In this paper from the Administration for Children & Families and the National Institute of Child Health & Human Development, some of the top researchers in the country offer helpful tips and concepts to help you work with young children with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD). The tips are based on concepts of learning and development that can be worked into everyday routines. Each tip describes a concept, why the concept is important, and a step-by-step description of how to work these simple concepts into everyday routines. The concepts include:
• Engaging Children in Play
• Using Children’s Interests in Activities
• Promoting Child Participation with a Shared Agenda
• Using Visual Cues to Make Choices
• Playing Together with Objects: Practicing Joint Attention
• Learning Words During Joint Attention
• Book Sharing
• Uncovering Learning Potential
• Peer-Mediated Support: Teaching Children to Play with Each Other
• Predictable Spaces
• Predictable Routines
• Distracting and Redirecting Children to Engage in Appropriate Behavior
Although these tips were developed to help children with ASD, they can help all children grow and learn. We hope these concepts are useful in supporting all the children in your care.