Here's How to Do Early Intervention for Speech and Language

Here's How to Do Early Intervention for Speech and Language: Empowering Parents is an essential guide to early intervention for treatment of autism and related disorders. In clear, direct language, it helps early interventionists jump-start the communication process, strengthen parent confidence, and promote healthier parent-child relationships. It provides key strategies for collaborating with parents in stress, as well as how to foster effective relationships with allied professionals. With its far-reaching scope, this book provides foundational activities useful to non-SLPs working with caregivers, including infant education and mental health programs, applied behavioral analysis (ABA) agencies, and students working toward earning their BCBA licenses. This how-to resource provides specific techniques and guidelines designed to: Help therapists provide specific guidelines for parents new to early intervention Explore how parent-child interaction is impacted by a delay or disorder in communication skills Review the grieving process and how it relates to parents of children with developmental delays and disorders, including autism Review and blend developmental and behavioral theories as applicable to early intervention Discuss the application of evidenced based practices into everyday treatment Develop parental sense of competency by building effective interaction Provide specific strategies for parents and therapists to develop functional communication through direct and indirect play, gestures, modified signs, and sound imitation Review effective data tracking and methods of recording progress Help therapists work with families as they transition out of the early intervention system As a clinician with more than 35 years of experience, Karyn Lewis Searcy, M.A., is uniquely qualified to write on the subject of early intervention for children with autism and related disorders. She has co-authored several academic journal articles on collaboration and intervention techniques for infants and young children with autism and related disorders, is an instructor at California State University San Marcos, and nationally conducts trainings on the topics covered in Here's How to Do Early Intervention for Speech and Language: Empowering Parents. Included is a DVD containing video interviews with parents describing their journey through the early intervention process, and the author's description of specific therapy targets effective for children under the age of 24 months. A CD with reproducible worksheets for treatment and system tracking is also provided, as well as handouts to share with parents and allied staff.