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Reading a story to your child can be challenging for both you and the child. Your child might be easily distracted, not appear to be involved in the story, and seem bored. You may feel like you are at a loss and do not know what to do to make this an enjoyable and educational experience. In traditional storybook reading, adults read to children and the children listen. Dialogic Reading is a technique designed to help involve the child in reading as well as improve their receptive and expressive language skills. Research indicates that preschoolers begin to use bigger words and expand the amount of exchanges they have with a communicative partner when this technique is used. Two parts are used in Dialogic Reading, PEER and CROWD. PEER involves the following actions:

Prompt or ask a question about a story

Evaluate or listen to what the child has to say

Enhance the child’s response by gently correcting them

Repeat the correct answer

The second technique, CROWD, is used to help during the prompt part of the PEER procedure. This includes:

Complete- ask the child to complete a phrase

Recall-ask the child to recall what is happening in the picture

Open-ended- ask the child what is going on in the picture

Wh prompts- ask wh questions about the picture

Distance- have the child talk about how the events in the story are similar or different that those in their lives.

Read the story several times. As the child becomes more familiar with the book, do less reading and have the child tell the story. You can help them by pointing to pictures and asking them questions. Dialogic Reading is a technique that I have been using in the classroom for a few years now. You will notice, as I did, that reading can be enjoyable for both you and the child. Most children love to participate. It makes them feel like they are involved in the story.  I have also noticed that after a book is read a few times, children begin to learn new vocabulary from the book and they use the words in everyday life. Enjoy!

Last week, my boyfriend approached me with what he said would be the perfect topic for a post on laurenwelle.com. He had read an article about autism in his favorite magazine, CPU, or Computer Power User. I know what you are thinking. Why in the world is there an article about autism in CPU? I opened the magazine and found an article titled “ZAC Gives Autistic Children Web Goodies”. It was finally starting to make sense. I quickly went online and read about this wonderful resource.

www.zacbrowser.com posts links that connect people to information regarding autism including research, facts and therapeutic approaches. Also provided is a forum for readers to share stories, real life experiences, offer advice, and discuss struggles and triumphs surrounding autism.

My favorite part of the site is the link to http://kidzcd.com, a web browser for kids. Children with autism and other related disorders can search the web in a safe and successful environment. Just download CD 1 for children ages 0-6 or CD 2 for children ages 7-12. The browser provides free web radio and TV, games, word processor and photo editor.

Be sure to check it out!

Therapeutic horseback riding has been proven to be extremely beneficial for children with special needs. Children have an opportunity to improve their physical capabilities, cognition, social skills and emotional well-being. Participants even experience increased confidence and develop a better self-concept.

Horseback riding requires flexibility, balance and posture. The horses movement causes the rider to use their core muscles which often improves strength throughout the body and their upright position. Muscles that benefit from riding include the back, buttocks, ankles, knees and hips. This is beneficial for those who have low muscle-tone. Those with high muscle-tone work on relaxing their muscles and moving with the gait of the horse.

Horseback riding also provides a unique opportunity for children to communicate with the horse and those involved with instruction. The participant often forms a relationship with the horse. This is especially beneficial for those with emotional or social disabilities. The animal shows love, loyalty and trust in the rider. Children feel in control when riding a horse and it helps to empower them. They also learn how to care for a horse, giving them responsibility.

Riding requires attention, memory and reasoning skills. The child is asked to interpret sensory information that they receive from riding including the motion, smell, feel, sound and sight of the horse. They are also interpreting information from the surrounding environment and the instructor leading to intellectual stimulation.

If you are interested in more information, check out the web-page for The North American Riding for the Handicapped Association.

There is contact information for Therapeutic Horseback Riding in the area under Resources.

Children between the ages of 2 and 3 experience a tremendous growth spurt in their language skills. By the age of 2 most children can follow simple commands and their vocabulary expands. Many children also begin to echo what they hear and begin to combine words in simple phrases.

By the age of 3, the child’s vocabulary is typically between 900-1000 words and they begin to string words together in short sentences.Children at this stage of language development start to speak more clearly and they are usually able to use language to engage in a simple question and answer format.

Reading books, singing, playing word games and talking to your child will increase their vocabulary while providing increased opportunities for listening activities.

Remember to talk to your child about daily events. Before bed, ask your child what they did during the day. If the child is having difficulty, start the sentence out for them or give them clues describing the event. Read your child’s favorite book several times and encourage them to identify objects and actions in the book.

Below is a list of typical communication skills for children who are between the ages of 2 and 3.

Children who are 2 years old should be able to:

Use at least 2 prepositions ( on, under and in)

Produce intelligible speech 2/3 of the time

Produce short sentences and combine words

Have a vocabulary of about 150-300 words

Name common objects

Use two pronouns correctly (I, me, and you)

Responds to simple familiar commands such as “show me your mouth”

Children who are 3 years old should be able to:

Use some plurals and past tenses

Understand at least 3 prepositions (in, on and under)

Use pronouns correctly (I, you and me)

Point to body parts (head, nose, mouth, hair, eyes)

Use 900-1000 words

Produce intelligible speech 90% of the time

Produce 3 word sentences

Understand simple questions and commands that are familiar

Answer simple questions beginning with “what”

Say their name, age and sex

A common challenge that I see in my class is the student’s inability to read social cues. Most often, this causes them to have difficulty forming successful relationships with other peers in the classroom. Communication between peers is important at this age and lays the groundwork for future relationships.

Children with language processing disorders often have a hard time understanding what others are saying vebally or what they mean to say through body language or facial expressions. There are three elements of social interaction; social intake, internal process and social output.

Social Intake involves the child’s ability to read social cues. These children have difficulty reading facial expressions, misinterpreting the meaning of vocal pitch, and the understanding of personal space.

Children who are able to read social cues must also process the information and decide what action to take. Internal process includes the ability to monitor feelings. If the child misinterprets another’s words this may lead to an inaccurate solution.

After a child interpets the social cue, he/she must respond. This is a difficult task to do appropriately if the child does not understand the cue and does not process the information correctly. Social output involves the action that the child must make.

It is easy to get frustrated in these situation. There are activities to do at home to help your child interact appropriately with peers which in turn will build confidence.

Model appropriate behavior when you interact with others, especially your child. This can be done in natural situations, during check out at the grocery store or during contrived situations. Set up opportunities throughout the day.

Role play with you child. Set up situations where there is an opportunity to exchange information with them. Guide them along the way and explain proper responses to facial cues and expressions. “When a person is mad they frown”. Ask the child how they would respond.

Promote generalization. Once a child has learned how to take turns during a game at home, teach them how to wait in line at the store.

Reading social cues takes time. Remember to be patient and offer positive praise.