Overview

Of Teaching Of Cognitive Skills In Children With ASD And Other Developmental

Disorders

Dr. Venkateshwaran MD FICAP (CMC, Vellore)
Consultant child and adolescent psychiatrist
(Kanchi Kamakoti Child trust Hospital, Mehta Hospital, Apollo Children Hospital, Chennai)
Contact: venkateswaranrajaraman@gmail.com, 9994474538


As children start exploring their environment they notice how
some things are alike, and how some are different. It is an important aspect of development
(especially to future academic performance).

In the process, they learn

Matching à Sorting à Sequencing

Matching is an important early childhood math skill that helps in classification of objects.
Matching is identification of same or similar objects based on their common properties. E.g
(Matching by shape, color etc. ). Most children begin by matching concrete objects first, like
blocks of the same color or buttons of the same shape, because developmentally it is easier.
Then they move to matching pictures or puzzle pieces. Then, the skills gradually progress in
complexity and it becomes more difficult to master them.

Once a child is matching more than two objects, they are sorting. Sorting involves separating
objects into groups according to their similarities, which also means they are noticing
differences. Sorting is the ability to identify similarities and differences among a
set of objects, and to group and name them accordingly.

Skills:

Any task has to be started with physical prompts (if required) and moved on to verbal prompts
(instructions)
(Refer to training module)

12-18 months

• Matches objects by color
o Matches five or more colors (e.g. color blocks or color cards)
o Start with contrasting colors (e.g don’t use red and orange within the same
matching task when you start)

• Sorts 5 or more colors
o Once matching is mastered, introduce groups of different colored blocks and
encourage the child to sort

• Matches identical objects/pictures
o E.g matching train to tracks, pencil to paper, spoon to vessels
o Can use pictures and real objects.

18 to 24 months

• Matches and sorts by shape and size

• Matches and sorts non-identical objects based on function/group (e.g eatables,
clothings, toys)

• Requests missing objects/parts from a toy (e.g shoe, dress from a toy)

24-36 months

• Identifies shapes and colors (by pointing or verbal expression)

• Can Introduce alphabets or numbers as part of play

• Matches letters (alphabets) (From physical prompt à verbal promptà Matching on
cue)

• Matches numbers

• Identifies 5 or more letters and numbers (by pointing or verbal expression)

• Plays simple memory game
• (adult shows 2-3 items like a coin, ball or a toy car and closes it with a cup – after 7
seconds, show the second copy of one of the hidden objects - child should verbally
express or point out)

• Categorizes objects into more than 3 classes (up to 8 classes) based on function
• (e.g travel, fruits, vegetables, daily items etc. )

• Counts up to 5 numbers (blocks or pebbles can be used to count)

• Arranges 3 or more pictures in correct sequence (e.g wash hands, dry and eat)

36-48 months

• Counts up to 20

• Hands correct number of objects to adults on request (e.g give 2 biscuits, 5 coins)

• Understands the concept of “some” & “all” (request is made from the adult and child
should handover objects)

• Knows spatial relationships (on, in, behind, in front of) (start teaching the child during
play, e.g keep the doll on the table and ask the child to stand in front of the doll)

• Matches five or more 2-3 letter words (in response to adult cues e.g where is D-O-G and
child should match appropriately)(demonstrate initially à use physical prompts à
verbal cues)

• Matches letters in their own name

• Matches objects (5 or more) with 3 or 4 letter words (e.g car toy with C-A-R)

• Identifies words among set of 2 or 3 words (e.g. CAR,BUS or BOY, request the child to
identify CAR)

• Can read 10 or more words (Not mandatory as some schools prefer to start this little
late)

• Identifies signs ((e.g stop sign, universal NO sign)

• State opposites (e.g. Small/big, tall/short etc)