Supernanny Promotes Speech

Supernanny had an innovative way to encourage a family to spend some quality time together at the dinner table. As I watched the episode I realized that this technique would be a great way to encourage children on the autism spectrum to use speech and practice social skills. Jo called it the "Talking Stick Technique". The idea comes from Native American tribes who during a council would retrieve the talking stick from the tribal leader and whoever possessed the stick is the one allowed to speak. Supernanny has a little different spin on the concept. Each evening at the dinner table the tribal elder (mom or dad) will give the "Talking Stick" to one family member. That person can control what the conversation topic at the dinner table will be that night. So, mom may give the stick to Jake who may pick the topic of Star Wars. The stick then goes around the table as each family member participates in the discussion. The next night it will be another family member's turn to decide on the conversation topic/topics. Obviously, you have to have a child who has some verbal skills, but I think this is a great idea to help children who are working on their language and social skills. It helps children who need help with word/sentence usage and could really aide children who do poorly with social conversations. The "Talking Stick Technique" helps them to listen and participate appropriately in conversations. They can learn to not always talk about their favorite subjects, listen and the practice is in a controlled, supportive family environment.