Routines That Encourage Reciprocal Communication Part 2

• These are your everyday activities, like shoe time, mealtime, dressing, bathing, and cleaning up.
• Enhance these activities by adding pauses to allow your child to participate. These routines help your child to become an active participant.
• Shoe Routine: Have your child sit in the same place when putting on shoes. After his shoes are on, pause for him to raise his foot or go sit in the shoe spot.
• Mealtime Routine: After wiping your child’s mouth, pause for your child to say “mouth” or point to it.
• Dressing Routine: Have your child put clothes in the hamper or laundry basket. Pause when putting a shirt over their head or when getting a diaper, for them to say “diaper” or point to it.
• Bathing Routine: Teach your child body parts. When washing a body part, ask “Where’s your feet?” or pause and encourage them to name the body part.
• Bye-Bye Routine: When cleaning up toys, wave and say “bye-bye ball” for each toy, then pause and see if they imitate waving.

A key ingredient in these routines is the pause. By pausing during an activity, you allow your child to predict what comes next and take a turn. Don’t pause too soon, or your child may not be able to anticipate what is next.

How to Get Started

1. Pick a routine. Choose an activity you already do regularly with your child.
2. Make it predictable. Keep the steps consistent each time.
3. Add a pause. Decide where to pause in the routine to give your child a chance to participate.
4. See how your child responds. Look for eye contact, gestures, or vocalizations.

1. Pick a routine. Choose an activity you already do regularly with your child.
2. Make it predictable. Keep the steps consistent each time.
3. Add a pause. Decide where to pause in the routine to give your child a chance to participate.
4. See how your child responds. Look for eye contact, gestures, or vocalizations.

Remember that this is a starting point and there may be professionals that you will need to work with for more individualized treatment as your child grows. With some thought and preparation, you can transform everyday routines into meaningful learning experiences.