What you can do at home starting today

This week you just watch and take notes. It helps you understand your child, and helps the specialist get to know them.

• What they love: toys, songs, foods, movements (jumping, spinning, being carried).
• How they ask for things: pulls your hand, cries, points, takes you to the fridge, says a word.
• What upsets them: noises, changes, hunger, sleepiness, certain places.

Children communicate more when we’re interested in what interests them.

• Get down to their level and face them, so they can see your face without effort.
• Remove distractions: TV off, few toys in sight.
• Offer 2 or 3 options and follow the one they choose, even if it’s “odd” (lining up cars, opening and closing a door).
• Imitate them: if they line up cars, line up others next to them. If they make a sound, repeat it.

A game that always goes the same way gives them security and leaves room for them to join in: bubbles, tickles, “ready… set… go!”, tossing them onto the bed, a song with movements.

• Always the same: same words, same order. They learn what comes next.
• Turns: you blow a bubble, they pop one; you sing, they clap.
• Pause before the best part (“ready… set…?”) and wait for them to show they want more: a look, a sound, a gesture.
• Once they’ve got it, add a small new step, showing it and saying it.

• Respond to every attempt, even if it isn’t clear: if they pull your hand toward the fridge, “you want juice? juice!”.
• Wait 5 to 10 seconds with a “what next?” look before helping. That silence gives them room to try.
• Keep it short: 1 or 2 words more than they use. If they don’t talk, single words: “water”, “more”, “up”.
• Narrate what they look at or do: “car… fast… boom!”.

• Create reasons to ask: their favorite things in sight but out of reach, or give them “just a little” so they ask for more.
• Model on the board: when you talk, tap the buttons yourself on the Mi Voz app or a printed board: “more”, “help”, “again”, “all done”. Without requiring them to tap. That’s how we all learned to talk: listening a lot before speaking.
• If they tap a button, even by accident, give them what they said. That’s how they discover it works.
• If they say a word or make a sound, repeat it and add one more: “water” → “more water”.

Do pictures make them less likely to talk? No. Research reviews show that communicating with pictures doesn’t hold back speech, and in some children it helps a little. The main goal is for them to be able to communicate right now.

• Picture schedule for the morning or bedtime: bath → pajamas → teeth → story → sleep. In the app it’s under Schedule, or print it from Materials.
• “First / Then”: “first shoes, then park”. What they don’t like first; what they like after.
• Give a heads-up before switching activities: “5 more minutes”, a timer or a countdown.
• Bedtime routine: same time, low light, no screens for an hour before, and the bed only for sleeping. Adjust with what the sleep diary showed you.

A meltdown isn’t a tantrum: it’s an overwhelmed brain. Watch the video “It’s not a tantrum, it’s a meltdown”.

• During the meltdown: calm, safety and few words. Move dangerous things away, lower the noise and wait. It’s not the time to teach or scold.
• Afterwards, look for the cause. Write down what happened before, what they did and what happened after. It’s almost always one of these: they wanted something, wanted to avoid something, were seeking a sensation, or something hurt.
• Check for pain: ears, teeth, stomach, constipation. If they can’t say it, it shows in their behavior.
• Teach them another way to say it: a “break”, “help” or “I don’t want to” button. When they use it, respect it.

• One skill, in tiny steps: washing hands (turn on, wet, soap, rub, rinse, dry). Help as little as possible and celebrate each step.
• Food without a fight: one new food, in a tiny piece, next to one they do eat. No forcing. More ideas in Food.
• Prepare for the appointment: gather your notes, the sleep diary, the meltdown log and the videos. Write down your 3 most important questions.
• Take care of yourself: sleep what you can, ask for specific help (“could you watch him for an hour on Saturday?”), and talk with other families in Guide families. It isn’t selfish: your child needs you well.