Learning to use communication supports for children with Autism
For children with autism, communicating effectively is often a big challenge.
For those children struggling to communicate or to understand others, an early education and care setting can feel very overwhelming. By providing appropriate communication supports, educators play a big role in supporting children to join in and to feel included in their centre.
SDN Beranga’s Roslyn Koroma has been a speech pathologist for more than 20 years and supports educators to include children with autism in early education and care settings. According to Roslyn, using the appropriate communication supports for children with ASD can develop opportunities for children to participate, interact, learn and play.
SDN Beranga’s workshop “Communication Supports for Children with an ASD” addresses the steps involved in communication and helps educators to understand the importance of using communication supports for children with ASD.
“As children begin to understand the reason for communication and how it works, they begin to understand how their communication can impact on others.” Roslyn said. “The more they understand, the more opportunities they have to interact with their peers.”
However, knowing how to provide these supports is not always straightforward. It may feel overwhelming to choose the support that best suits the child and the situation. “There are a variety of supports available to choose from. Using visual supports with children with autism is one of the most effective ways to help support children’s communication.”
Educators interested in learning more about communication supports for children with ASD are encouraged to attend SDN Beranga’s professional learning workshop. In the two hour workshop, educators learn a range of ways to support children with autism and how to choose the right support for each child and situation. Educators will be provided with practical tools and strategies that they can take back to their centre and implement right away.