Guide to Teaching

Non-verbal Children
Blueprint to Verbal Imitation

Structured Everyday Language

Tasks Requesting Facilitation
Learning to Learn Stage

Open Palm for Open Palm for

Requesting Requesting 1. No Questions
2. Less Demands &
Commands
Over 3 No
years
old?

Yes

Teach Sitting

Gross Motor Use Gestures for

Imitation Requesting 1. Observe, Wait,
Gesture Stage

Listen
2. Copying Your
Fine Motor Child
Imitation

Mouth Shape
Imitation
Verbal Imitation Stage

Vowel Imitation Use Sounds / 1. Describing

Words for
Requesting 2. Giving Feedback

3. Praising
Word
Approximations

Explanations
Simple Play next page

Sequences
 Process Explanation
There are 3 Stages to our training and 3 task pillars that you will have
to go through to make this work.

3 Pillars to Home Therapy

Structured Creating a structured table environment for your child to

Tasks FOCUS and learn with you for 10-15 minutes everyday.

You may have heard of “milieu training” – this is exactly

Everyday that. Whenever your child wants something, you will
Requesting instruct her to use the skills learned during the structured
time (helping her to generalize).

Your child doesn’t always want something. This is skills

Language that you will use to
Facilitation

3 Stages to Verbal Imitation

Learning to Learn Stage

Your child will master using the open palm gesture. Learning to receive from you
instead of pulling your hand, crying out loud or trying to do things himself. You
will also learn to better direct your child without using too many questions and
commands.

Gesture Stage

Imitating actions and gestures come before talking. This will teach the “content”
of a gesture and word, so that she doesn’t copy for copy sake, and use specific
gestures to request for specific things.

Verbal Imitation Stage

Transition from imitating mouth shapes to simple verbs, then sounds and lastly
words. Systematically increase the difficulty, make it easy for your child to
follow and understand the power of imitating words.

We’ll be sending more tips and strategies through email, remember to check them out!