5 Simple, Practical & Fun ways to develop response to name call in children with ASD

It was time to take attendance for the Std 1 students. The teacher was calling out the names of the students. As she called out Miku's name, Miku was playing with his pencil, seemingly unaware of his turn to respond for the roll call. The teacher called out his name again loudly. Still, Miku kept playing with his pencil. Then, Miku's friend, Sai nudged him & asked him to respond to his name. As the teacher called out again, the third time, even louder, now, Miku responded with a "Yes Ma'am"!

Now it is the English class. The teacher was calling the names of the students to come to the front  & read a story. Each had to read out one paragraph. The teacher called out loudly "Miku, it's your turn to read." Miku was looking outside the window, again unaware of what the teacher is saying. The teacher called out his name repeatedly & loudly. Yet, Miku seemed to be lost in his thoughts until the teacher came to him, nudged him & asked him to come to the front & read out the story.......

In the above story, Miku had difficulty responding to his name call. He seemed to be unaware of what is going on in his environment, & how to respond appropriately. He couldn't process the information coming from his environment (the teacher calling out his name, he didn't observe how the other kids were responding when their names are called) & therefore couldn't respond appropriately in time.

Miku might be having sensory processing issues & has difficulty processing auditory inputs especially when he is in a group(with other kids) & in an environment where he has to filter out several other sounds like the sound of fan, the sound of other kids talking, the sound of vehicles coming from the window, etc.)

He was also distracted by several other things like what's happening outside the window & having a hard time focusing on what the teacher is saying.

Factors essential for Responding to one's name call 

😃Good Auditory processing skills,

😃Cognitive skills 

😃Socialization skills, &

😃Communication skills.

Now, let's see an example of how a child uses these skills in his daily life (especially to respond to his name ) & how these skills help a child to respond appropriately to the given situation.

Sai was in his room doing his favorite activity of colouring. His sister was studying beside him. The fan was on in that room. There were some guests in their house talking in the living room which was adjacent to Sai's room. The refrigerator was making a sound. Dad was talking loudly over the phone in the verandah. Just then, Mom called Sai from the kitchen, "Sai come here". Sai immediately responded with "Yes mama, I'm coming." He kept his colours & ran to the kitchen to his mom.

Sai used his auditory processing skills to distinguish the different sounds that are irrelevant and responds to his mother's voice. He could perceive from which direction his mother was calling him,

What command she was giving him using his cognitive skills. 

He could also perceive that since his mother is calling him for a task, how he should respond using his cognitive & socialization skills.

He could respond with a "yes mama, I'm coming" using his communication skills. 

Thus, he was able to appropriately respond to that situation using his cognitive skills, auditory processing skills, & communication skills.

The term auditory processing refers to how the brain perceives and interprets sound information. In other words, it refers to the brain's abilities to take in, filter relevant from irrelevant information & direct a response appropriate to the situational demand.

Good auditory processing skills are fundamental skills essential to responding to one's name call.

Apart from responding to one's name call, we use our auditory processing skills throughout the day for several other purposes. Since our brilliant mind is so good at processing information, our response is automatic to any given situation.

Find out the detailed description about auditory processing skills & how to develop them in 👇

https://abhipsaot.blogspot.com/2021/09/10-easy-fun-games-to-develop-auditory.html

Many times children with special needs like children with Autism, ASD, SPD, ADHD, etc have difficulty responding to their name call.

They are either very slow to respond, or inconsistent in responding appropriately to their name especially when in an environment with many other people or in an environment that is unfamiliar to them, or somewhere with too many distractions, etc.

If you are someone facing these difficulties with your child, then read on to find out the reasons & some easy proven practical techniques to develop a good response to name call. 😄😄

Reasons for difficulty in responding to one's name call can be:-

➤Difficulty processing the sensory information from their environment accurately

➤Delayed development

➤Cognitive issues

➤Lack of socialization skills

➤Inability to pay attention

Ways to develop a good response to name call:-

😊 Tap on the shoulder 

If your child is very inconsistent at responding to his name call, you can

use this method of associating a "tap on his shoulder", every time you call out his name. 

This method can be applied for non-verbal children or younger kids who haven't learned to respond with a "yes" whenever their name is called.

Steps:-

1. Call your child's name, when he is not looking at you. He should turn to look at you.

2. If he doesn't respond, call his name again & tap on his shoulder.

3. The response should be - "turning & looking at you" when you call his name & tap on his shoulder.

4. If he doesn't turn towards you, after tapping on his shoulder, call his name, tap on his shoulder, & gently turn his face towards you.

This method needs to be consistent & practiced several times a day. Gradually, your child will start responding to his name in about 5-6 days.

If still, he is inconsistent, then you can practice the same method for another week, or try out a different method.

Whereas, if your child starts responding to his name call without the tapping, gradually fade it away...

😊 Clap Clap, or, Stomp Stomp 

This is the method of associating "two or three claps or stomps", every time you call out his name. 

It is a more playful way to catch your child's attention while you are calling out his name. You can also use a whistle & blow it twice every time you call your child's name.

This method can be applied for non-verbal children or younger kids who haven't learned to respond with a "yes" whenever their name is called.

Steps:-

1. Call your child's name, when he is not looking at you. He should turn to look at you.

2. If he doesn't respond, call his name again & clap two times, or stomp your feet two times.

3. The response should be - "turning & looking at you" when you call his name & clap twice, or stomp twice.

4. If he doesn't turn towards you, after clapping or stomping twice, call his name, & blow a whistle two times. He will turn towards you.

This method needs to be consistent & practiced several times a day. Gradually, your child will start responding to his name in about 5-6 days.

If still, he is inconsistent, then you can practice the same method for another week, or try out a different method.

Whereas, if your child starts responding to his name call without the clapping/stomping/whistles, gradually fade away the cues...

😊 Hit with a soft ball or a gymball 

In this method, you can associate hitting him with a softball or small gym ball  every time you call out his name.  This method works very well with most kids. 

They really enjoy being hit by the gym ball & respond immediately by turning towards you after some practice.

Steps:-

Stand at a little distance from your child. Make sure he is standing while you are practicing this activity, not sitting.

1. Call your child's name, when he is not looking at you. He should turn to look at you.

Make sure that he is standing on the bed or on mats & there are cushions around him. There should be no hard objects nearby to ensure the child's safety in case he falls down when the gym ball hits him.

2. If he doesn't respond, call his name again & roll or throw the gym ball or softball at him so that it hits him. Hit with a force not too much to scare him, but with enough force that he becomes alert.

3. The response should be - "turning & looking at you" when you call his name & hit by a gym ball.

4. If he doesn't turn towards you, keep hitting him with the gym ball, or softball from different directions after calling out his name. He will turn towards you.

Each time he turns towards you, say "very good" & give a "high five" as a reinforcement for responding to his name call.

For children who have some speech, & can respond with a "yes", you can practice the above games, except for, he has to:-

RESPOND WITH A "YES" whenever his name is called, which can be associated with a

➧"Tap on the shoulder", or, 

➧"Claps/stomps", or, 

➧"Being hit by a ball". 

 SOME MORE GAMES IN A GROUP OR WITH FAMILY MEMBERS 

😊 Pass the ball 

You can play this game with 3-4 kids, or with family members. All the members stand at a little distance from one another. Make sure you start with two or three members. 

You can use the gym ball since it is larger in size & easier to pass rather than small balls.

Remember, only one of you can give the command to avoid confusing the child. Be consistent with that.

Steps:-

1. Call out "mama" & the ball is passed to you.

Then call out "papa" & the ball is passed to him. Call your child's name, & pass the ball towards him.

2. Next, call out "mama" & he has to pass the ball to mama.

3. Clap, or say "very good" every time he catches the ball when his name is called & the ball is rolled towards him.

4. If your child doesn't get the verbal cue to pass the ball to "mama", show him whom to pass by pointing your fingers towards mama.

Keep practicing this fun game for about a week, or two weeks. 

Make sure your child has started to respond to his name to some extent using the above three activities & then you can start these group games.

😊 Clap clap, or, Stomp stomp

You can play this game also with 3-4 kids, or with family members. 

All the members stand at a little distance from one another in a line. 

Make sure you start with two or three members. 

Remember, only one of you can give the command to avoid confusing the child. Be consistent with that.

Steps:-

Rule of the game :- Whosever name is called, claps or stomps. Be consistent with one action- either clap, or stomp.

1. Call out "mama" & mama claps or stomps.

Then call out "papa" & Papa claps.

2. Call your child's name, & he has to clap or stomp.

3. Keep calling out the names of different family members & they have to clap.

5. Say "very good" or "well done" every time he claps when his name is called.

4. If your child doesn't clap when you call out his name, help him by asking him, it's your turn to clap.

Eventually, your child will learn the rules & will enjoy the game.

 

Once again, make sure your child has started to respond to his name to some extent using the above activities & then you can start these group games.

Some Useful Tips while practicing any of the above games/methods

👉 Give positive reinforcements like a "high five", or telling "very good, you are responding to your name".

Every time he responds to his name in any of the above games. 

Be consistent with giving reinforcements.

Positive reinforcements can work magically to teach a child any skill faster.😄😄😄

👉 Be consistent with one method for 3-4 days & see if your child is responding to his name better, if not, try another method.

👉 Be regular to practice a method several times in a day in the initial stages. Be playful & have fun while practicing these games.

Eventually, your child will definitely start responding to his name.👍👍😊😊

👉 Increase the difficulty level a little once your child starts responding consistently.

You can practice the games in a little noisy environment like when the TV is on, Or, try calling him from another room, & if he comes to you, or, responds with a "yes", make sure to give a reinforcement like "very good", or even a bite of his favorite cookie, or a sip of his favorite juice.

Lastly, I would say that the above methods are easy, fun, & will definitely bring great results if practiced consistently!

If one method doesn't work for you, you can always try another method. Since, you are the one who knows your child the best! 

Enjoy reading!

Happy parenting to all my readers.😃😃😃

About the writer :-

The writer’s name is Abhipsa Parida. She is an occupational therapist specialised in pediatrics and has been handling kids with special needs since 6 years. She is quite experienced and skillful in observation, assessment and planning intervention for kids with special needs. She uses evidence based practice and is very creative and updated in her approach while handling kids with special needs. She has her own clinic in Bhubaneswar and has handled many kids of different age groups with varying needs.

If you have any queries, you can mail them at abhipsaot21@gmail.