Autism Parenting Magazine Issue 44(Member's Dashboard) | Page 27

COMMUNICATION Then I stood back and watched the girls invite Jacob over. They treated him like a prince and helped out as needed. As the girls pampered Jacob, they took turns asking and getting what he wanted for his ice cream creation. As I drove home confident that Jacob would soon start to speak more in class, I thought of YOU. Walking into the classroom, I held my breath. The toys and activities that Kristina was cleaning up were the evidence from our extraordinary team’s efforts. Kristina ran over for a hug and she read my out of control mind. (Read at a frantic speed…) “We did well today! We took that painful look of worry out of Michael’s eyes. Helping your child achieve this victory requires your whole team to help out, problem solve “outside the box”, and to work together. Did you see how excited he was to include Jenna in their special playtime with Daddy? Oh my goodness, Jacob’s classmates are amazing friends for him! I’ll keep encouraging them to include Jacob and their quieter friends to join in their play. Anytime you want. Come back and lead circle time or just hang out and play with us!”  Before your next team meeting, agree on one big victory for your child. Remember, you are advocating for your child. You CAN persuade your team to care enough to believe in your child’s success. Success with that victory means your worrying will change to gratitude. Keri Vandongen is a speech therapist (SLP) who loves making speech fun with young kids and connecting with their families. She enjoys listening to, collaborating with and supporting parents who are practicing speech, so it can be fun and easier to carryover speech progress. Visit Keri at http://myspeechparty. com/fun-blog for inspiring ideas and helpful ways to carryover speech. Connect with Keri on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/myspeechparty/ and on Twitter at https://twitter.com/MySpeechParty.