6 Effective and Specific Ways to Teach Communication to Children with ADHD and ASD

In the last post, we looked at what causes communication difficulties in children with ADHD and ASD, and what aspects are similar and what aspects are different.

Previous Post: What are the differences in communication styles between ADHD and ASD children? – Everbloom Path - Parent Coaching

Because the different difficulties and characteristics of children with ADHD and ASD must be reflected, it is important to approach communication interventions differently.

Children with ADHD need support centered around attention and impulse control issues, while children with ASD need support focused on recognizing social cues and understanding the structure of conversation.

So today, I'm going to look at each approach in more detail.

How to Teach Your ADHD Child to Communicate

1. Improved concentration
Because children with ADHD are easily distracted, it is important to use methods to help them stay focused during communication.

1) Keep directions short and clear : Children with ADHD may have difficulty following long explanations or complex conversations. Use short, concise sentences in conversations and help them focus on one question or topic at a time.

2) Visual support tools : Using books, pictures, cards, etc. that can visually show the content needed for the conversation will help the child maintain the flow of the conversation. You can choose a book on the topic you want to talk about and look at the pictures in the book one by one to make sure the child does not stray from the topic.

3) Minimize distractions : When having a conversation, it is important to adjust your surroundings to reduce distractions. When you are sitting at your desk and having a conversation, try to keep your surroundings as clean as possible and avoid distractions such as noise or device screens.

 

2. Impulse control training
Children with ADHD have difficulty controlling the impulse to interrupt others in conversation or to state their own opinion immediately.

1) Set conversation rules : When you start a conversation, write down conversation rules in advance and take the time to practice them. Set specific conversation rules, such as “listen to the other person until they’re finished speaking,” and give a reward, such as a praise sticker, when they successfully follow the rules.

2) If-Then Plan: If-then plan is a method to help ADHD children control their impulses and behave better. It is a method to predict situations in which children will react impulsively and also decide on a response in advance ( related paper link). It is to set a specific rule such as "When I want to say something, I count to 10 seconds in my head and then say it." According to the paper, if-then plan is very effective in inhibiting responses and controlling impulsivity in school or social situations.

 

3. Positive reinforcement
You can reinforce positive behavior by immediately praising and rewarding your ADHD child when he or she behaves appropriately in a conversation.

1) Immediate feedback : Children with ADHD need repeated experiences that allow them to know whether their behavior is appropriate through immediate feedback. When they listen to the other person in a conversation or do not react impulsively, praise them immediately and continue to reward them.

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How to Teach Communication to Children with ASD

1. Training to read social cues
Children with ASD have difficulty interpreting and responding appropriately to nonverbal cues (facial expressions, gestures, eye contact, etc.).

1) Connecting facial expressions to emotions : You can teach emotional states using picture cards or photos so that your child with ASD can practice connecting facial expressions to emotions. For example, explain that a smiling face represents happiness, and a frowning face represents sadness, and practice applying this in real life situations repeatedly.

 

2) Role-playing : Role-playing can help children practice reading nonverbal signals and responding to them in conversations in various situations. It would be good to do this kind of role-playing as a game. If you have a favorite animation or storybook, you can reenact a specific situation with your parents or therapist, and experience and learn which signals indicate the other person’s emotions during conversation.

 

2. Teaching conversation sequences or techniques
Children with ASD may have difficulty understanding the structural framework of conversation, so it is important to be clear about the order and structure of conversation.

1) Explain turn order : Explain specifically that there is a turn order in conversation. For example, show them visually with a Post-it note or your finger that “there is a time for you to speak and a time for me to speak,” or use turn cards to help them take turns in the conversation.

2) Teach conversation skills :

• Commenting : You can practice "commenting" and "reacting" to what the other person says. If the other person tells you about a place they went to, practice listening to them and telling them about that place.
• Asking Questions : Practice asking questions other than the ones the other person has asked. Like “Commenting” above, practice thinking about what the other person has said and asking questions about that.
• Staying on topic : It is an important conversation skill to listen to the interests of others as well as focus on the topic you want to talk about. Create situations where children can talk about a variety of topics, such as one topic they want to talk about and one topic that others are talking about.
• Starting conversations : Some children are good at participating in conversations, but have difficulty starting conversations on their own. Think about what conversation starters you can use, and help your child learn how to start conversations appropriately.

 

3. Modeling

1) Model by showing or videoing family conversations: If you specifically taught them the order of conversation or conversation skills in step 2, model by showing them the parts they need to practice. Decide on the specific parts you want to practice and give them the opportunity to use them when talking with their family.

2) Actively use social situation stories: Read social situation stories repeatedly and tell your child what to say or do. If you create social situation stories about areas where your child is lacking, such as commenting, asking politely, or asking questions, your child will be able to remember those areas well and participate in the conversation.

<Go to download the social situation story for free>> link >

 

Today we looked at different ways to teach communication to children with ADHD and ASD.

For children with ADHD, it seems important to focus on attention concentration and impulse control , and to use short, clear conversations and visual support tools. For children with ASD, it seems important to teach them how to interpret nonverbal signals and understand conversational structures , and to practice conversation through role-playing and visual materials.

I think it would be much more effective if you could help your child communicate with you in a more personalized way :) Then I'll look for more helpful information next time!