How to Teach Children with ASD Functional Communication with a Focus on Requests.
Date: May 15, 2025
Didactics were prepared by: Marissa Crofts – Master of Speech Therapy, Certified Speech-Language Pathologist (CCC-SLP), pediatric speech therapist at Shriners Children’s Hospital in Portland (USA).
🔹 We successfully conducted an ECHO supervision session dedicated to the development of functional communication in children with autism spectrum disorders (ASD) 🔹
How to teach a child with autism to ask for help or express desires – even if he does not speak? How to take the first steps towards reducing problem behavior and increasing autonomy?
📌 During the session, we delved deeper into the key skill – the ability to ask, as a basic form of communication, which opens the way to self-expression and improving the quality of life of the child.
✔️ In a real case study from teacher Halyna Andriyashyn, we saw how step by step you can teach a child with ASD to communicate effectively through gestures, cards, words, or alternative technical means
✔️ Marissa Crofts, a certified speech therapist from Shriners Children’s Hospital (USA), shared tools to support children with minimal speech activity, including those with complex medical needs
✔️ We looked at motivation strategies, common learning mistakes, and ways to create a safe play environment at home
✔️ Special attention was paid to the development of alternative and augmentative communication (AAC) and the role of the family in daily support of the child
This supervision has become an important resource for professionals who seek to better understand the needs of children with autism and effectively support their path to communication independence. Thank you to all participants for your interest and inspiring professional dialogue!
Didactics (in English)
Didactics (in Ukrainian)
