Step 2d. Engaging toddler with verbal and motor imitation

This imitation can encourage turn-taking and facilitate the back-and-forth dance of social communication.

EXAMPLE

If a child holds a puzzle piece up to her face and says, “ga,” the interventionist can hold a puzzle piece up to his own mouth and say, “ga.”

Interrupting a routine with a pause or doing something novel that the toddler finds funny or interesting can keep a toddler engaged in an interaction.

EXAMPLE

Make a funny face as you reveal yourself after a few rounds of peek-a-boo or pause at the end of a line of a song, “The itsy bitsy spider went up the water...”