Teaching pronouns whether you are trying to teach them at home or within speech therapy, can be tricky!
In this episode, I address the three common mistakes in teaching pronouns to children with autism or speech delays. I emphasize the importance of not introducing pronouns too early, as it can lead to confusion and pronoun reversals.
I also advise against starting with turn-taking pronouns like “my turn” and “your turn” for children who have minimal language skills. Instead, I recommend focusing on expressive pronouns through specific techniques that involve simple, direct language.
My strategies aim to ensure that children develop a solid vocabulary before pronouns are introduced.
You’ll Learn
One of the biggest mistakes is focusing on pronouns too early, especially with kids who are speech delayed and may not be following typical development.
According to the site therapy works, in typical development children tend to acquire pronouns such as “my,me,you,mine” at 27-30 months! So if we have children who are only speaking a few words, we likely aren’t ready to start with teaching pronouns.
As I just discussed, the first mistake many make when teaching pronouns to children with autism or speech delays is starting too early.
Pronouns are a higher-level verbal skill that should be introduced only after a child has a substantial vocabulary.
When pronouns are taught prematurely, it often leads to confusion and pronoun reversals, where a child might use “you” instead of “I” or vice versa.
It’s crucial to ensure that the child has mastered basic language skills and can spontaneously combine words before attempting to teach pronouns.
The second mistake is using turn-taking pronouns such as “my turn” and “your turn” with children who have minimal language skills.
While it might seem like a natural way to introduce pronouns, these concepts are too complex for children who are not yet speaking fluently.
Turn-taking involves not only understanding the pronouns but also the rules of the game, waiting, and attending, which can be overwhelming.
It’s more effective to focus on simpler language structures and ensure the child can use basic nouns and verbs before introducing the complexities of turn-taking pronouns.
The third mistake is starting with receptive pronouns instead of expressive pronouns. Some sites, like speech and language kids, actually recommend starting this way and I disagree.
Teaching a child to identify pronouns (receptive language) before they can use them (expressive language) can create more confusion.
For example, asking a child to touch “my head” and then expecting them to say “my head” when pointing to their own head can lead to errors and misunderstandings.
It’s better to begin with expressive pronouns, using techniques like “I do” and “you do” with objects and actions. This approach helps children understand the use of pronouns in a concrete, practical manner before moving on to receptive tasks.
Building pronouns for a child with autism and/or speech delays can be tricky but you can do it with my procedures for teaching pronouns while avoiding the common mistakes.
Following these steps, children can learn pronouns effectively without confusion or the risk of pronoun reversals.
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