Published on 12, July, 2020
Looking for advice. My son is 6, non-verbal and has ASD. He has sensory sensitivities which make it hard for him to use his hands eg he can’t point, wave, etc. However, he will take someone else’s hand to point to things. Using this method we’ve discovered he knows a lot which has been amazing to discover. For example he can count, add, subtract, multiply and divide. He can also recognise words. We’ve also discovered his favourite colour is red and favourite superhero is Spider-Man. I was wondering if anyone could offer advice as to how best to support his continued learning. Would also be interested to know of any resources to help with literacy and numeracy in non-verbal children. Thanks in advance for any advice provided.
Keep persevering with hand and finger movements as these will develop and if he picks up sign language will then be able to communicate his needs. Mr Tumble may seem young but he is great at teaching signs. I do not know specific non-verbal literacy and numeracy but teach it the same as verbal at the autism provision I work at. Numberblocks tv programme is good and Starfall on the computer is a good website. I would keep going with him taking your finger to point to the answers to show understanding. Use objects to learn big and small, sorting on to 2 tables to show the difference visibly.
Let me know if this helps, give me feedback and I will see if I can help more.