How is autism actually treated? You hear people saying the diagnosis changed their kids life or it’s important to be diagnosed early, but how?
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Early intervention usually uses games.
When my son was 30 months old he was still not talking or making eye contact. He didn’t notice people’s facial expressions or pay attention to how their mouths moved when they formed words. He was paying attention to the world around him but not to the things that most young kids do.
We played a game with him where we put a cup on our head and said ah… ah… ah… Choo! And he loved the buildup and laughed every time we said Choo! . But we would keep saying ah until he looked at our eyes. Then we’d immediately yell Choo in our biggest silliest most expressive way.
That game was the first one that taught him to make eye contact naturally. He still doesn’t love eye contact, like a lot of people on the spectrum. But that game helped.
There are other games designed for similar goals. A common goal for late talking kids is developing the muscles in the face and mouth.
Blowing on a pinwheel is a good exercise for that. Some kids might not like pinwheels. Take a small piece of paper and use a straw to blow it towards the kiddo. React positively. Give them a straw and let them try. Reward them for any success. It seems silly but it can really help.
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