, and contexts, the magic of natural "generalizing" happens! Generalizing is built right into language development, if it's done right!
So, let's see how this strategy influences retrieval. The more times your child accesses language at her competence level, the more this language will be available when the chips are down...and the stress is up! The more things your child says at the appropriate level when she is supported, the more solid her language will be when she goes to use it later.
But, in spite of your best intentions, please realize that your child's best language will not be available to him very often! It takes a well-supported situation, linguistically, physically, and emotionally, for that newly-acquired language to get used communicatively. And, this is hard to pull off in daily life! More often, your child will be able to find the well-used words, common sentence beginnings like "I...," "It...," and "Hey...," but not the specific vocabulary to end the sentences.
How do you help? The next set of strategies provides your child with a "scaffold" for getting to his words. When the time is right, try out the least intrusive strategy: just waiting patiently for the end of your child's sentences. Make sure you don't display any anxiousness, so your child can give himself the mental freedom to trigger the word he wants by himself. The next strategy is to repeat back the words, you child said, and wait for the end of the sentence. Make sure you are relaxed and patient, and that your child remains calm. A little physical activity helps take your child's mind off his challenge. If you can keep him from trying too hard, his target word might just tumble out!
But, let's assume your child doesn't get his target words when you wait. The next strategy is to go ahead and provide the word you think he wants in a casual, conversational way. It's better not to draw attention to his difficulty , but use the word in your own way. If your child says, "Hey, let's go to..you know, let's go to...," you can say, "We could go to... (pause)... the park...or we could got to...(pause)...the store..." Keep it light and open-ended, which encourages your child to take another turn.
Well, dear reader, there is much more to scaffolding than we've covered here, but the rest begins to look more like "therapy." We'll save the end of this topic for our next issue, and promise a story to tie it together! Until then, you have lots of food for thought...and, hopefully, some strategies to help your child "find his words!"
Marge Blanc, M.A., CCC-SLP founded the Communication Development
Center, in Madison, WI 10 years ago. Specializing in
physically-supported speech and language services for children with ASD
diagnoses, the center has successfully helped scores of children as they moved
through the stages of language acquisition.
Contact Marge and her
associates at:
Communication Development Center
700 Rayovac Drive, Suite 200
Madison, WI 53711
lyonblanc@aol.com
May-June 2007 ~ Autism Asperger's Digest Magazine
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You will surround your child with the right language, the language that's at his developmental level. |