Sing-Alongs

Music goes through different pathways in our brain than speech.  Michael struggles to speak in anything more than simple sentences, but he can remember music lyrics. He can also read at a basic level, so sing-along videos are perfect for him!

Michael loves the Lion King feature-length movie, and he even went to a sensory-friendly performance of the Lion King on Broadway.  He had a blast!

There are a wide variety of sing-along videos for kids and exposure to those might spark other interests…you never know if you don’t try.

Side Note:

For kids who are higher functioning, poetry and especially Shakespeare (written in iambic pentameter) can be easier for them than regular prose (traditional writing). Although they can’t replace conversational speech, I think exposure to language is always good…and it’s like exercise, whatever method you enjoy and will do consistently is the best one for you. Michael found it fun to memorize simple poems. I would say the first part of the line and he would say the last word or phrase.  This allowed for a conversation-like back and forth before that was truly a possibility for Mikey.

Making words fun for your kids can help motivate them to want to speak, type, communicate, sign or read. These are all ways to expand their world so we should be encouraging them in any way we can.