Intervention Manual for Prerequisite Learning Skills

This manual provides multidisciplinary intervention to children between birth and 6 years of age who are identified with developmental language disorders, including those with autism spectrum disorder.

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"Intervention Manual for Prerequisite Learning Skills: 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 provides multidisciplinary intervention to children between birth and 6 years of age. It is now well established that there are certain prerequisite skills that facilitate learning in general and development of language and communication skills in particular; the activities described in this manual help to build these prerequisite skills. 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 child in each of the domains that he or she needs help in, at their current level of functioning. While the early lessons target the establishment of prerequisite skills such as eye gaze, eye contact, attention, joint attention and sitting tolerance, the later ones target the sustenance of these skills for longer durations and with an increasing number of people in different settings. Later lesson plans target the ability to maintain these skills in larger groups in a classroom setting. Since the skills are to be developed across the 0-6 year age range it is important to note what is appropriate for the child's age.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.