The moment my son Hayden smiled at me, a thousand emotions flooded my heart. But as he grew, a nagging worry settled in. Other children his age chattered excitedly, their words tumbling like colorful toys. Hayden, though my brilliant boy, seemed lost in his own silent world.

If that sounds familiar, then you know the unique challenges of raising a child with autism. Many children with autism face speech challenges, but there’s hope.

On this journey with Hayden, I learned that even simple exercises at home can make a world of difference. These five easy speech therapy exercises for autism at home helped bridge the gap for Hayden, and they can do the same for your brilliant child.

Speech Therapy for Autism – 5 Easy Strategies to Try at Home

Singing
Mimicking
Acting and Role-Playing
Sign Language
Ask Questions with Visual Aids

1. Singing

The most effective strategy for my non-verbal autistic son was singing. When Hayden was a toddler, I’d take his favorite songs with silly voices or repetitive lyrics, change the words to capture his attention, and encourage him to respond verbally.

One of his favorites was “The Hairbrush Song” from VeggieTales. Instead of singing the original lyrics, I’d sing “Where is my Hayden?” This twist on a familiar tune caught his attention and made him respond by coming to me and saying, “Here.”

Later, when Hayden entered school, participating in the elementary school choir significantly boosted his speech development. He struggled with sentence building and sequencing but could speak basic words and simple sentences. The choir’s repetitive melodies and cadences provided a structure that helped him practice using longer sentences. It was only a short time before he went from barely speaking in sentences to confidently speaking longer without prompting.

Hayden and his sister would jam to karaoke when not practicing choir songs. Singing was one of their favorite pastimes, even though Hayden found it challenging to articulate the words. Through repetition and encouragement from his sister, Hayden gradually improved his articulation and had fun. The kids also enjoyed the voice-altering effects from the microphone.

Here’s a karaoke microphone on Amazon that will keep the kids occupied for hours.

2. Mimicking

Mimicking was another powerful speech therapy tool in addition to singing. I’d encourage Hayden to repeat what I was saying throughout the day. We started with one word at a time and gradually progressed to mimicking sentences.

We also practiced sounds he struggled with, such as “R” and “L.” One strategy we used was practicing these sounds in front of a mirror. Today, there are portable mirrors specifically designed for speech therapy. This speech therapy mirror on Amazon has a game-like setup: You select a sound for your child to practice, find the card with picture guides, and practice in front of the portable mirror. I wish this were available when Hayden was younger.

Hayden also practiced mimicking through affirmations. Every night before bed, Hayden and I had a routine where he’d repeat an affirmation I created to help him connect speaking with communication. I broke the sentence into short sections and had him repeat it back:

Me: “I use my words…”
Hayden: “I use my words…”
Me: “…to tell my mom…”
Hayden: “…to tell my mom…”
Me: “…what I need.”
Hayden: “…what I need.”
Me: “I use my words…”
Hayden: “I use my words…”
Me: “…to tell my mom…”
Hayden: “…to tell my mom…”
Me: “…how I feel.”
Hayden: “…how I feel.”

Even though I wasn’t sure if he understood the meaning, we repeated this nightly ritual. These mimicking exercises helped Hayden with his pronunciation and aided emotional regulation.

During the day, whenever frustration or anger caused him to cry or scream, I’d use the same calm tone and familiar cadence to interrupt him with “I use my words…” This strategy often stopped the tantrums, head-dragging, or toe-jumping that sometimes accompanied his meltdowns.

3. Acting and Role-Playing

Another powerful speech therapy exercise involved acting and role-playing. Hayden loved reenacting scenes from his favorite movies, but pronouncing words and forming sentences proved challenging.

We’d act out the scene together, and I’d help him work on pronouncing a particular word. Then, we’d practice the sentence one step at a time. Eventually, he was able to act out the lines on his own.

Here’s another fun role-playing exercise we used to practice conversation – “Banana Phone.”

We’d grab a banana, pretend it was a phone, and sit across from each other, having a basic conversation. “Brrring-brrring,” I’d start:

Me: Hello?
Me (prompting): Now you say hello.
Hayden: Hello?
Me: Good job!
Me: Hi, Hayden, how is your day?
Me (prompting): Now you say good.
Hayden: Good.
Me: Yes! Great job!
Me: Oh, great! I’m so glad your day is good.
Me: I have to go now. Bye.
Me (prompting): Now you say bye.
Hayden: Bye.
Me: Great job, Hayden! We just had a conversation.

Following this pattern, we gradually added more details to our “Banana Phone” conversations. Using a silly object like a banana kept him engaged and made practicing conversation fun.

Another great alternative to a banana is a phoneme phone. This toy is used in speech therapy to help children hear their speech better. The child speaks to the receiver to listen to their amplified voice directed into their ear. You can find it here on Amazon.

4. Sign Language

While some might express concerns that sign language could delay speech development, for Hayden, it served as a bridge to spoken language. When he was a toddler, I introduced him to basic ASL signs, allowing him to communicate his needs.

I’d sign the word while saying it out loud, repeating this throughout the day. When I sensed he needed something, I’d ask, “Are you thirsty? Are you hungry?” He’d respond with the corresponding sign, and I’d encourage him to say the word along with the sign. I also taught him signs for “please” and “thank you” to promote polite communication when requesting things.

Sign language was beneficial during sensory overload when he struggled to process spoken language. Using signs alongside words helped him understand, and he also used signs himself when feeling overwhelmed and unable to speak his needs. Sign language can be a powerful tool to complement your speech therapy exercises.

You can read “Baby Sign Language Made Easy: 101 Signs to Start Communicating with Your Child Now” on Amazon to learn more about basic sign language.

5. Ask Questions While Using Visual Aids

Asking questions while using visual aids helped Hayden immensely with speech therapy. Not only did the practice help Hayden improve pronunciation, but it also taught him to respond to verbal cues.

I’d draw simple stick figures depicting emotions or actions, then ask questions like, “Are you happy?” “Are you angry?” “Do you want to play ball?” Over time, he learned to respond with words, often pairing them with a sign.

I also introduced a picture binder with symbols and corresponding words. Hayden would point to the symbol to communicate his needs, and I’d use that opportunity to teach him to speak the related word, like “play” or “nap.” This binder on Amazon is the closest thing I could find to what we used. Hayden used this binder a lot before he started school, and it helped me better understand his needs and helped him feel more empowered.

Another speech therapy exercise we regularly practiced involved offering choices. I’d present Hayden with two or more preferred items and ask him to choose one. For instance, I might offer fish sticks or chicken nuggets. When he made his selection, I’d prompt him to say the word, like “fish sticks.” Once he verbalized his choice, I’d begin preparing his meal.

After mastering essential words and learning to read and spell at a foundational level, he still faced challenges forming and speaking complete sentences. To address this, I set up a magnet board with different alphabet letters displayed in his room, and then I’d leave him simple sentences to discover on the board.

Later, I’d ask, “Did you see my message?” His response would be a simple “yes” or “no.” I’d follow up with, “What did it say?” This question prompted him to approach the board, read the sentence aloud, and speak it. Over time, this method helped him develop sentence-building skills, and we eventually graduated to a whiteboard for creating more complex messages and drawings.

Here’s some similar gear on Amazon that Hayden and I used to communicate:

Portable Magnet Board
Portable Magnetic Whiteboard
Multi-Color Magnetic Foam Letters (includes a small magnetic whiteboard)

Finding Your Voice Together

The journey of helping your child with autism develop their voice can be long and winding, filled with moments of frustration and heartwarming breakthroughs. But remember, you’re not alone.

These speech therapy exercises for autism at home are just a starting point. Your love and unwavering belief in your child’s potential are your most powerful tools. Every giggle shared over a silly song; every mumbled word coaxed out with patience, every meltdown calmed with a gentle reminder about “using words”—these moments weave a tapestry of connection.

There will be days when progress feels slow, and frustration threatens to bubble over. But then there will be those magical moments—a complete sentence uttered with newfound confidence, a story excitedly shared with a flurry of hand gestures. These moments fill your heart with a joy that transcends words.

So keep singing, keep mimicking, keep acting out those fantastical scenes. Embrace the silliness, celebrate the small victories, and hold onto the unwavering belief that your child’s voice will be heard. Together, you’ll build bridges of communication, one word, one song, one silly banana phone call at a time.

To learn more about alternative forms of communication that could help your child develop speech, explore the article “What is the Difference Between ABA Therapy and Speech Therapy?”