ESDM Online
Connect, Communicate, and Learn
Find out how to use tips from the ESDM for early social-communication skills important to life-long learning, behavior, and health with your child or with families whom you support in an early childhood learning environment.
Click the video icon (to the left) for the latest Quick Tip video.
Read monthly research about intervention outcomes for children with or at risk of autism; coaching supports for their families; and/or family-centered, culturally inclusive coaching tools to help early childhood professionals support families. Each monthly article is publicly available for free access.
* 15-25 h of intervention per-week;
* 1:1 to 1:4 adult-to-child ratio;
* Behavioral learning principles;
* Research-informed manualized
curriculum;
* Interventionists with formal training;
* Individualized intervention goals
developed in consultation with
families; and
* Learning progress monitored and
adapted accordingly.
Parents of autistic children describe the process of finding an appropriate program of support for their child as frustrating and stressful. Looking for these key similarities may be more impactful on child learning outcomes than the differences between approaches.
Click the article (to the right) to read more.
Guessing games for children can be a great source of entertainment while teaching them about grammar, vocabulary, paying attention to details, and so much more, without them even realizing. Even better is how flexible the games are, which means you can adjust how they are played to your learning objectives.
This month’s theme shares fun activities and tips for playing guessing games. Pay attention to what children like (or seem curious about) and follow their lead as long as you are a part of the action, too. Remember, the most important thing is for children to have fun doing this with you! Fun means engagement and that excites children's brains and bodies for meaningful learning to happen.
Guess that Animal!
The steps below are to guess and describe animals, but they can be used with other toys, materials, or topics that bring a smile to children’s faces.
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Lay the toy animals or animal pictures on a flat surface (the visual helps the child identify the animal from listening to your clues and to give clues on their turn).
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Take the first turn to demonstrate the game to the child and give clues about your chosen animal.
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Choose clues based on what you are supporting the child to learn. Options range from sounds the animals make, to their color, texture (scales, feather, fur, spikes), habitat (where it lives), diet (what it eats), class (amphibians, reptiles, mammals, birds, fish), number of limbs, or other distinguishable features.
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Once the child guesses the animal, it is your turn to guess and their turn to provide the clues.
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Pick up and make a pile out of correctly guessed animal toys or pictures.
Try these add-on ideas to the game when children are ready for more.
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Hide the animals from the person guessing so that only the person providing the clues sees the animal. When the person guesses correctly, the animal toy or picture can be uncovered and shown.
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Or hide the animals in the same or other room and give clues for which animal to find next.
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Draw an animal, create a paper flap to cover the animal, think of three clues with the child about the animal, and write these clues on the paper. You can then use these cards to play the guess who game with the child.
