Abstract
Intervention for Preschoolers with Communication Delays: Practical Strategies was created out of concern for the increasing number of children identified with developmental language disorders, including those with autism spectrum disorder, and the lack of adequate resources for them. This manual addresses communication skills for preschoolers between the ages of 3 and 6 years with communication delays. Since language and overall communication skills are so closely associated with future school success, therapists and caregivers should be equipped to build these skills in children. This manual has been designed with a view to the difficulties faced by therapists and caregivers of children with communication delays during day-to-day interactions. The activities can be used in a wide variety of settings. They can be used in the therapy rooms of speech-language pathologists (SLPs), preschool classrooms, daycare settings, and children's homes. The activities are especially ideal for SLPs who conduct home visits to provide intervention in children's natural, daily settings.
This manual is intended to guide the therapist or caregiver in selecting the target skills that a child should be trained in. The lesson plans outline the activities that need to be undertaken to elicit specific responses from children and establish a range of developmental skills. The simple lesson plans are intended to get the therapist or caregiver started on the process of stimulating the children in each of the domains that they need help in, at their current level of functioning. Language development has two major aspects: receptive skills, or the understanding of language, and expressive skills, or the speaking of the language. In children with communication delays, both of these aspects need to be looked at, since a child who cannot understand language will not learn to speak it. In the case of a child with a developmental language disorder, one of the aspects maybe selectively impaired. In this manual are activities and ideas that are aimed at making the learning and use of language fun and fruitful.
Also included are "Tech Tips" with recommended YouTube videos, websites, Pinterest sites, and other online resources. These online resources provide the therapist or caregiver with excellent ideas for products and practical intervention strategies that can be used for a variety of purposes when serving young children with special needs.