O’Neill, T., Mandak, K., Kjelgaard, M., Wilkinson, K. (2017, November). Family leisure as a context to support communication for children with ASD: Case study. Poster presentation at the Annual Conference of the American Speech-Language Hearing Association (ASHA), Los Angeles, CA.
O’Neill et al (2017) Poster (pdf)
Abstract:
A primary role for SLPs serving children with ASD is to support families in integrating communication into highly valued family activities. Family leisure activities can provide a naturally supportive context for communication, as they provide multiple opportunities for children to interact with natural communication partners. This poster presents a case study of a family that includes a child with ASD and highlights family leisure as a context to support communication.
Advice to Families:“Don’t be afraid. Don’t sit in your house. Don’t think your child can only stay on their routine. Expose your family to as many different kinds of activities as you can. Just don’t be afraid of the consequence in public.”
Advice to Professionals: “Don’t go down the path of being so focused in on goals and objectives and outcomes. Facilitate the exploration of different ideas and activities.”
