Ronald and Communication 

When we started working with Ronald he expressed what he wanted by leading adults by the hand or taking items himself. While this worked well for him when he knew where things are, or adults knew what he wanted, it could be very frustrating when this wasn’t the case. We introduced Ronald to the concept of using symbols to tell adults what he wants. Initially Ronald was apprehensive of changing up his current way to get things. But once he understood the system he took to it incredibly well. Ronald now communicates with different adults confidently. He will ask for his favourite toys, rocket balloons, lots of hugs and squeezes and is always up for asking adults to sing nursery rhymes for him.

Building Ronald’s confidence

Ronald also found it very difficult to engage with new activities or toys as he was very apprehensive of textures or toys he wasn’t familiar with. We began introducing different textures or toys allowing Ronald to become confident with them and experiencing engaging with new toys and textures as a low pressure activity that allows him to explore whether he likes or dislikes objects. Initially it took Ronald multiple sessions to not physically back away from new objects. After experiencing several pleasant interactions with new objects and textures Ronald is becoming more adventurous. He has become more open to touching new objects and if he really isn’t sure a tube will usually give him the confidence and physical separation needed to engage with new objects.