My son has autism and his speech is very limited. He is undergoing speech and language therapy at school and home. How can we as a family help to promote his speech?

Here are some things you can do as a family.

Eat together and let everyone at the table speak without interrupting them. Speak in clear, short sentences. Your son will learn from you. Don’t force him to repeat words until he gets it right or correct his speech.

Instead say the correct words for him to hear but don’t expect him to repeat the words correctly right away. Try and ask your son open-ended questions and not questions that need ‘yes’ and ‘no’ as answers.

While doing activities with your son, give him a simple commentary of what you are doing, like “We are colouring a train”. Give him time to respond and above all, don’t give up. Be patient and consistent.

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