Playtime helps all children develop communication, social, cognitive, and motor skills. For children with autism, difficulties with language, social skills, and motor skills may be present. In addition, pretend play skills can be delayed. Here are some tips on how to encourage play for children with autism. Follow your child’s lead: You will likely find play is successful when you engage in activities your child already enjoys. Include a variety of toys that can facilitate a

Have you ever nodded and agreed with your child even though you had no idea what they said? You are not alone; at 24 months, a child is only expected to be about 50% intelligible. As children become more aware of sounds, and their oral- motor skills develop, typical patterns such as shortening words begin to resolve. By 5 years old, children are close to 100% intelligible, with later-developing sounds such as “r” and “th” acquired by 7 years old. Given the range of typical sp