Sook Wah Chew

Effective Strategies for Teaching Verbal Imitation to Individuals with Autism: A Step-by-Step Guide

Written by Sook Wah Chew on April 29, 2023. Posted in Tips for Parents.

Teaching verbal imitation to individuals with autism can be challenging, but there are strategies that can be helpful. Our strategy is to first teach your child to imitate your actions before imitating sounds. The Importance of Imitation Skills in Teaching Verbal Imitation to Individuals with Autism Imitation is a fundamental skill that we use to learn how to talk, write, and operate machines like driving, using a phone, or a rice cooker. By observing and imitating, we can learn new skills. Similarly, by practicing action imitation, your child can start to learn to look at you, respond to you, and imitate (learn) from you. This first step can help them develop essential base skills for communication and social interaction. When your child starts to imitate your actions, they are focusing on you and engaging in simple back-and-forth interactions. This first step can help build up the fundamental skills needed to learn more complex skill: communication skills. Mastering Verbal...

Therapy For Speech Delays: Enhancing Your Child’s Communication Skills for Better Outcome

Written by Sook Wah Chew on April 16, 2023. Posted in Early Intervention Program, Tips for Parents.

Speech delays are a common issue among children. There are various causes of speech delays, including hearing loss, developmental disorders, and environmental factors. Early intervention is crucial for children with speech delays. At Kidz Steps Centre, we offer intensive speech program that is customized to meet the distinctive requirements of each child. What is Speech Program ? Our speech program included a range of evidence-based techniques and activities to improve a child’s speech and language skills. We customize our goals based on the unique needs of each child and track their progress through regular evaluations. The benefits of speech program include: Improved communication skills Increased confidence and self-esteem Better academic performance Enhanced social interactions and relationships Improved behavior and attention Speech delays can have a significant impact on a child’s development and well-being, but with early intervention...

Autism or Speech Delay: Understanding the Differences in Your Child’s Development

Written by Sook Wah Chew on April 12, 2023. Posted in Tips for Parents.

What is Speech Delay? A speech delay is when a child is not progressing in their language and speech abilities as expected for their age, resulting in difficulties with articulation, pronunciation, and understanding language. Children with speech delays may struggle to express themselves effectively through speech, leading to difficulties in communicating their needs and wants. They may not able to communicate their feelings, thoughts, and requests for assistance. Additionally, children with speech delays find it challenging to comprehending what others are saying to them, resulting in difficulties in making friends and following teacher’s instructions at kindergarten. These challenges in effective communication may lead to feelings of frustration and irritability, making the child more prone to tantrums. What are the possible reasons for speech delay There are many potential causes of speech delay in children. Some of the most common causes include: Hearing...

Early Detection is Key: Screening Promotion for World Autism Month

Written by Sook Wah Chew on April 2, 2023. Posted in Event.

April is recognized globally as World Autism Month, and to mark this occasion, we offer our promotional prices on screening services conducted by our clinical psychologists. This screening is designed to detect early signs of developmental delays in children, and it is only available at the special rate of RM120 during April 2023. If you have concerns about your child’s development, seeking advice from a professional can offer you peace of mind and help you identify any potential developmental delays early on. Our screening services are conducted by experienced clinical psychologists who specialize in child development. The screening process is non-invasive and typically involves completing a questionnaire or using standardized assessment tools to evaluate the child’s development in various areas and identify potential developmental delays or disabilities early on. If a child is identified as having a potential developmental delay during the screening process,...

Developmental Delays: What Every Parent Needs to Know

Written by Sook Wah Chew on April 1, 2023. Posted in Tips for Parents.

From Crawling to Conversing: The Developmental Milestones of Three-Year-Olds At 3 years old, children typically demonstrate a range of developmental milestones. Here are some common skills and abilities that 3-year-olds may display: Language development: By the age of 3, children can usually speak in simple sentences of 3–4 words, such as “I want play ball,” “Look at this,” or “Help me.” They often use pronouns like “I” and “you,” and begin using basic grammar. At this stage, they love asking questions like “Where is it?” “When we go?” or “Who give this?” They also enjoy telling simple stories and singing songs. Cognitive development: 3-year-olds can typically sort objects by shape and color, understand basic concepts such as “big” and “small,” and count one to three. They can complete simple puzzles and match objects. They enjoy using their imaginations to create pretend scenarios with toy kitchens, doctor kits, and playhouses. Motor...

We are hiring now !!!

Written by Sook Wah Chew on August 29, 2022. Posted in Others.

We Are Now Hiring!!! If you are interested to apply following position, you can send your application and resume to admin@kidzsteps.com.my : 1. Special Needs TherapistAs a Special Needs Therapist, you will work with adorable children on a daily basis. You will be working one-to-one intervention with child and conducting playgroup for a small group of children. You are responsible to love and care for the child, and teach them skills! Don’t worry that you can’t handle them, training will be provided. 2. Occupational TherapistWe are currently looking to recruit compassionate and experienced Occupational Therapist to work with our EIP team!!! 3. Team Lead / Supervisor We are looking for passionate individuals who are trained and experienced in working with special needs children, and able to support our therapy team to deliver intervention (EIP, ABA, Social Skills training) to children with special needs. #Vancacy #specialneeds #OT #ABA #EIP #teacher #psychology

Helping Your Child Overcome Speech Delays: Tips for Parents

Written by Sook Wah Chew on March 15, 2022. Posted in Tips for Parents.

Speech delays can be frustrating for parents and children. Children who can’t express their needs, thoughts and emotions are more likely to be aggressive, easily agitated or noncompliant. They also find it hard to make friends and have difficulties in learning in school. These are huge risks for emotional problems and can lead to poor self-esteem. How can parents help? Use 1-2 words during everyday routines and activities, don’t talk too much It is easier for children to learn when they have been exposed to familiar, repetitive vocabulary on a daily basis. For example, when washing your child’s hands, you can say “It’s time to wash your hands” but do not say “Look, your hands are dirty. What do you need to do? You need to wash your hands. I will help you. You need to open the tap, rub your hands….” Parents easily get into the habit of talking too much when the children have not yet started speaking. This does not help and only makes the child feel confused...

Managing Problem Behavior at Home

Written by Sook Wah Chew on July 11, 2021. Posted in Tips for Parents.

A Guide to a more Confident and Effective Parenting To curb the Covid-19 pandemic, we are encouraged to stay at home and limit our time spent outside. This new normal has greatly impacted children with autism. Disruptions to their daily routines can be extremely stressful for them. As a result, there may be apparent regressions in their skills and understanding which cause a higher likelihood of them having meltdowns. Have a look at our tips here to introduce new routines to them as well as to ease their anxiety during these times of uncertainty. Create a Schedule To help your children to understand and adapt to new routines, you may create daily schedules for your children to follow at home. Routines may include activity like learning time, exercise time, snack time, meal time, shower time, nap time, TV-time and free play time. By presenting the schedules visually, it helps your children to understand the daily expectations and to reduce their anxiety. Calming...

Developmental Delays: If you are worried, Act Early

Written by Sook Wah Chew on May 4, 2020. Posted in Tips for Parents.

Watching your child roll over, crawl, take their first step, wave “bye bye,” or say “mama” are cherished moments for parents. These milestones demonstrate their growth, development, and important achievements. The way your child plays, communicates, interacts with others, and learns provides valuable insights into their development. If you notice that your child is behaving differently from other children, it could indicate potential developmental delays. These milestones are different for each age range. Developmental milestones show a normal range of skills that most children are able to perform by certain age. For example, walking may begin as early as 9 months in some children. At the age of 2, most of the children can speak in 2 to 3 words phrase (for example, “eat rice” or “mummy come”) or follow two-steps instructions such as “take your bottle and put on the table”. It is important to recognize your child’s developmental milestones and know what...

Author: Sook Wah Chew