“Help! My Grandchild has
Autism!”
“How can I help?”
Cherryl Warnica, BS(CD), MCD, CCC
Speech Language Pathologist, Reg CASLPO #2470
Welcome
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Who I am and Why this workshop
Introduce yourself and your connection
with a child with Autism.
What do you hope to get from today?
Agenda/Plan
Autism-explanation and overview
Real Life: what can you do
Please feel free to ask questions throughout
Autism Overview
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historical facts
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prevalence in society
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definition of ASD
Historical Views of Autism
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non-verbal,
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self-injurious,
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solitary,
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blaming parent for poor
attachment
New Views on Autism
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Genetic component
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hard-wired (they come this way)
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brains process information differently
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early intervention a key
Prevalence
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1:100 (higher ratio of boys than girls)
more probable to have multiple children
in family tree (cousins, uncles,
grandparents)
Clinical Diagnosis
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Red flags
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Play:
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Language:
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Social:
Definition of ASD
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Impairment in three areas
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sensory
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social/emotional (play)
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language
In a CBC article in May 2013
Neurological condition that affects the way the brain
functions
o Difficulties with communication and social
interaction
o Unusual patterns of behaviour, activities and
interests
o Similar behavioural, social and communication
characteristics may occur
o Can vary widely in the effect on day-to-day lives
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Play
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You were right: Play is a child’s work:
it’s also a precursor of language and
literacy
important for fine motor development as
well as social and fun
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different levels of play
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red flags in play
Language
Communication
gesture, words, interaction
coherence
Language-understanding and
expresssion
Sensory
 Vision
 Hearing
 Smell
 Taste
 Touch
 Movement
(vestibular)
 Body Awareness (proprioception)
Communication
Intention &
Reciprocity
Engagement
Regulation
(Calm & Alert Shared Attention)
(Milton and Ethel Harris Research Initiative)
Self Regulation-a calm and alert,
ready to learn state.
o
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The goal is to achieve self regulation.
someone might be over-responsive
(avoids movement, messy play, eye
contact, fussy about clothes) and
someone might be under-responsive (low
energy, doesn’t notice messy face, dirty
diaper OR “on the go”, difficult to calm)
The Over Responsive Child might:
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Avoid movement (swings, car rides, sliding)
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Avoid eye contact
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Avoid messy play, touching food, resist
textures in play or clothing
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Not like to be touched or hugged
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Be sensitive to noise or lights
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Not like grooming
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Be difficult to console or comfort
The Under-Responsive Child
with “low arousal” (think Eoyore) might:
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tire easily or be very lethargic
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move slowly
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not notice when twisted clothes or dirty
hands and face
The Under-Responsive Child
who is a “sensory seeker” (think Tigger) might
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have high activity level “on the go”
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touch everything
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smell & mouth objects
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be difficult to calm
Activities that might help Alert,
Calm and Organize
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Alerting:
swinging, spinning, bouncing
riding wheeled toys
cold water play/messy play
playing musical instruments
chase games
Calming Activities:
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slow rocking or linear swinging
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deep pressure
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warm baths
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quiet tight spaces
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chewing chewy foods
Organizing Activities
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pushing heavy things
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pulling heavy items
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lifting
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carrying (backpacks etc)
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jumping, bouncing, rolling, crawling
What can I do to help?
awareness of sensory overloads
child’s sensory system is different:
what bothers them does not bother
you and vice versa
regulation pyramid
Communication
Intention &
Reciprocity
Engagement
Regulation
(Calm & Alert Shared Attention)
What Can I do to Help
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Before Communication is
Engagement—
Hanen strategies such as Observe, wait,
listen. Include the child’s interests and
Imitate or copy the child’s actions,
sounds/words.
Engagement is a Foundation skill
o
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using Hanen strategies such as People
Games (chase, two people action songs,
airplane)
basically games without toys that are
repetitive, predictable and often can
include movement
The best predictors or
communication outcomes are
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the child’s ability to
tune into language
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respond to joint attention
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imitate
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gestures
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play skills
Intention & Reciprocity lead to
communication
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child indicates ‘more’
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shared experience
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model language “say it as he would if he
could”
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watch for cues
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offer choices
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give ‘bit by bit’
What can I do to help?
Building Language:
be specific with directions, short, clear
concise
give them time to process
show them what you want
read stories, look at books
expand on what they say
What can I do to help?
strengthening play:
Hanen strategies: different levels
intrude
add-on
Expand
What do I do to help?
Be aware of your comments:
just do it this way
screen time restrictions—latest
research
schedules already in place
use of visuals; gestures, timers,
st
1 /then
Examples of your children
What can I do help?
Information on feeding
bathing
grooming/dressing
routines
visuals
Final thoughts:
be supportive—listen, love
ask for information
throw out preconceptions
be willing to learn as parents learn
Be good to yourselves
Questions
Resources
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Hanen.org (More Than Words,
Talkability)
www.firstwords.fsu.edu (videoglossary)
Building Bridge through Sensory
Integration by Yack, Sutton & Acquilla