understand the "How To" and "Why" sections in the Teach Me Language manual.  When working with children with autism spectrum disorders, the material must be taught in a way that sets the child up for success.  Without understanding how to introduce the various exercises, the child can become frustrated and "turn off" learning.  The instructions which accompany each exercise in the Teach Me Language manual are also important to help you decide if the child is ready for the exercise.Why We Wrote the Companion Exercise Forms for Teach Me LanguageThe Companion Exercise Forms for Teach Me Language makes the Teach Me Language manual more convenient to use because it provides all the manual's exercise forms in a larger, blank format.  To help explain how the exercises in Teach Me Language are done, the book includes facsimiles of drill sheets, filled out with examples of how and who the exercises are done.  The Companion Exercise Forms for Teach Me Language is a collection of the exercise sheets found the the Teach Me Language manual without the examples written on the forms.  The exercise forms in this supplement are blank and enlarged for ease of use.Use of the Exercise SheetsThe exercise forms in this supplement are designed to be photocopied and used in the child's program.  The ability to make several copies is important because the exercises need to be done several times, gradually increasing the level of ability as the child learns the material.  It is a good idea to photocopy the forms rather than use the originals in this supplement so a complete set of blank originals is always on hand.Understanding How to Do the ExercisesIn order to do the exercises in this supplement effectively, it is important to know that they are not self explanatory for the child.  They must be introduced to the child by the adult who presents each part of the exercise and demonstrates correct sample answers.  To complete the exercise independently (where indicated), the child should be very familiar with the exercise.  This may require doing the exercise many times with an adult.  To achieve this method of teaching, the adult must be very familiar with the exercise before working on it with the child.  This is why this book of companion forms cannot stand alone.  The Teach Me Language manual is needed to know how the exercises are done effectively. Customizing the Exercise SheetsThe exercise sheets have been designed to be as easy to use as possible for the child; however, if required, they can be tailored to each child's program to make them more effective.  Some of the exercises can also be done on a dry-erase board.  Some children find it motivating to write on and erase a board.

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