Working with Therapist on Eye Contact and Speech

Video Summary

The following clip shows a behavioral therapist encouraging Leighdionne, a young girl with ASD, to make eye contact and imitate. The therapist employs multiple methods including voice, touch and the use of food to direct Leighdionne's attention to her face, praising her immediately when she makes even brief eye contact. Like many children with autism, Leighdionne appears highly distressed by this exercise and avoids the eye contact of her therapist, prefering instead to turn and squint at objects in her peripheral vision.

Keywords

• Nonverbal Behaviors Used in Social Interaction
• lack of eye contact
• Nonverbal Communicative Skills
• lack of pointing
• Play
• appropriate play
• lack of imitative social play
• Restricted
• unusual sensory interests
• Therapies
• imitation
• therapy strategies