But, on the other hand, specific things leave you worried
You've also often heard that 'boys' speak later than girls
However, you recall what your own mother told you that you were late
in talking
Your child wouldn't respond or even turn when their name is called.
You used to think they didn't even know their name, but you've had
a hearing test done, which has confirmed their hearing is normal.
Your child can count to 20, name most shapes, recognise colours and
even recite the letters of the alphabet, but wouldn't call you "mama"
But, what you cannot rationalise is the fact that;
Your child is easily distracted, and hardly looks at peoples' faces
Your child seems to be "addicted" to your phone, the tablet or particular
TV programs
Your child has "explosive" tantrums, and sometimes will resort to
"self-hitting"
You see how advanced your child is in some aspects
Besides, when you turn on their favourite cartoon, they come running.
Your child prefers to play by themselves
Your child has younger siblings (or children younger than them), who
are starting to develop more advanced skills compared to them
You seem to oscillate between conflicting positions with regards to
your child's language issues…
On one hand;
Most people around you have told you that your child will eventually talk,
and that you shouldn't worry...
BUT, in as much as you would like to ‘think positive’ and ignore all the
signs that all sadly point to something not being quite right, you know you
now have to be open to the possibility that all may not be going well…
Is it possible that your child
may be displaying signs of Autism?
You have “googled” incessantly on the topic,
and the more you read, the more it sounds
like your child could be on the spectrum
The panic sets in each time you read about
a characteristic that you see in your child
You feel utterly hopeless; you don't know
how to help your child
You wish someone could reassure you that
everything will work out for your child
Your child can learn to call you "mama" or "baba" and eventually
be able to hold a conversation
Your child can learn to play appropriately with others
Your child can stop throwing tantrums and self-injuring themselves,
and the key to this is them learning how to communicate
WHAT IF I told you, I have seen many children, with symptoms similar to
what your child may be displaying, learn to socialise and communicate
And if you're asking "how can I be sure
when I haven't seen your child?"
I'll also say, "In my 15+ years of experience, there are very few
new situations or traits, which I haven't encountered!"
MOST of the so-called Autism Traits I most commonly see in children are
a reflection of the home environment in which these children live in, and
therefore, if you can tweak aspects of the environment, you can most definitely improve your child’s outcomes!
Have not had the opportunity to be taught different skills from what
they display
What I have noticed in a majority of children, who have presented to our
Clinic with language delays or concerns about Autism is that they…
May present with behavioural issues that compound their speech and/or
language issues
Are too difficult to "engage" that what ends up happening is that
everyone gives up when they start to throw "tantrums" and "gives in"
to
their demands... more screen time, 'don't play with me' demands, 'don't
ask me to tidy up/pick up something', etc.
Receive very little "engagement" compared to the other children around
them because again, they are "too difficult" to engage or they demand
very little attention/interaction
Have most of their needs met for them, and sometimes pre-empted for
them, so that they do not even need to communicate, because someone
already understands
and encourages the 'inappropriate'
ways in which
they make requests eg. screaming, gesturing,
snatching, hitting, etc.
And, most often, these children never have anyone showing them how to
'play'. Yes, they may have access to toys, but they play by themselves and
often times, they play very rigidly with the toys they have
And, when
parents ask me
whether their
child has Autism,
this is what I
usually say to
them…
I am not in a position to diagnose your
child after seeing them in just 1 session, and
besides, a speech therapist alone cannot offer an
official diagnosis of Autism
Second,
I am not in a position to diagnose your
child after seeing them in just 1 session, and besides, a speech therapist alone cannot offer an
official diagnosis of Autism
First,
It would be the same as saying there was
something wrong with the feet of the child, who
isn't crawling, but who is also not being given a chance to, because they are always being carried
Or judging a fish by their ability to climb a tree…
You get the drill!
To gain quick skills that will enable you to start giving your child the
"ideal" from home
I created this Watch n’ Learn:
Autism Traits Series in order for you;
To improve the quality of the interactions you have with your child so
that they can facilitate their language development
To ensure you're always building your child's social and language skills
even if they don't seem interested
To learn what things you should focus on and what things just won't
improve their communication skills
Ever seen a child who will count to 50 or 100, but won't say,
"give" or can recite the alphabet, but won't repeat single words
or sounds after you...
To see, from my demonstrations, how to use play sessions as language-
building opportunities
What Autism is
Environmental factors that can
contribute to ‘Autism traits’
What you can do to start improving
your child’s social skills
Demonstration videos on how to
improve your child’s play skills grown your child’s language through play
What you will learn from these video series:
When you purchase the series, you will get:
Watch n’ Learn: Autism Traits
Video Demos Explanation Notes
Your child is aged between 22 months and 3 years and is not yet
engaging anyone in conversation, yet may display advanced skills
in eg., counting, the alphabet and other basic concept knowledge
Who are these video series for?
Does this describe your situation;
Your child does not consistently respond to his/her name although
when alerted to a high interest item, will respond immediately
Your child appears to prefer independent play, and often doesn’t
co-operate when engaged in play
Your child pulls you by hand when wanting their needs met, but
rarely points
Your child is difficult to give instructions to
You hate to admit it, but you are concerned that your child may be
showing signs of Autism
You wish you could be given pointers on how to go about improving
your child’s communication skills, from home
How do I access the video series?
No one can promise a ‘cure’ for Autism, besides, it is possible that your
child does not even have Autism, but rather, is just displaying traits
associated with Autism. Whichever the case though, these video series will
provide you with more information about the traits associated with Autism,
and ways in which you can build your child’s social and language skills,
which will significantly reduce on the “traits”.
Will this ‘cure’ my child’s Autism?
After you purchase the video series, you'll get an email from us with
instructions for logging into your course.
How do I access the video series?
Great question! No general course could ever replace an individualised
speech therapy program. That said, these videos are meant to give you
immediately implementable tips should they realise or suspect that your
child may be displaying traits associated with Autism.
Do these videos replace face-to-face speech therapy?
These series can help you support your child’s speech, by acting as a stopgap measure until you are in a position to seek evaluation from a speech
therapist. In best case scenarios, these series can help set your child on a
trajectory of typical language development. The tips I share here can also
be used in conjunction with your child’s speech therapy plan.