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Here you'll find advice from parents and teachers on special needs education.

Original poster

Tutoring non-verbal child...

28 replies

everychildmatters · 04/02/2025 23:09

I'm an experienced EOTAS tutor but totally lost!
Child I have been asked to tutor from home is 4.5 years but significantly below age-related expectations. Child is non-verbal and unable to follow all but very simple instructions (and even then not all of the time). She has accessed no educational setting.
I've formed a really good bond and child now very comfortable to play alongside me, but I simply don't know how I can "teach" her. She doesn't yet use language for communication at all, including sign.
An absolutely wonderful child, but I really feel I am letting her down.

OP posts:
Original poster
everychildmatters · 05/02/2025 00:55

I took her a threading block activity (large blocks so easy to manipulate) and modelled how to thread, but all she wanted to do was to stack them in towers. She stacks a lot, probably stacking every item that is physically stackable!
The more I write the more I see signs of autism and she's just not able to let me in, or have any interest in doing so.

OP posts:
Original poster
everychildmatters · 05/02/2025 00:44

@24Dogcuddler Thank you so, so much 💓
I've tried a number of these but she appears unable/unwilling to engage at all? It's almost as if she is "in her own world" and shows no interest in joint play whatsoever? I've tried lift-the-flap books as a way in, for example, but she is not at all interested. I've taken her blocks but again she isn't interested in copying me if I make one - she simply wants to stack her own. Dough - again she loves to touch (and often attempt to eat it) but only on her own. She will often turn her back on me and take herself off. It's almost as if I'm not there?
She really is such a lovely little girl but I just feel nothing is working. I strongly suspect she is autistic?
I feel like crap and a complete failure, I'm not helping her one bit 😞

OP posts:
24Dogcuddler · 05/02/2025 00:23

So much you can do. Great that you have a bond.

  • Use symbols for both showing what will happen and for choice making.
  • Use First and Then boards ( directed task/ play based then choice activity
  • Use a range of books including tactile, lift up. the flap, noisy books etc. Use repetitive and rhyming texts
  • High interest activities e.g. blowing up and releasing a balloon, blow bubbles. Encourage requesting using PECS symbols or a choice board.
  • Make a song sack containing items to represent songs eg wand for Twinkle Twinkle, Teddy for Round and Round the garden. Use anticipation rhymes to pause and see if she will insert a sound or look at you
  • Look at Intensive Interaction and Attention Autism ( not just for ASD children)
  • Lots of Multi sensory learning and activities
  • Movement and outdoor learning e.g.shape hunt, colour hunt, sorting and matching.
  • Have some trays with sand, cornflour and water etc for mark making/ fine manipulative
  • Home made dough rolling cutting snipping with scissors
  • Building towers, copying yours, turn taking, repeating or copying patterns with coloured bricks or large beads.
  • Put together boxes or plastic wallets with items for concepts you are working on e.g. 1 to 1 correspondence, matching, sorting etc
  • Lots of play based activities, parallel play basic small world play make animal and car noises etc
  • Use EYFS curriculum as your guide for next steps
  • Use photos to create personalised books with favourite people/ toys to name
  • Use photos to record progress in a learning log/ journey
  • If there are Sensory needs look at The Out of Synch Child Has Fun
Good luck. Just a few ideas for you to try.