1. Reinforcers Drive the Message Home
If you've been seeing a behavioral therapist to learn more effective ways of communicating with your Asperger's syndrome-affected child, you're probably already familiar with the concept of a reinforcer. This technique integrates a new concept or behavior into the child's routine through constant repetition, using an individualized means of illustrating the message.
When a reward is used as a reinforcer, particularly a reward that the child has a particular attachment to, excellent improvements in communication are often the result. If you've been trying to instill a particular behavior in your child but are meeting with little success, try taking away an activity the child deeply enjoys and using it as a reward to reinforce the desired behavior. This technique often succeeds where others fail in communicating your expectations to the child.
2. Draw Them a Picture
Visual aids work very well with Asperger's syndrome patients. Since Asperger's children think and learn visually, pictures are an ideal educational tool and means of communication. They help strengthen the child's attention span, make concepts more easily understood and give the child something tangible to refer back to in the future.
Be creative in your use of visual aids. The possibilities go far beyond pictures, and include things like color coding, signs, cue cards, hand gestures, lists, charts and graphs. If words are failing to communicate your expectations or desires, try using some of these techniques as a supplementary aid.
3. Use Phrases that Improve Communication
Short, simple phrases are an effective communication technique to use with Asperger's patients. In a relatively short period, you can attach a clear, specific connotation to a particular phrase, and then use that phrase to correct the patient's behavior and get the child to cooperate. Children with Asperger's syndrome frequently meander off topic when telling a story or include irrelevant details. You can interject with a simple phrase like "stay on topic" or "stick to one thing" to guide the child back.
Other phrases that work well on Asperger's patients include "good choice," and "bad choice" or "drop it" for times when the child insists on repeating a problematic word, phrase or behavior. Simple phrases can be used to communicate your expectations on everything from waiting in line and maintaining eye contact while talking to interrupting and misbehaving in public.
